waiting to get tired

I have The Sea Urchins to thank for getting me into indiepop music. I use the term "indiepop" music as around 1985 / 86 there were The Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain, even REM and a few others but there was a whole world of fantastic bands bubbling under the surface waiting for a chance to be heard. This strata of bands I would describe as indiepop, even though the sound varied massively between bands. There have since become even more layers of groups beneath these whose sole aim in some cases was just to make a demo tape and play at a local venue. This was how The Cudgels started.

The Sea Urchins were in the year above me at school, apart from Patrick who was in the year below, and Bridget who was at a different school in Birmingham. The classic Sea Urchins line up was always with Mark Bevan on bass guitar. I finished school and not knowing what to do decided to stay on to study "A" levels. I had always loved music and have been a lifelong Jam fan but for me the mid 80s were a barren time. I had loved The Jam and all of the associated mod musical references, and then got into the early hip hop / electro sounds but 1985 / 86 found me at a crossroads. I was around 17 years old and had never really been much of a Smiths fan. I liked Morrissey and his lyrical talent, but found the music just dull. To me it sounded just like pub rock. I was ready for a new adventure, new experience, new possibilities, a new journey, a new world I could lose myself in..... then I heard "Why Does The Rain" by The Loft.

During my first year of sixth form I walked into the common room one day and Jamie and Simon from The Sea Urchins were huddled around the record player we had in there. What was this fantastic song pouring from the speakers? It was jangly with a great rhythm, but didn't sound over produced and shiny like everything else around at the time. It was The Loft, and after that song they put on "I Wonder Why" by The Pastels followed by "All Day Long" by The Shop Assistants. This was amazing! Who were these bands? Where were they from? What labels were releasing this fantastic music? How could I get hold of these records? Where could I read about these bands? My journey had begun.

Over the years I have often thought how my life would have been different if I hadn't got so involved in music and the indiepop genre, in particular. I have discussed this with Mike from They Go Boom!! and he always says that he has a lot to thank Matt And Claire from Sarah Records for. For me, the main labels that inspired me were Subway and Creation Records. Without a doubt, unless I had heard those records played in the sixth form common room, things would have been different. It would have still been good, as I try always to be positive and am generally optimistic about things, but maybe a different journey....

A few days ago I was really pleased to receive an email from Richard who said he had some Sea Urchins demos I might like to hear. Wow! Great! Yes, I said, send them through. He sent them and said it is fine to share them on my blog. I hope the band doesn't mind, either. I am posting four songs, one of which is "Solace". I really like this demo version, as it has a great rhythm and nice mix of acoustic guitars but still remains powerful. I sometimes think the 7" version borders on being too "rocky" for me. The other songs, one of which is untitled, I would guess were recorded on a basic four track recorder, or maybe directly to cassette. If anybody knows the name of the untitled song, please get in touch. There were a couple more songs sent, but I felt that they were a bit too experimental to post. Being in a band myself, I know that demos are hit and miss affairs, and are sometimes very different to how a song eventually sounds. But I think true Sea Urchins fans will appreciate these songs in the spirit they were recorded. Thanks again, Richard, for sending the songs.

The Sea Urchins - Solace

The Sea Urchins - I See Some Things

The Sea Urchins - Untitled

The Sea Urchins - Waiting To Get Tired