![[King Henry VIII School]](khviii.jpg)
John McGregor and David Bryan Sherriff start senior school at the tender age of 11. Both attend
King Henry VIII school, Coventry, and are placed in the "A" stream. There is nothing worse
than being bottom of the top stream. Not that we were... At first.
We had minimal interest in music at that
point. Mind you, Queen and David Essex were riding high in the single charts, so who could blame us?
Dave and John are now firm friends. They have their first catch phrase - Bang bang. Finished! -
which really hasn’t got the same connotation at 12 that it would have, say, on your wedding night
or something.
Still no music ability perceived (a trait that some would maintain continues to this
day)
![[Coventry]](coventry.jpg)
The first bleak winter of Punk. Meanwhile in Coventry something rather more potent was
occurring. We discover
Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd
- psychedelic masters.
Aided by the visit of his Aunt from
Canada (who works for Capitol records), John acquires an instant record collection (and quite a
few 8 track tapes!!).
Dave is simultaneously getting into home brewed beer.
We had the rock and roll, we had the drugs - the sex? Ah well it's so long ago I can hardly recall.
Suddenly time was better spent defusing bottles of Dave’s beer and listening to records
on Dave’s mum’s stereogram.
More of the same. And almost as spectacular a summer as the year before. It wasn’t that bad being
14 when you had
Pink Floyd,
Public Image Ltd.,
Gong,
Alternative TV, and the Soft Machine
to get you through.
John does a spot of acting over at the Belgrade Youth Theatre, Coventry.
The boys develop a taste for Pork Chops, that would inform their early work.
The days the music tried.
Music was everywhere. Bands were starting up all over the place. The
Human Cabbages, Passion Xerox, Idol Eyes,
The New. All with broadly similar personnel.
John and Dave start jamming some stuff up in Dave's garage (his mum would not allow John’s electric
bass in the house!).
Dave had a small organ (he has a bigger organ now) and an autoharp.
John had a bass, bought from a kid at school and an amp bought from a colleague at Dixon’s where he
had a Saturday job.
Telemetry and the Forces of Confusion (in no way a pretentious name) are formed.
Highlights include the song Space Travel and a riotous version of the Floyd’s
Astronomy Dominé. John (mis)handled the vocals.
Dave builds a signal generator. Doorbells and garage doors also played their part.
We decide very early in favour of weird. We sound like a punk band obsessed with pomp rock
should.
Key lyric -
Trying to make a socio-political statement whilst indulging in fantasies of Space Travel.
John leaves school. Argument with his Economics teacher given as reason. Can’t remember what
the real reason was, now. Joins Dixon’s full time. Dave continues into the Sixth form.
The band play the school to apparently limited reaction.
Strangely, all the guys in punk bands suddenly start forming weird band
offshoots, such as Attrition,
Sideways into Oblivion. We were on to something - started to hear
Cabaret Voltaire and others.
If we had bothered to actually do something about it at this point... ah well.
We were told by Pete Every that he thought we
had something to say. This mattered. Pete could be a bit of a jerk as a kid, but he grew up into quite a
figure on the local music scene. He's now a lecturer in media studies
at Coventry University
Dave and Pete do the music for a Japanese Noh play at school (pretentious.. moi?).
We decide that it really helps band sessions if you can remember what you did the last time you played a track.
Key Lyric:-
The body beside me isn’t making a sound.
Her skin is soft
to touch when nobody’s around.
Unfortunately it comes from Nasty Little Lonely - an Alternative
TV song we covered, and our best thing at the time.
We were more Read the Signs. See the
Future. Between the Lines. What is to be.
![[The Wall]](brick.gif)
We see Pink Floyd at Earls Court! What an experience. They performed the Wall. We went down
to London - Dave, John and a kid called Dave Thompson. We thought
we’d get there early and meet the band as they soundchecked. Ha Ha Ha - our naiveté evaporated
as we turned the corner out of Earls Court tube and encountered what can only be described as a
Pink Floyd city. We spent the afternoon being out-Floyded by loads of people - most of whom seemed
years older than we young teenagers.
