The Second Greatest Steve We've Ever Had In The Band

So, having made a video promoting the new lineup, the band is once more thrown into that familiar languid chasm, four strings short of an ensemble. The bass player's provisory position came to an abruptly premature halt two days ago, rendering a nameless entity incomplete, a road eroded, a title superfluous.

Er...Steve's left the band. And now we've officially turned into Spinal Tap, except, fortunately for me, it's bass players we keep losing and, fortunately for them, none of the losses have involved bizarre gardening accidents or choking on someone else's vomit. Here's a little history:

Dan played bass for us first and introduced me to John and Dave, effectively forming the band. Then he left. And that's all I have to say about that.


Then Simeon came in, all Funkmeister Flex with his 5-string Warwick and baggy pants. Great musician too. Before that he'd played cello for us on a recording we started with Dan but never completed. He left to work in Sheffield.


Then Oli stepped up, another Funkmeister and very talented indeed. I suspected it wouldn't work out though, and it didn't. He does relief work in Asia these days, which while not as worthy a cause as being in a band, is still admirable. Just.


Then came a long break while we did other things. John amassed a collection of tools and DIY equipment matched only by Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor and began to build. Dave organised some sort of giant post-grad party, which I assume involved kegs, paper cups and plastic-covered furniture. They broke a projector. And I developed an addiction to The Happy World of Haribo. My doctor says the regular stinging sensation is because of the sour coating.

So, Steve. We love him for his personality and his playing, so he was an obvious choice. His personal circumstances meant he could only be a temporary solution for us, although we'd all have liked it to become permanent, but sadly Steve didn't quite click with the music. Euphemisms are rarely used literally, but there were actual musical differences, and because Steve was officially temporary it seemed futile for him to go through the time and expense of continuing to rehearse with us.

I understand Steve's plight because I've been there. The boys already know this, but when I first began to play with the band I didn't get it either, and I would drive home from practices wondering whether to stick with it or not. I think the friendships I was developing with John and Dave kept me there, and the fact that there was something interestingly unusual about the music that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was this element I believed would make the band a success, and still do. Most importantly, the lads share my belief in God and the desire to communicate that belief through music. I love the music these days too - it's grown on me like a third nipple, a useful one that I want all my friends to see.

We still love Steve. He's a fine, fine bass player, but his 80s pop/rock roots presented a latent inevitability. He told me that he hoped to be jealous of our next bass player. In the nicest possible way, I hope so too, and the search is on.


Oh, the blog title. Quite simple really. As great as Steve is, he'll never eclipse his namesake, interestingly also called Steve, our band mascot. Steve is bright orange and thinks Kylie is 'just fabulous', but he's separated from Dale Winton by virtue of his percussion expertise. Booyakasha.