Attic Choir

After the demise of Kadesh, there was a lull before the storm…

then Easter holidays 1986, Tim called round 317, the yellow Dublin door, with a song he’d written and it was time to sing a new song.

Bringing his brother Chris in on drums and friend Dave on bass. Fire-side laughter, fellowship, beans on toast and brews, we start rehearsing.

We were influenced by the new music of the late 80’s.

U2, The Alarm, Hothouse Flowers, Then Jericho, INXS, Springsteen, The Police, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Waterboys.

Heart on the sleeve ambience, the new FX technology and no guitar solos!

Working on a shoe-string budget, we managed to persuade the boss of a local printing works on St. Mary’s Street to let us use a room for rehearsals.

‘The Attic’ was round the corner from the prison with street walkers flagging down cars. The printing business was in an old church and we set up our gear in the vestry, the irony of it all wasn’t lost on three clergy sons.

Bringing song ideas and riffs to rehearsals, we take our time, breathing them into life, jamming into the heartland, the sweet soul music. Sometimes finished songs would arrive, like Tim’s ‘Temporary Measure’, one of our first. ‘Liberty of Love’, which we write as the wind rattles the windows, and we huddle round the one bar fire and ‘Strange Fruit’ (after listening to the Martin Luther King Jr. recorded speeches and the Billie Holiday song).

Friends would come and hang out at the ‘Attic’ rehearsals, leaning against the walls and lying on the floor, the jet-roar turning heads, the music of the spheres, electricity and heat into liquid silver. The Akai reel-to-reel deck recording for hours, looking for hidden gems till the 1/4″ tape span off.

Writing and rehearsing life blood stories, we came up with the name; childhood memories of large houses in Ireland and South Africa, with attics full of fascinating things; travelling trunks, books, toys and a full-size rocking horse!

Now it was time to spin the wheel, get on the road, sister Suzanne helped getting gigs and, with our good friend and roadie Tom, we loaded up the gear and headed out into the wild blue yonder with a passionate set of songs.

We booked the first gig out-of-town; kept it quiet to test the water. Much to our amazement, people found out, the place was packed, great celebrations, riding home in the stars.

Out of the rehearsal room and into the fire. We played as though it was the last days and believed in what we were reaching for.

We went into the studio for the first time, a different world of red light fever, ‘…can we do it again and once more! We recorded in several studios, as we fought over the faders, before releasing a 4 song EP recorded at Sound Lab studios, Manchester.

Gun Metal Blue and a Twist of Red
Strange Fruit
Silver Dollar
Sweet Soul Surrender
Love is a Fire

We played some universities, (incurring the wrath of Manchester Uni after the smoke machine set off the fire alarm. The building had to be evacuated; the Uni getting charged the false-alarm fee!).

We spent several days shooting an atmospheric video in a deserted chapel at Ellel Grange, Lancaster, the footage now lost along the road.

We built up the Set, writing songs as we found our style and voice

‘Temporary Measure’
‘She’s a Dancer’
‘Liberty of Love’
‘Dreaming of America’
‘Portrait of an Angel’
‘Steal’
‘Say Say Whisper’
‘Dance Beyond the Past’
‘Waterfall Crash’
‘This is the Age’

After three blazing years, the sand had run out, we were down to the wire, no money, no deal, no management.

After all the passion, adrenaline and brotherhood, we played our last gig into desolation at the Kings Arms, our musical spiritual home.

Dave Hardman captured it on video, a time capsule of a band at the top of their game.