The show was amazing - we stole a brick from the Wall after
it came down and argued Syd’s case all the way home on the train with some geeky blokes (ok,
geekier than us).
London made its mark that day too.
Telemetry continues. We borrow a synthesiser (Transcendent Powertran 2000) from
Johnny Parton, who built it himself. It was supposed to be for an afternoon. He got it back
about a year later. It was a good synth - thanks Johnny!
Key Lyric:-
I await your non-appearance, wishing, that you’d come to see me.
Fever Pitch. Fever Pitch.
Ah the old hormones were kicking in, eh?
We had obtained a motley collection of instruments. A Kay electric guitar, a Giacagglia electric
organ which had a rudimentary Drum machine and a special effect ("Wah-Wha").
Dave goes to City University in London to study electronics. (Mainly to try to learn how to build a synth.) He lives down there for a while and meets Rolf, who wants to form a band.
Dave secretly learns to play. After a while, things hadn’t worked out (electronics is too much like hard work!) so Dave returns to Coventry
and takes a year off.
Around this time we had the Thursday session. John had also secretly
learned to play a bit. The session took place at John’s house on the landing. Being out of the
garage we played a bit quieter and as a result the session was a touch more introspective.
John had a few lyrics and there was a gelling that promised greater and better things.
Key Lyric:-
You allude to illusion.
Facts to face.
Don’t hide behind.
Glib new phrases, comic crazes.
We find you out.
John’s turn to go to London. But he returned to Coventry a week later for our first big gig. The
rechristened Relevant POS took the stage at the Belgrade Venue, 2nd on after
Delayed Reaction.
The name had come from John’s job at Dixon’s photographic shops ("affix the relevant POS material to the product for
display purposes" - geddit?).
We had a pretty weird set, but there were one or two moments never to
be forgotten. The final song was called Awkward Prance and was dedicated to the band Idol
Eyes whose drummer and bass player would subsequently jam with us in an abortive merger
talks style experiment. The lead singer from that band, Pete Every, joined us on stage as did
Steve Williams, drummer from the headliners, Human Cabbages and a good friend from school.
The song was a deconstruction of Pink Floyd’s Bike and as Peter had clearly never heard this
song before in his life he obviously thought John was making up the words on the spot. Steve
drummed like a maniac. It remains brilliant, especially the bit where Dave is leaning
on his keyboards with his entire body, Pete is slowly dismantling a WASP synthesiser, and Steve is
on some other plane. John intones the old Telemetry mantra Read the signs, see the future and the bass carries
on. The bass, in the words of the soundman himself, was out of tune. How could he tell
with the storm that was raging before him? We had - he said - killed the night. Not for me mate. Not
for Dave. We got 4 quid for that gig and felt like kings.
In the Autumn, Dave returned to London to save John (from what, who knows?). We started again.
We got our own WASP synth, and a Spider sequencer (which had been spotted on a
Dixon’s stock shelf - they didn’t know what it was, so we got it for next to nothing). John got a an
old Vox bass of dubious origin..
A session, producing The Waltz and another producing
The Phone Song
demonstrated that the band had entered a new phase. Tunes then, ditties even. But
always - hey! - with an edge.
Key Lyric:-
In a dream one night you told me you would love me
I felt I could believe you, but it was just a dream.
A fair few gigs this year, perhaps as many as 2! But other things were developing.
Both Dave and John were in London. Dave was still at City University and John had moved to
work in Brixton for the Inland Revenue.
And both were, frankly, rather insane at this point in their lives.
The band had its best year. We wrote some excellent songs and played better than before (and maybe since).
We started
multitracking, first on a bizarre JVC machine John had obtained, and then on whatever
we could borrow or blag. Sequencing became a more important feature.
We even got a little following.. Good Times, barring the odd incident here,
and awful acid trip there.
Key Lyric:-
If I sent a postcard, would you put it with your others, would you keep it hidden or would you let it
burn?
