The Decibels
 
The Decibels: First Line Up L-R: Andi, Perry, Pete and Gary - Outside Shrimpers, Roots Hall, 1979 Paul Eves - Vocals (Replacing Perry Jackson)
Gary Clark - Guitar
Andi Schurer - Bass
Pete (Peat) Melling - Drums
The Decibels - Andi/Paul/Gary/Pete - at Chords/Speedball Gig at The Lindisfarne Centre, Westcliff, 1979
Decibels 1st Line up L-R: Andi, Perry, Pete & Gary
The Decibels (Andi/Paul/Gary/Pete) at Chords/Speedball Gig
...The Story...

The Decibels - Live at The Zero 6, 1979The Decibels were from Southend, existed between 1979 - 1980, and consisted of firstly Perry Jackson, then Paul Eves on Vocals, Gary Clark on Guitar, Andi Schurer on Bass and Pete (Peat) Melling and also Paul Deacon on Drums. Dave Ashley played Second Guitar in the band for a while also. Speaking to Andi Schurer in 2005, he said "The Decibels were not the most PC of Punk Bands - most of their gigs ended in a violent confrontation of sorts." A good example would be their very first gig (!) in the Queens Road Car Park (attended by Alison Moyet and other punks). Andi continued "The police came and most of the bands gear was smashed or stolen and two of the group were arrested."

Other gigs included Eastwood School and the Focus Centre. After that they played at The Rock Contest held at The Shrimpers club at Roots Hall, where, according to Andi "We had to be removed from the stage after Paul Eves called the crowd and the judges 'trendy w******s' who needed their heads kicking in, and then he pulled his **** out." The band played a further concert on the back of a float sponsored by a local clothes shop, where again Paul revealed his predilection towards self-expression in the form The Decibels - Gary Clarke on Guitar - Live at The Zero 6, 1979of exhibiting his tackle, and caused questions to be raised in the Echo etc.

When not being banned from just about every local venue, the band did managed to go into Rock Star studios in London in 1979 and record a demo. The line up of Paul, Gary, Dave, Andi and with Paul Deacon on drums recorded five songs: 'Solitary', 'Blue Nights', 'Daydream', 'Big Abortion' and 'GBH'.

By 1980 the band decided to call it quits though, for, as Andi put it "After the band decided they couldn't compete with Paul's member upstaging them any longer, I joined The Shocks with John and Paul Dee, Pete went to The Pinks with Baz and Blue from Speedball, Dave Ashley started No 6, the great Southend Ska band, and Paul Eves later joined The Convicted. Nothing is known of founder member Gary Clark."

 

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