My Involvement

I first came across them when they were after someone to put up posters in Liverpool to advertise their forthcoming national tour. Having nothing else to do at the time I signed up as roadie and general dogsbody for the whole tour. Compensation was to be paid meals but I don't think I got a single one! That might be a slightly untrue - Wez might have stood me some chips once when I literally had no money for food.

Apart from humping the equipment and driving the van, I had the job of producing as much fog as possible from the smoke machine (too much in Scarborough) and reloading the drum machine mid-set (disaster in the Barrel Organ). Accommodation was usually the floor of some poor fan's house who was starstruck enough to let a bunch of strangers kip at their place. Freezing overnight in the van to protect the gear was also a requirement when it was your turn.

When I had nothing better to do I also spent many a happy hour fruitlessly phoning venues to blag a support slot and a few quid for turning up. Mostly this involved been told to bugger off, but there were a few venues out there that clearly felt sorry for some poor sod stood in a cold phone box.

Band Demise

When I first met the band they lived in a student type house in fairly dodgy part of Birmingham. I remember two things specifically about the location - the whores sat on the street sign at the top of the road and the great kebab meat & chips the local chippy sold.

The band moved from Birmingham to Liverpool (Norris Green) after Joie was posted to a supermarket in Birkenhead. I think she was promoted to some form of shop floor manager at the same time.

Something was in the air at the time and it looked bad when Joie went into Liverpool and returned with dye stripper and proceeded to return to natural brown from the oh-so-gothic black. Shortly after, on return from an extended trip from home to set-up a new store in Scotland, Joie announced that she and Mike would no longer be together. Any talk of another love interest is unfounded rumour at best!

I believe that even after this unfortunate turn of events the band stuck together for a couple more gigs before it all eventually fell apart. Wez was seen once more in Liverpool before disappearing never to be seen (by me) again, though I think my sister ran into him somewhere in the Midlands at a later date.

I stayed with Mike for a while and at this time he was introduced to a friend of my then girlfriend. They had a bit of a fling which ended after a few short months and I think we saw him for the last time at a party he threw sometime later in his new rented house in Toxteth (he sure knew how to pick places to live!). After a drink & drugs fuelled evening we left and I never saw any of the band again.

Where Are They Now?

I've had no further contact with them since, perhaps someone can update this part of the history...

Update [Jun 2009]: A comment on YouTube says that Joie (AKA Mrs Garner) is a history teacher. 

Update [Jan 2004]: Wez emailed to comment on the web site - so at least one of the band is still in the land of the living.