Once I tried to phone you - I've memorised your number, but then I felt that tension and
my fingers wouldn’t dial.
It's a Crying Shame.
![[The POS Perform...]](johndave.jpg)
Key Performance - Live at City University - the encore was a song
called 2 Years Too Late.
Basically Dave played organ and synth over a backing tape whilst John
moved from a short verse or two onto some improvisation.
Doesn't sound like much, huh?
You should've been there! We proved to ourselves all the stuff we’d previously believed about keeping
total spontaneity actually was valid - we didn’t know what the hell we were going to do at that
point, but the end result was stunning. Our mate Rolf helped the effect by reading a newspaper on stage, then slowly tearing it up into confetti while John became more and more manic. We terrified some of the audience!
Kings again, I don’t know how we got packed and off the
stage, we were in a state of shock.
In the summer we returned to Coventry, and at Peter Every’s
studio, Red Planet, recorded
Stop Look and Listen.
This consisted of our best songs at the time, and a couple of newies we
came up with just before the sessions. A lovely week in the summer. We went on to
make a small profit on the tape sales! Peter also taught us a lot about multitracking.
He did us proud and taped us well. Steve Williams’ sister, Marian, joined us on vocals for 2 tracks.
John left London. Relevant POS played its last gig. Under-rehearsed, we weren’t at our best. We
played one new song, Celebration.
Key Lyric:-
Reaching Attainment, There’s nothing to tell. Suicide celebration, anniversary bell.
The fire flame’s frozen, search for roses to send. Nothing new ever happens, and the thoughts... never end.
We were augmented by Ian Broadhurst, the rockist guitarist, who then joined Dave and Rolf in a flat and the experimemtal
band Placebo Effect.
The Placebo Effect made first use of Dave's proud new purchase - a Tascam 244 Portastudio.
Unfortunately musical and personal differences meant that the band (and the flat) did not last.
Meanwhile, John was also experimenting musically in Coventry playing bass in an
embryonic rock band featuring Keith Bushnell on guitar and Marian Williams on vocals. Keith was a
very serious chap, and an excellent guitarist, but despite the best intentions of everyone concerned
the band didn’t really get going. John went to live in Wales later that year, and got married for the
first time. He sold his treasured Westone bass to buy his wedding suit.
John bought the bass back.
He learned guitar, thanks to long distance tuition provided by Keith. Dave sent tapes of his solo
work, and collaborations. John came down to London after a gap of about a year. We recorded,
and it was better than ever - but harder, somehow. We recorded the song
Feel - a danceable
electronic noise that sounded like the sort of thing we’d been trying to do from the off.
It even had a hook!. There were several more visits to London.
Key Lyric:-
Twisting on the blade of love? Learn to turn the knife!
More collaboration. Dave returned to live in Coventry and starts work at the
University Of Warwick.
John stayed in Wales. Relevant POS
developed the technique of writing, recording and mixing 3 or 4 songs in a weekend. We became
the best bedroom band we could! Dave had a good range of synths and John played bass, guitar
and handled vocals. Dave increased his computer knowledge - we were sequencing with a Sinclair
Spectrum computer! (Using home-made software.)
Key Lyric:-
In the mirror there’s another world. heads are buried in the sand.
Finding fault revise another dream. Things are getting out of hand
Sessions in Coventry and Chirk, Wales. Always a good vibe in Coventry, less reliable in Wales.
We got some stuff done , but it was a quiet year, I guess.
Key Lyric:-
The day I fell out of love was the day I thought that the sun won’t shine,
storms would break and trees would bend and sway.
It’s not happening to me...
But it was.
Lots of sessions this year, as the Inland Revenue had thoughtfully decided to send John on several
training courses. This meant staying at Dave’s and several recordings! Quite a few late nights, but
that’s Rock’nRoll, right? Light on the Ovaltine, heavy on the midnight oil? We became very good
at what we did. We had the song ideas, and the production ideas to match. We didn’t mind being
listened to. Mind you, we had long since given up bothering about record deals... hmmm, the third
point where perhaps we should have taken a different road!
