Formed in 1981 within a basement in East York, Toronto, the original four members began writing in the darkest hours. That line up consisted of Jonathan Strayer, Hugh Gladish, John Shirreff and drummer Ken Jones, who camped out in the driveway in his van.
Within six months of forming, they had enough material to do warmup sets for bands like Men Of Song, Khroma-Key and Blue Peter. Having made significant noise in the Toronto alternative music scene, they were quickly gaining popularity in the College and University circuits. John Shirreff came up with the name after several gigs were played without one. In 1982, they came up with a small amount of money to get into the studio to record a 4-song self titled EP which was very well received by the college/university radio circuit.
The band's rehearsal space eventually moved into a dilapitated warehouse next to the Don River in the lower east end of Toronto, conveniently across the street from a beer store. Within those cold walls, they continued writing and were soon back in the studio recording the 12" EP "Reunion/Slaughter" [1983]. Local alternative radio station CFNY-FM playlisted "Reunion" and their fan base quickly multiplied. About this time, they replaced the original drummer with ex-Kinetic Ideals member, Jonathan Davies [pictured].
A few years later they were back in the studio recording an album titled "Tales Of Adventure" [1986] of which the song "Happy Now I Know" quickly became a big hit and made some commercial headway. A third drummer, Kevin Hunter, had become a permanent member and they were now filling nightclubs on a regular basis. The Gary's took an interest and offered them opening slots for acts like Bauhaus, The Stranglers and Echo & The Bunnymen. Videos were shot for the songs "This Time Tomorrow" and "Happy Now I Know" and given regular rotation on MuchMusic.
Late in 1986, there was a short disruption as their bass player Jonathan left and the remaining members called a time out. Within several months, a new line up was put together with original singer John and guitarist Hugh, along with a new bass player Gary Quinn and second guitarist/producer Chris Wardman. The third drummer, Kevin Hunter also remained with the new line up. They were soon back in the studio recording their second album "Obscurity & Flair", with Chris and Gary contributing heavily in the writing. A third video "Ceremony Of Love" was shot on a lower budget, resulting in less airplay but they continued to play the night club circuit in Ontario and Quebec with a strong following.
Sometime in the early 1990's, John and Hugh made a decision to bury the project.
They made an appearance at Lee's Palace 10 Year Anniversary in 1995, performing just four songs with both bass players and special appearances by Maria Del Mar (National Velvet) and Kirstie Alley, who was in town working on a movie and chauffeured around town by BG's Gary Quinn at the time. Unfortunately, we lost Gary Quinn in April 2009 due to an undisclosed illness.
The three original members, (John, Jonathan Strayer and Hugh) have been throwing around the idea of a reunion although no definite announcement has been made.
TBC