Diesel Park West

Formed in Leicester in the early 1980s, Diesel Park West belong to an English alternative rock tradition infused with folk rock, jangle pop and 1960s Californian psychedelia, often likened to The Byrds, Love, Buffalo Springfield or Moby Grape. Initially active as The Filberts and later The Psychedelic Filberts, the band coalesced around John Butler, the principal songwriter, before signing to Food Records in the late 1980s. Diesel Park West released Shakespeare Alabama in 1989 and Decency in 1992, two albums that established a sound combining chiming guitars, vocal harmonies and melodic rock songwriting. After their period with EMI, the band continued on independent labels with Diesel Park West vs. The Corporate Waltz (1993) and FreakGene (1995), while undergoing several lineup changes. Remaining active over the years, they have continued to record and tour; recent releases include Let It Melt (2019), Not Quite The American Dream (2022), Presley Trap (2024) and Leicester? (2025). Today Diesel Park West features John Butler, Rich Barton, Darryl Hopper and Dave Bryant among its members.