The band was Tim Christodoulou and Mick Toldi on guitars, John Christoforou (later Johnny Christo) on bass, Metin Kamil on vocals and me on drums. It was a really rocking band as well as great fun and bloody hard work. Crowds were worked up into a real frenzy.


In the end I wasn't mad enough for them. It was a crazy mix, one Turk, two Greeks and a Hungarian. When I was auditioned they were so loud I had to thrash the kit as hard as I could with the butts of the sticks and even then I could barely hear myself. I think they were impressed though.

We had our day in a studio - I think it was for the 'Pye' label. All those type of labels still existed then, Decca, Philips etc. I think it was to get a publishing advance. We had a manager, wide boy from Fulham name of Howard (same as
me!) but I never heard the result as I left shortly after recording these demos and I wouldn't know how to find them even if they still exist

When I finally left the Bazoomis, they carried on with another drummer for a while, don't know who. Part of the problem was I was living out of town so it was quite a strain travelling a lot. I carried on with some mates from Dorking playing R'n'B and Ska, then joined a Glam Rock band called 'Girl' who were marginally famous in that they were on TOTP and had a record deal.

I had moved to North Kensington by then and gone solo. Did a single on a Belgian label (very trendy at the time) and sessions in Mekon studio in Brixton with 'Hugh Ashton' from The Skunks. He'd gone electronic with his band 'Hard Corps', had a deal with 'Mute'.

I then formed a band called 'Sneezes in China' with 'Mark Beer', couldn't get signed, ended up working in a drum store, getting very much into world music.  Then I joined an Anglo-African band called 'The Primitive Society', supporting bands like 'King Trigger', 'Rip Rig and Panic', 'Here and Now'.

Then I got a steady job working for my dad and played in a folky bluesy trio 'The Poor Relations'. Then I settled down and started a family in 1987 and after a 2 year break joined 'The Crazy Hearts' run by 'Tony Engel' of 'Topic Records'. Then I joined a samba school and became a percussionist and made an album with 'Fresh Tracks' in 1998.




 

Arnold Lane
June 2007

 

 

 

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