1979: The Story So Far' continues from our January issue.

After a gig at the Marquee in London, an NME reviewer said of the Piranhas “They’re so limited by the narrowness of their context that their songs go only skin deep. I hate to sound glib, but the word is ‘provincial.’ “ Which would suggest there wasn't much chance for you if you didn't come from London, Liverpool or Manchester. Brighton wasn't a city in those days.

So Attrix Records and its stable of bands and the new Vaultage album were up against it. For Attrix to survive as a going concern it really needed to generate sales. This was always going to be difficult for an independent label and with the added burden of the shop it became imperative.

It possibly affected the direction the company was going in. With the Piranhas moving on to Virgin, it was hoped another band would come along to carry things forward. But it was hard to see who was going to do it. Maybe The Vandells, the Lillettes, or the Golinski Brothers, who had some strong material?

After much deliberation between the Attrix management team (Rick & Julie Blair and Stuart Jones), it was decided (to gasps all round) that the Chefs fitted the bill. Stuart felt he could combine his shop duties and manage the band at the same time and so took the plunge, despite having no experience. In retrospect, the venture wasn't a success...To be continued...

Recent Bereavements
The recent death of Jamie Barnard has been followed by news of another passing, that of Pete Clarke, former bass player with the Devil's Dykes, from cancer. To send your recollections or condolences click on the links above and we'll post them on the respective pages as soon as they come in. We have very little information about Pete, please get in touch if you have any details.

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