Enjoyed ‘The Futang Trough’ on MySpace. I used to be in Refugee with Dave.

Are you the Rob that used to work at UK Domains? You seem vaguely with the wondergnome email address

Threehead deserve a mention as do the Maybe’s and This replica.

Where are the Groovy Gang in all of this we wonder?

Laters chap.

I did a photoshoot of ‘The Excitable P.J. Maybe’, I did upload one photo from the session that you can view if you if you nip over to Flickr. I did have their demo but, alas, mislaid it.

As you say, the ’scene’ was pretty vibrant back then. If you ever feel the need to write an article elaborating on your post get in touch.

Regards
Karl

I remember playing Johnny B Goode, Sex Pistols style with Justin Norman on Bass, Josh Reid on drums and Tom Jelico on vocals in Toms bedroom and played a gig on Tom’s skateboard ramp. Next Excitable PJ Maybe were formed with me on guitar, Christian Froment while still learning to play bass, Josh on vocals and James ‘Turkey’ Farmer on Drums. Later drafting Kathy Heald on keyboard. While Professor Lojik formed and from those ashes Three Head, and in the midst of this the Blickems starting what seemed as as U2 tribute.

Mark Gamble Music was great resource, help and inspiration to all this as there were no other music shops in Ely, you could go a have a play on a guitar or bass, while smoking a cigarette.

Remember tales of the Sonic Cathedral?

After Excitable PJ Maybe disbanded in 1990/1, I left Ely and in about 1993/4 and was asked to join Cambridge guitar darlings The Nighjars. After coming third in the Band competition final and Steve Lamaq contacting us nothing further happened, apart from perhaps the birth of the last Nightjars guitarist Richard, now more renowned for the Shivers. After the Nighjars I joined Cambridge perennials Pogul Magee which after another band competition final decided to give it a rest for a while.

What am I doing now? I have finally got my dream guitar, a rickenbacker 330 and am currently on the search, again, for other power popsters to create sweet tunes with.

I remember Higher Breed’s first gig in Little Downham, organised by Trish Maher, which ended in a lengthy blues Jam with members of ThreeHead and Mark Gamble who owned the guitar shop in the Club Mews, as it was probably my last in ThreeHead, I think Ian Turner replaced me but I had moved to Wales by then.

I think Squadge was probably Mark Braybrooke who played bass for Higher Breed the first time we played with them at Needham’s Hall - despite what the article says I’m sure they had played together before as some sort of Christian Rock band - the Blickems, or at least one of them had found God at some point.

ThreeHead played something somewhere between Goth and Pscychedelia and was formed from the ashes of a terrible trash metal band called Profesa Logik by Ogg Smith and me, with Mike Dickens on vocals and Liam on drums. Cathy Heald sometimes played keyboards and Raoul Nardonne joined just before we recorded our second demo, which I found for sale at a boot sale in Brighton a few years ago! I had Christian Weston as a mascot, and got into no end of trouble because of his relaxed approach to getting to gigs… We were nominated for best young band at the Cambridge Rock competition, despite me getting tangled up in my guitar leads and falling over an amp on stage. Soundchecking at 1200 for a 10pm slot was never a good idea… especially when the bar was so near.

We were all probably inspired by the success of Nutmeg, who, lucky things (!!!!), supported the Hothouse Flowers and got a record deal (of sorts).

A notable mention should go to This Replica who were mentored by Nutmeg and went from sounding like a Cure tribute band to being a decent rock band. Their line up was Darren (vocals and one finger guitar), Lyndsey (Keyboards), Chris Scurrah (bass) and Jim (drums).

PJ Maybe had Josh Reid on vocals and Ant Turner on guitar as well as Christian on bass, can’t recall the drummer. They pitched themselves somewhere around the sound of the Ramones and Fromont used a bass I sold him when the band started. He also had a mad party at his house when Weston and me set up a strobe in the lounge, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Not in touch with any of the boys any more, but this brings back some good smiles from the time that the Sixth Form centre at Ely was a veritbale hotbed of (not very good) rock.