Decibels
1st Line up L-R: Andi, Perry, Pete & Gary
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The
Decibels (Andi/Paul/Gary/Pete) at Chords/Speedball
Gig
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The
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 of
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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