formed band, did gigs, spotted by A&R from Chrysalis publishing, signed, toured UK and Europe, supported La's and Pulp, split. Went back to Cardiff.

On hindsight, going back to this dumb, glorious, vibrant and stupid city was the highlight.

In terms of, like, bread, man, our top billing was a couple of headline slots at what used to be Sound, the club above the Swiss Centre in Leicester Square in 2003. Good crowds, decent turnout, an actual not-negligible fee, people we didn't know actually up the front, a few strangers saying nice things to us afterwards. This was shortly after signing our first recording contract (a pay-to-play travesty) and shortly before not-signing our Factory Records-style gentlemen's agreement with a very nice little label in London. We split up a few weeks after the second of these shows.

The thing is, in terms of fun, we'd stopped really having much of it a long while before. The most *fun* we ever had, for my money, was a week and a half in the third year of university, in which we played about 5 gigs in three towns (Durham, Newcastle, Barrow-in-Furness. Be still, my beating heart). We were whip-tight, we made people dance, we had a fucking ball. It was everything good about being in a band. I still have a fond memory of soundchecking before one much more established band, and seeing said "big" band visibly shitting themselves at how good we were.

I was lucky, though: the other three members of my erstwhile band are still my dearest friends, without whom - distance notwithstanding - I would be lost. I love them. It doesn't always end like that.

Our best rejection letter came from WEA and closed "...at least you've got a sense of humour". At least they'd listened to it. Still, not everyone gets to headline the Ipswich Corn Exchange.

I was in the Primevals - we did a lot of gigs from Dingwall to London and on to France, supported The Gun Club, supported David Johansen at Dingwalls, released records on New Rose, and I left for a rest. That was the point when I realised I didn't actually want to be a full-time rocker

While I was out, the band recorded a Peel session, then I rejoined for a few weeks to help out while the band was "between guitarists" and we recorded a Kershaw session and the second album. I had rejoined to help out , but they were ready to set off on a 6 week European tour with The Cramps. I reminded them again that I had a full-time job, wished them all the best, and off they went.

Then I formed the Beat Poets - highlights included releasing records on 53rd & 3rd and Imaginary, being on BBC TV show FsD, recording the music for Ran Dan, supporting our hero Dick Dale, and being Alex Chilton's band for two Scottish shows. We've been going for nearly 25 years and we still have fun.

Dick Dale

Alex Chilton

More stuff here :

http://www.myspace.com/originalbeatpoets

Oh, it's not music-oriented at all, but I want to join in.

I used to be a smidgy bit famous... used to do some presenting work on various local radio stations. It was all good fun, but then I'd meet strangers and they'd already know who I was. And that completely freaked me out.

So I dropped the presenting work, moved into producing instead.

Today, I am resolutely non-famous.

... my golden tones used to be featured on local radio in crappy comedy sketches. I even once did a Tom Waits impression while singing a jingle.

At least till someone recognized me. It was awful, never again.

from the lead shoutist asking me if I was going to see 'the band' next Friday in Glasgow.
Turns out it was another band that he and the drummer had formed whilst me and the guitarist had been rehearsing.

jes' one of those things, innit...

Finest moment was about 5 years later being spotted by two young whippersnappers at the NIN concert in the Barras who were still sporting the t-shirts I designed, not only was I recognised as 'James Blast' they were so proud of the shirts.

It was a nice design, just a big skull I'd made in MacPaint (it was that lang ago)... wanders off in auld geezer mode...

I was part of a three-piece, did a few gigs, some good, some bad. It was nothing too serious as we were just starting out. One night after a show at the Robey in London a swanky wanky Mr Big record label type approached me and said "I'm not sure about the band but I do like you. Fancy having a chat?" My reply - that haunts me to this day - was "no thanks, mate. It's the band or nothing". He gave me a quizzical look, sloped off and that was the end of that. The band split-up soon after for no real reason other than we had other things to do.
Since then I've not really thought too much about a life of rock-stardom but I had an email off a mate the other month saying that a demo of a few songs I'd recorded some years back had somehow found its way to a Nashville publishing house and that they were "interested". The grown-up father-of-three 40-something-me says "Bugger it. It'll probably come to nothing, so why bother?". However, the 20 year old me says "Yes! I'm off to Nashville with a big hat and my lovely Gibson".
Ho hum....

...as I nick the bits of wisdom for my niece(15) and nephew's(17) band - just had their first support slot with the Chapman Family and some local BBC radio play. Funniest moment was at a biker rally - heard the soundman say "first up is some school kids - favour for their teacher who organised this do." - they blew the place apart and got booked for next year further up the bill and £250.

..made a bunch of demos and a limited edition 7".

Played to loads of A&R people, including one at Sony's own mini venue where following some spectacularly poor advice from our manager we opened not with our three most likely singles but with an 'atmospheric' seven minute noise epic. Cleared the room by half-way through..

Played masses of shows in London, including Camden Falcon, Dingwalls, The Garage etc. Played on what was then called the New Band stage at an unspeakably muddy Glastonbury 98. Another music biz type once came from LA to see us, but only offered 2 tix back to the US for a meeting, singer and manager went to sunny California, the rest of us stayed in less sunny Bristol.

Last show was at The Borderline. The supporting band were on the way up, we were very much on the way down. After the show we sat on our own in silence in a dressing room conspicously devoid of any fans, well-wishers, liggers, hangers-on and industry types.

After that I throught three strikes and out seemed a better option, the start of a new millenium seemed to be a good time to start something new. Really glad I had a go though.

I once shared a flat with a band though. It was enough to put me off forever. Well, they didn't all live there but it certainly felt like it.

The singer went on to be the semi-famous Tom McRae. But I knew him as Jeremy.

...I was in a band, revolving door-type, with some mates, mates would come and go (to University or Poly usually) and we had a laugh. I was the youngest, but I was a drummer, a rare beast.
Front man suffered from stage-fright so there were lots of last minute nerves before gigs and we played very few of them as a result, but he did have a studio in his house. So we recorded some tracks. My turn to go off to Uni, but hey, just down the road, the demos got better and we appeared on a Battle of the Bands on Manchester's Piccadilly radio. Pete Mitchell was the DJ. Played the song twice and announced it as his favourite.
It wasn't my drumming. The frontman worked in an office with another drummer who had re-recorded the songs with them and he replaced me forthwith. They wiped my BVs off too. He wasn't that much better but he had a much shinier kit. And a car.
A year later he had sold his kit and I had bought a new one, well, they were my mates. But it was a bit "Graham used to do it like this"....
We reformed for my brother's 30th birthday do a few years ago and I swapped with the lead singer on a couple of numbers. Almost 100 people there.
I don't suffer from nerves but I knew what Lennon meant when he said he liked to hide behind his guitar.