Key Lyric:-
In Troubletime we know the way, to make good sense every day, when Trouble rears its
ugly head, you won’t believe a word I said.
In Troubletime.
Casualty!!
Troubletime
Oh, and Henry Fonda - that would be on a best of, I reckon.
John moved to Telford and stopped being married. Wrote a lot of songs. Fell in love with Julia.
Split with Julia. Wrote a few more songs. Dave was the mainstay. The band assumed its customary
central role in his life. As ever emotional turmoil provides a fertile spawning ground for good
songs, so we wrote some good songs. Dave bought a decent sampler, and we got more danceable
and "current".
Key Lyric:-
A tiny explosion, lost in space. A tiny explosion for the human race.
The Big Bang. Drives you wild, the Big Bang... the day I learned to drop the bomb.
This year the POS generated some media interest - Relevant POS were voted 3rd in a Sound for the
Nineties contest run by the Coventry Radio station, Mercia Sound, on the strength
of a tape
submitted. We received a fair amount of airplay to the surprise and delight of the POS and their
families! Did we capitalise on that ? Did we heck as like!
Key Lyric:-
You really should’ve
been there, I could have made you see.
Too much trouble in your life, too much trouble for me.
And in the beginning you used to make me smile.
Took too much to compromise, no laughter all the while.
John’s wild years were upon him. Dave obtained a PC, the Kawai K1 and created a MIDI setup
run via a (very good) DOS sequencer programme called Texture. We took delight in putting complete
tracks onto MIDI, the only effort needed by the Band being to press play
(after all the programming, of course!). This suited our work ethic admirably.
![[The POS Today]](postodat.jpg)
We were interviewed by International Musician magazine - which shortly after went bust.
It only seemed right, given our form.
We drafted in a singer,
Kerry, who was quite good, but a bit controlling. She seemed to want to "make it" in the music
business, which just isn't on. We had to break up the band to get rid of her. John remarried (in haste).
Key Lyric:-
One night with you is all I needed to be sure.
One night with you is all you gave, and now I’ll
never be the same.
Quiet years. Once we saw Kerry off, we didn’t get up to much. After all we were now old men with
proper jobs and careers. Dave had a steady girlfriend and changed jobs to work in IT at a UK gas company.
A session in the October was a bit
depressing, but in December things lifted again - we were back on the up!
Key Lyric:-
Its a Kickback!!
Dave married Julie. John was best man (Dave had contrived not to be at either of John’s
weddings for various good reasons). An excellent event. POS songs were played at the Disco, and
the unsuspecting punters danced anyway! Things were going very well. John had moved to
Oswestry on promotion. And Dave had got a good new job. John then very suddenly and to a lot of
people’s surprise (especially his wife’s) moved in with Julia. Things went a bit quiet on the band
front, there was way too much other stuff going on. Dave making a home for the first time, and
John breaking a home for the second time.
Key Lyric:-
SEGA!
Nothing happened on the POS front. John lost Dave’s new address.
Back in touch, but not creating. John gets into PC’s. Dave is the man with the advice he needs.
The POS reunite via email and the WWW. John and Dave start to visit each other again. Tentative talks about a musical reunion (crikey we’re more like Pink Floyd than ever!). First fruits are an ambient dub style venture. No lyrics.
The Relevant POS Web site develops and improves. We move from being a top Bedroom Band
in the Eighties to a top Virtual Band in the Nineties. We do some great sessions. The Evolution MIDI sequencer turns out to be the key to enjoying what we are doing again.
We got some music done, and started making MPEG files.
We got some free Web space on Geocities (and put a mirror of the site on there), which gave us more space for the MPEG stuff.
We got a new sound card, but haven't yet used it in anger.
Dave and Julie had a baby girl. John and Julia had a baby boy. That'll slow us down a bit.
The rock'n roll lifestyle, eh?