Okay, here's an article I wrote recently for Alternative Devon's website. A lot of it turns out to be completely wrong, but who cares. The version on their website is also heavily edited so as not to upset some of the bands who remain on their playlist still. Heh, enjoy...

A Wildly Inaccurate History of Fluid Emissions' impact on the North Devon Music Scene.

(from the perspective of one who has lost most of his memory, and let his ego get in the way, and also wasn't there for quite a lot of it)

Okay, so it's early summer 1991, and a young 13 year old lad called Dave has pulled on his black denim and his big black hat and is ready to go to his first Rock gig, on the way he will smoke his first cigarette (entire one anyway) drink a few beers and discover that life is really worth living. The band were Shea (if anyone remembers them, they were kind of Metal, with a girly singer) but that wasn't important. It was loud guitars and head banging, and being drunk and feeling terrible the next day, and that WAS important.

For the rest of that summer that band would get followed around North Devon from Bideford to Ilfracombe, and even as far as Tiverton, until a fateful night in September at the Queens Hall in Barnstaple, when an expensive watch will be lost, a bus will be missed, and a realisation will occur that the band being followed are actually pretty crap. At the same time, Cosmic jug will be formed (by said lad and his mates Ian and Paddy) and will make a bit of cash busking round Bideford, but not really be much good. They will however get paid in beer and hallucinogenics a lot of the time, which was good.

That was my summer of being introduced to the local music scene, and I loved it, even though it was rubbish. Come the autumn, I would go to the Anchor, and discover bands like Moondragon, The Sweet Thangs, and Electric Orange. I would see T.V. Smith of the Adverts and realise that a famous past doesn't mean you've still got it. I would spend many hours walking through fields in the middle of the night, being shouted at by my parents for never coming home on time, being in an altered state of perception, and being damn close to deaf from the constant ringing in my ears. A lot of this would, of course, never change (though obviously my parents no longer shout at me, I'm nearly 26 for god's sake).

Back in late 1991, the whole world (from my point of view) revolved around the top room at the Anchor Inn in Westward Ho! Possibly the only place that was showcasing original live music (that was within walking distance of Bideford) at the time. Most of the pubs in town (such as the Gannet, which we will hear more from later) were only putting on covers bands like No Xcuses, and many other instantly forgettable, but nice as background music, groups. And everything was good; we all had a place to hang out with like-minded freaks, punks, Goths, hippies and suchlike. But (from my point of view anyway) it was just the one place, the only home of original, alternative music locally. Okay, so there was the odd gig out in Torrington or Barnstaple that the bands would put on a bus for, but that was kind of rare.

The highpoint (for me anyway) at this time was the Sweet Thang's Cruise on the Oldenburg (that's a boat you know). At about 7pm on a Friday night the boat pulled out into the River Torridge to the strains of a great band (I think they were called the Dragonflys or something, they had a great female vocalist and a scary over-processed acoustic guitarist anyway). Eventually the Sweet Thangs (who if you didn't know were made up of bits of the old Kult Maniax and Vibe Tribe) came on (inside the boat, obviously, it was October) and I believe it was great. People told me they had a great time inside dancing away. I was up top the whole time, with a friend of mine who was also on mushrooms (like I said, it was October). But it was a great night all in all, even though the people I had been meant to go with pulled out. As far as I know, nobody has done anything quite that cool since, but I could be wrong. I've been on the Jazz cruises on Sunday afternoons, but it's not quite the same.

1992 carried on in the same vein for most of the time, but then in September of that year, I finally got my finger out and started playing with the Radioactive Flowerpots (feel free to laugh at the name, I was 15). We played at the Gannet in Bideford high street nearly every week (told you it would come back) and inadvertently began a whole new way of life. The Friday night venue became the cellar bar at the Gannet, with bands like us, the Pondering Sausages, The Fluffy Clouds, Spiral Gathering and some others whose names I can't remember, providing the soundtrack for the hugest mass of underage drinkers ever gathered in one place. It was often remarked upon that the place looked like a youth club, usually by the CID.

Saturday nights were still spent at the Anchor, with many of the same bands as played at the Gannet, plus some rather better ones, like the Sweet Thangs (still going strong then) and on one notable occasion, ChumbaWumba, and other such not-quite-that-famous bands like Citizen Fish (featuring Dick from the Sub-Humans on vocals). All was very much in a happy rut, and then something happened that was to change everything, some say for the better, others say for the worse, I'm staying out of it.

