Mindz Eye & Silent Witness

Mindz Eye was the original name of a band I joined in 1985, started by friends Andy and a chap we called 'Ig' (I think his full name was Iqbal Birdie). Andy (drums) and Ig (guitar) recruited singer John and bass player Nigel whom I'd played with in earlier Soundsurround - Anyway Nigel rang me and invited me to an audition held at rehearsal studios which were actually converted railway arches at the back of Musical Exchanges in Birmingham. I successfully auditioned to play keyboards for Mindz Eye in 1985. Rehearsals under these railway arches were something of note, we rehearsed on Saturdays in these long very shallow brick rooms for six hours straight all of us competing to be heard and all leaving this claustrophobic noise chamber with very serious tinnitus. I'm paying for these rehearsals today with albeit very minor but nevertheless present ringing in my ears.

And so my very first public performance, my first ever gig was at the Queen's Head at Six Ways Island, Erdington, Birmingham (sadly now an empty building in a very sorry state - the stage area burnt down in the 1990s). Incidentally this was about 3 days after my first driving test (which I passed) so naturally I was a big bag of nervous shit at this time. We were supporting a heavy rock band called Sherekhan (named after the tiger in Jungle Book) who we shared a rehearsal studio with in the Telsen Centre, Aston.

NEW AGE UTOPIA

Song composed by Andy and Ig - this tape lift was taken from a studio recording (Outlaw near 5 ways Edgbaston). The tape is very old and worn out but this can't justify why the guitar sounds like it was recorded with a 10-bob mic from Maplins! Line-up on this was Me (K/B), John (Vox/Perc), Ig (Gut), Kev (Bass) and Ginge (Drums).

NIRVANA

Song composed by Ig - This extract is my keyboard solo from our gig at Edwards Number 8 in Birmingham. Me (K/B), John (Vox/Perc), Ig (Gut), Kev (Bass) and Martin (Drums).

After several gigs bass player Nigel was becoming a problem in that he wasn't growing with the band - he was a trier but unfortunately not a great bass player, it often happens with bands that somebody lags behind and Nigel became the one for us. Since he introduced me to the music scene sacking him was quite painful. Nigel got his marching orders at the Pot Of Beer near Aston University. All sackings were done in pubs!

Nigel was replaced with a very eccentric guy called Adam. Adam once regaled me (very loudly in the middle of a busy restaurant) with a story about making homemade cider and how it 'turned my shit bright black!' Adam was however a wonderful bass player but he quit immediately after a gig at the Railway in Curzon Street when John upset him by introducing him to the crowd him as the 'Burton's dummy'. Well he had turned up on stage wearing a tweed suit - not very rock band - oops! I remember him turning up to rehearsal and simply saying 'I'm not enjoying this anymore so I'm leaving'. And he did.

Andy also soon left and both bass player and drummer were replaced by friends Kevin and 'Ginge'. We had worked with these guys before on Mindz Eye's one and only demo tape (New Age Utopia clip above). He and Kev came from a band called The Vizit (Not '9 Dream' as I had previously erroneously recalled) who we supported once or twice and together they were a wonderfully tight rhythm section. Anyway at this juncture the name of our band became Silent Witness. But the new drummer soon left because of personal problems between him and Kevin (I'll just say a woman was involved!). Enter Martin and the line-up stuck for about 12 months.

After a few gigs at places like Edwards Number 8 in Birmingham (above clip Nirvana) friction began to develop between Ig and John in particular and at a memorable meeting one day John announced his departure. After he finished announcing this Kevin announced he was leaving too. And after waiting his turn Martin also decided he was to go (to join social club band Tempting Fate who I also later played for). That left me and Ig... but we didn't quit!

So not to be beaten we enlisted the help of heavy metal band 'Assassin' singer Mazz and a fabulous bass player, Mark Knight aka 'Smelly'. Martin helped out on drums early on but then without a drummer we programmed a drum machine (a Yamaha RX21) and recorded a few demos but after a while I think we just gave up!

Songs composed by Me and Ig with lyrics by Mazz. Martin played drums on 'Metropolis' and the trusty RX21 drum machine did it on 'You'll Never Know'.

Kevin Brown now plays bass for the highly acclaimed Led Zep tribute Fred Zeppelin and having caught a gig of theirs at the Tackeroo in Cannock I can tell you Kev hasn't lost his touch. He tells me John and Ginge have sadly quit the music scene - maybe they're just 'resting'.

After Silent Witness died a natural death I just did nothing but record some original material and then Martin rang out of the blue and asked me to join social club band Tempting Fate.