Article by Mike Clifford MT 27/28  June 1999

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The Extremes
The following week, it was arranged that the bass player Mick Sullivan, rookie-singer John Pickering and myself would collect together on the Sunday morning at Bentleys with a view to forming a poxy little covers band for a laugh. Ken Haken was there as well, and I think maybe one of two others. However our combined talents produced a shambles. I put my guitar down and retired to back of the room and got happily drunk. But I was interested in the project.

It was agreed that we would give it nine weeks to get about 20 songs together, and then to see if we could gig. It was a fun project with lots of laughs. I insisted: "We must have a back beat: somebody must get a drum machine."

Mick Sullivan obliged. Mick had played in a band before with his brother, Patrick. Mick was keen, solid - he would always turn up -- but he wasn’t exactly Mr. Funk Rhythm.

I was also disappointed that John Pickering didn't have the vocal range for the R&B numbers I wanted to do.  However, he's used his range very extensively to good effect over the years, having gigged consistently with Volcane and Maverick. He now  performs solo.

Ken Haken could play basic guitar chords, and keep in time. He had also been on stage with a guitar a few times. However rumour had it that he had never managed to play a note because of stage fright. Allegedly he had once been so frightened on stage he had turned his back on the audience.

And, myself, I was not so hot. I had not played live for over ten years, and even though I had some reasonable guitars I had no stage amplification.