On a cold day in February (probably) 1993, Peter "Tiny" Wilcox put on his first gig as "Fluid Emissions", a name that was to dominate the local scene for the next 5 years or so. Fluid Emissions was not a band, it was a promotions company, it's intention was to give the little guys a chance, the bands that couldn't get gigs would get half an hour or so each in a five or six band extravaganza on Saturday nights in the Anchor. The reason many thought that this was a bad thing, was because Tiny would provide a good 6 bands for about half the price of your average covers band, thus changing the market for a good long time (luckily this has changed now, and you can make decent money again).

The first show featured the Radioactive Flowerpots (unfairly tricked into opening the show) and the Push (the unfair tricksters). It appeared to be a success and the franchise continued. Some of the bands to come out of this time were kind of good (Middle Earth were quite a nice blend of rock and ambience, while Fatal Aura, who I was to play with 5 years later, managed to add a little humour to the occasion) and others were just plain bad (Drunken Debauchery, who on one notable occasion mimed to Right Said Fred). But you generally got at least one good band a night.

The culmination of this period was the "Daze in the Sun" all day outdoor show in Bideford Rugby ground, featuring nearly every band that had ever played a Fluid Emissions show. It went off fairly hitchless, though was not that well attended, and was never repeated. Later outdoor Fluid events were combined with the more universally known "Summer Daze" festival, and were generally very well received.

Shortly after this, the Anchor closed. This was mourned by many, as the Gannet had undergone a similar problem (it turned out the landlord had a record and so was unable to actually have a license in the first place, I believe shotguns were involved in the last gasps of this institution). So we were lost without a home for our local, alternative music. Fluid Emissions moved to the Ship, which was just over the road from the Anchor, while the local Bideford bands started to play at the New Inn. Of course the Ship period didn't last long, and Fluid Emissions also came over to the New Inn themselves. To be honest, I never actually went to the Ship so I have no Idea what went on there.

Again, while things were a-happening at the New Inn, I was more often than not, somewhere else. But I did make it to a few of the gigs there. I played a few myself, still with the Radioactive Flowerpots, but they were privately organised by ourselves, and nothing to do with Fluid Emissions. The bands which I particularly remember springing up at this time were Undertow, a mighty monolith of metallic noise, and Hip-hoperation a kind of collective of Hip-hop/funk/soul inspired music. Moving the Fluid venue to central Bideford also worked wonders with the door, more and more young music fans turned out to see the groups and so a wider audience was reached. Remember this was 1993/94 so most of the music was Grunge-inspired indie rock, with a few bits of metal thrown in, and the odd gem like the aforementioned Hip-hoperation. The only real participation I had at this point was playing guest guitar for TVC, a young rock band who were friends of mine from school (told you the bands were getting younger).

Now at this point, things get a little hazy, so forgive me if much of this is very wrong. At some point in 1994 (possibly 1995) the New Inn came under new management and things took a turn for the worse PR wise. Tiny and the new management had a major falling out over one or two things (no details will be forthcoming) and so Fluid Emissions moved it's main venue once more, this time to the back room of the Golden Lion Tap in Barnstaple. Again, the move proved decidedly good, as the larger catchment area in Barnstaple meant even more young music fans were arriving in their droves to see these bands.

Sometime around here, Tiny decided that it was time to send out the North Devon Music scene to the masses, and put a huge pile of capital into "Junior's First Words" a CD showcasing the best of North Devon Music. It featured Undertow, hip-Hoperation and The Push among others, and spectacularly failed to get any recognition. But is was a good idea, and a good idea is always worth repeating later (or not as the case in fact proved to be).

At this point, the promotions aspect came rather more under review, as Tiny sought to bring bands from other areas down to Devon, so that we down here could receive a little of what the rest of the country takes for granted. The young, upcoming bands were still getting exposure, but the stalwarts (like Undertow, Gotham City Gangsters, and Carbon Blackheart (formerly TVC)) were getting more of the top billings for the crowds they could draw. And bands like China Drum, The Longpigs and Breathless were being brought down for our listening pleasure (what do you mean, you've never heard of them? They all had at least 1 hit).

