| home | what's new | news | biographies | gigs | guestbook | your replies | songlist |
These are the actual words of Ken. The webmaster, whilst entirely to blame for the format,
accepts no responsibility for Ken, regardless of the money offered. Any poetry read as a
result of a link from this site is solely at the risk of the reader as I refuse to pay for the
insurance.After several abortive attempts to form a band at school "Nine While Nine"
were formed pretty much exclusively for the purpose of a charity gig to raise money
for the Band Aid appeal, actually thinking of it well before they announced Live
Aid. Just as well really - we needed much more rehearsal time! A 25 minute set of
covers were played, to the applause of a pretty well packed house, though I wonder
if the size of the audience wasn't more to do with getting out of double PE.
In a pathetic attempt to cash in on our previous year's triumph we returned in a
somewhat modified form (minus the Bass player who couldn't be bothered). We played
one gig at school in which we destroyed the winning formula by breaking up the covers
with some of our own songs (which were really under-rehearsed). We didn't draw such
a large audience either - it was a lunchtime gig on a sunny day! Mercifully mostly
forgotten.
Also known as Corderoy Nightmare.
Avant Garde, experimental, unusual, screaming white noise - just some of the words
used to describe "Hormone Implant". We wanted to be brilliantly
revolutionary, but it turned out we were just crap. Damn it was fun though. We even
got our "demo" listened to by the local paper's music reviewer. His total
critique consisted of "Hmmm... errrr... interesting... I liked the last one
until it got all weird." So, quite a good review really. We'd have got it printed
if we hadn't insisted on wearing paper bags on our heads for the photos. Ahead of our
time I feel.
Rock, goth and indie. First seriously gigging band formed from the remnants of
"The Pagan Lords". Rob and Nick asked me if I were interested in forming a
band with them, so I went out and found a bass player and a guitarist and we did just
that. They even agreed to play my songs :)) We played most of our gigs at Birmingham
University and supported countless great (and not so great) bands for little more
than a few cans of beer. It was also refreshing because for the first time I was in a
band with a real drummer. Hmmm.... at least with a drum machine you only have to punch
in the instructions once. Seriously Nick and Paul were an almost perfect rhythm
section. They both departed Birmingham for pastures new and I miss them both
<<sniff>>.
70's & 80's Rock cover band (sort of). After Nick and Paul departed for wherever,
I was asked to fill in on bass guitar for Paul and did I know a drummer? As it
happens I did which is how we got roped into playing two gigs, one at a private party
and the other at the farm on the notorious L-shaped stage (yes Ian Ward and Studs, I
haven't forgotten. I just hope everyone else has!). All our rehearsals went really
well and Mike Douglas our new "lead" guitarist coped with the material
perfectly well. Unfortunately, on stage he suffered from nerves and had a tendency
to go to pieces. He was, and presumably still is, such a nice guy that even though it
was the worst gig I have ever played (I just walked off into the night after the last
song), I can't hold it against him.
Rock, indie, a touch of goth. Shun (the last and probably best name of a truly
dubious selection) were formed from assorted parts of the ill fated Love Commandos
(Mk2) and Twelfth House. Andy and I got together with Dan and asked a guitarist
friend Jon to play bass guitar for us. Well frankly Jon was too good a guitarist to
be playing bass so our search for another bass player began. Numerous name changes
and line-ups followed, the most stable being the one with Jon's housemate Ben on
bass. Ben's eventual departure and began the slow demise of the band. We did write
some interesting songs, though we never gigged enough to give them the hearing they
deserved.
Rock, Grunge, Alternative. Here we are! After Shun, Jon, Andy and I asked Neil and
Rob to join us in a reformed Love Commandos. The idea was to lead a dozen or so rock
standards and do the pub circuit in Birmingham. Of course it didn't happen that way.
We discovered that we didn't really want to play rock standards and that the pub
circuit was at an all time low. We forged on, however, and today we're gigging with
reasonable frequency and the pub circuit seems to be starting to happen again.
Hurrah! We've even started to include our own material in the set which seems to be
going down pretty well :))
Pagan Rock. I was asked to join "Druidspear" as bass player after the band
was dissolved and reformed by Jim. I'd been a huge fan of the band for ages and
jumped at the chance. The band is very fluid, the line-up below representing only the
current full gigging band. "Druidspear" has spawned a number of other
off-shoots and collaborations based around Harborne record shop/recording studio/music
label Anew Music.
These include "Pagan Dub Lord" which is an experimental fusion of musical
elements. Jim and I have created the High Horse Recording Studio which currently
sees the ongoing production of the next "Druidspear" CD and numerous other
projects.