PART ONE

SOUND AFFECTS	Daron Welch (bottom) Me (top) Mark Springhall (left) John Palmer (right)
So, there I was, Summer of 1982, walking home from school aged a sweet 16. On my way home I have to walk past Mark's house, he's sat outside on a wall with Daron and a guitar. "We're forming a band" they say, and they need a drummer. "I can play the drums" I lied ! - "Good" they said, "we've booked the Village Hall (Chalk) and borrowed a drum kit from our school, see ya Sunday morning !"
We were all mates from the same area (Chalk Village, Nr. Gravesend), all mods, all into The Jam, Who, Small Faces etc. I took the name for the band from my favourite Jam album at the time. We played gigs all over the area over the next couple of years and were later asked to support a newly formed rockabilly band 'Thee Waltons and thee Hairy Melon Quartet' at Miskin Hall. Our set consisted mainly of Jam covers with some Who, Small Faces, Motown stuff, even a rendition of Wipeout and Batman ! The highlight of the night had to be the drunk mod who wanted to touch Daron and stroke his guitar during 'Tube Station'. We finished the set and I was approached by the Waltons' drummer who handed me his sticks and said "I can't compete with that, I've quit, the jobs yours if you want it ?" I had never played rockabilly and what an audition, a big live gig ! We got to the end without too many noticeable errors and I was asked to join. This is when I lost the bowling shoes for the blue suede ones and the start of a new venture !
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