Now around January 1996 I returned to the scene myself, after not really paying it much attention for a year or two. The band I chose to do this with became a unique footnote in Fluid history, Lean against the Washing machine. Refusing to write lyrics, or play sober, or even to have any talent, myself and Tom from Undertow went out to play a battle of the bands with a cheap drum-machine in place of a real drummer (at Tiny's request as he didn't have enough acts to fill up the bill). A horrible cacophony of bad playing, random obscenities, and truly awful songs ensued, and yet we did not come last. Ade the soundman joined up with us as the Drum-Machine operator, and so it continued.

We went on, over the next year or so, to regularly break up and reform constantly, release 10p albums on old tapes, and finally to be the only band to be completely and utterly banned from Fluid Emissions events (we weren't even allowed to hire the PA system). The pure irony of this is that all three of us by this time, were working for Fluid Emissions as the sound crew. Sorry to dwell on this, but it is still a favourite memory of mine.

So back to the real music scene, as I said, during 1996/97 I was working on the Fluid sound crew, and so went to an awful lot of gigs. At this time, the scene was in swings and roundabouts, and attendance could go from being packed one week, to being just us and the bands there the next. But word was spreading and people and bands came from further and further away, for example, Okehampton's Freak Unit were a popular draw, bringing their friends from Okehampton down to Barnstaple, just because they'd heard we had a good scene over this way. Lean Against the Washing Machine spawned other comedy punk bands, Analogue Hedgehog (who pulled off being quite good as well) Soberphobia (who forgot to be funny) The Mildrids (who went on to become the Dagobah System) and the Discomen, who did a great line in classic '70s punk covers. The Discomen even managed to get past Tiny's usually hard and fast rule about no cover bands.

Again, during 1996, Tiny decided to have another bash at putting out a promotional CD, and "Junior 2" was born. This time it had Crack, The Gotham City gangsters. Carb and the sublime Little America on it. The packaging was slicker, the sound was clearer, what could go wrong? Once again, nobody cared, but the bands' mothers all bought copies anyway.

Summer 1996 brought us Summer Daze '96, a big festival out in the sticks, featuring Hawkwind as headliners on the main stage. A second stage was put round the back in it's own field and given to Tiny as the Fluid Emissions stage. A whole days worth of entertainment was put on there, featuring the Jellybabes, Drop Bass and the Unfunkables among many others, and a good day was had by all, as it finished up just in time to nip across and see Hawkwind. Even I enjoyed it, and I had been forced to remain vaguely sober because of the painkillers I was on at the time (fractured skull and shoulder, ouch).

Now most of the music around at this point was sounding like the Smashing Pumpkins, or the hard-edged punk sound that I've just mentioned. There were exceptions, Hip-Hoperation were still going at the time, and Shrug were playing a good line in Smiths-edged melancholy. And of course, then there was Crack. Crack had two bass players, a penchant for losing their shirts, and a huge, heavy, fast and loud sound. Drop Bass had the heavy fast and loud sound as well, though with somewhat more of a hip-hop/Rage against the Machine edge to it. This then became more and more prevalent, with Silva jumping onto the same bandwagon as well.

Right at the end of this time (which I believe to have been one of the calmest and best periods of Fluid/North Devon Music history as most of the bands who were annoyed at Tiny's undercutting had calmed down at last) I was playing in a band called Spudgun. It contained the remnants of Undertow, and me. All playing the wrong instruments; as one reviewer put it "They have more bass players than Crack, but they hide it by giving them other instruments to play," and occasionally with the reformed (for the Fluid Emissions 4th anniversary gig) Fatal Aura. I mention this because Spudgun had a hand in the downfall of Fluid Emissions good relationship with the Golden Lion Tap. Dave Hoare (the singing guitarist of the band) was assaulted by one of the doormen, leaving the line-up short (a hastily stuck together jam by me and a couple of other guys came in as a last minute replacement) arguments ensued with the management, and we were on the move again.

The time in the Tap had been good though, gigs at the Cavern Club in Exeter had given more exposure to North Devon, we had done quite a few out in Ilfracombe and Torrington, and not stuck to the one home pub as much as in earlier times. The (now every other week it seems) practise of holding Battle of the Bands events became more regular, culminating in the Nifty Toonz Battle of the Bands event of May 1997, which sent the Nifty Toonz shop out of business, but much fun was had by the crew and the bands. And growth was stimulated, as there's nothing like a cash prize to make you want to form a band.

After the Golden Lion Tap, events moved to the Exeter Inn, still in Barnstaple. Of course by this point, I was running my own pub back in Bideford (and to my credit I did put on a few musical events, but not by Fluid Emissions) and had no time to work on the crew anymore. Crack were still playing, under the new name of Tide, the Mildrids had become Dagobah, and were playing a more thoughtful kind of sound than the youth-fuelled brash punk rock of before. Spudgun still played a few gigs, as did Fatal Aura (or as one MC announced one evening, Fat Laura). Freak Unit were still to be seen at times, but I for the life of me can't remember any new bands of any note coming out at this point. It seemed that the Salad days were over, and both a Saturday night "band-forming jam session" and subsequent "Battle of the Bands" in early 1998 did little to stimulate any real growth. The eventual winners proving to be some bunch of old hippies that nobody in the general crowd (i.e. the people who didn't come in with the band) seemed to like much.

1998 slumped along like this, and became 1999 without much incident, in February 1999, Tiny announced that that was it, a gig titled "The End" was put on, featuring The Dagobah System (now with added me on guitar) and Tide among others, and that was it. The PA system was sold, and the promotions ended. The new owners of the PA system, Bridge Sound PA (guess who? Yeah, Tom of the Washing Machine and me) decided that promotions was a bad way of making money, and only went out as a hire company. Of course now that new bands had to organise their own gigs, work was rather thinner than expected, and the scene started to deteriorate rapidly. Obviously, we used the PA for gigs with the Dagobah System as we were both playing with them at this point, but that was no good for funding. So we eventually had to organise our own Battle of the Bands event.

This sprouted new bands from the woodwork like you wouldn't believe, Larry, Clockwork Soldier, the Kiski Rioteers, Baga Fakir and many others turned up to a 5 week musical extravaganza, which was a great success. However, it did not mark a return to form, regular gigs remained few on the ground, and the scene continued it's downward trend. The Dagobah System continued to gig around the county, playing in Bude, Exeter, and Barnstaple of course, but even they eventually folded at the end of 1999, only coming out with an altered line-up for 2 short gigs at the beginning of 2000. Freak by Wire appeared at this point in time (summer 1999) and are still going fairly strong now, they don't play very often, but when they do it's still worth watching, which is quite rare these days.

In 2000, Tiny put on "The End part 2" to celebrate his birthday, and brought back as many of the old Fluid bands as he could find, but the atmosphere was not the same. Also in this year, Bystander began their rise, formed by Richard and Nick from Carb, and featuring Tom and Dave Hoare of Undertow. They brought some much needed weight to the sounds of North Devon, and played all over the county, and indeed the country, before slowly petering out at some point in 2002.

Another Battle of the Bands event in 2000, from Bridge Sound PA was again a success, and again failed to bring in a new age of regular live bands. The event was not repeated again, and to be honest I can't even remember which bands we put on. Local music was once again becoming instantly forgettable. Eventually in 2001, Bridge Sound PA folded due to lack of time and interest on the part of its owners.

In the 2 years or so since the event, one or two bands of note have appeared, Snowball have taken the sounds of metal out to the masses of Exeter (rarely appearing in their hometown of Bideford) Freak by Wire continue to play, and well, to be honest they're the only two I can think of from North Devon now, and Freak By Wire are mostly from Okehampton and don't really count.

The other musical element now added is of course, the Internet, and some of the old bands can be heard there now (Richard, formerly of Bystander, hosts a couple of pages, one of old Bystander songs, and one featuring the old Fluid Emissions bands) while Freak by Wire have their own site as well. Also, new music from the guys who create their own electronic jiggery-pokery at home can be found there now, such as Plastic Squirrel and the Chairmen of the Bored.

Most of the bands now playing in and around Bideford and Barnstaple (such as Six Feet Under and Wedge) are the old instantly forgettable cover bands of old, who are now happy that they can vastly overcharge pub landlords for their services again. Others who still try to add their own original numbers to their set, like Kronikel and Wenchface, unfortunately still manage to be instantly forgettable, to me anyway. But then, they remind me of the bands I heard back when I was still that 13 year old kid in a dumb hat, and the bands I used to play in when I was a dumb 15 year old kid covered in safety pins, so it's probably my problem.