HOME
NEWS
DISCOGRAPHY
GALLERY
MUSIC
LYRICS
MERCHANDISE
HISTORY
TIMELINE
OPINIONS
LOGOS
CONTACT
LINKS
Sevenchurch Logo

The Timeline

Points of significance in the history of Sevenchurch
and the bands/musicians connected to them.

This is still and always will be a work in progress and there may be inaccuracies.
If anyone has anything they wish to add or correct please email: ollie@sevenchurch.co.uk

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1984-85

1984 - Schoolfriends Dave S. and Ollie start playing together in a band for the first time. The line up is:- Dave S. (Lead Guitar), Paul 'Ollie' Oliver (Bass), John 'JF' Padley (Vocals), Mark Hall (Lead Guitar) and 'Podge' Rogers (Drums). They call themselves 'Mordor'. They describe their music as a cross between Metallica and Judas Priest

198- - Dave C. begins playing guitar in a band called 'Technikill' playing thrash metal. The line up is Dave C. (Lead Guitar), Tim Chilton (Vocals), Nick Allen (Bass) and Dave 'Rave' (Drums)

198- - Martin Spear is Lead Singer in the band Madamadam. Also featuring Chris Brown (Guitar), Jam (Bass), Mike Brown (Drums). They play a wild and wacky brand of thrash metal characterised by Martin's high-pitched nasal vocals and off the wall lyrics

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1986

1986 - 23rd December - Gig - The Scout Hut, Botley, Oxford - Mordor play their one and only gig. They break up soon after! The set list includes 'Business As Usual', 'Passage To Death' and 'Enough Of You'

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1987-89

1987 - Dave S. and Ollie start a black metal/horror thrash band which they decide to call 'Sevenchurch' (a mutated reference from the book of revelations in the Bible). The line-up is Dave S. (Lead Guitar), Ollie - Bass, John Padley - Vocals and new recruit Simon Taylor - Drums

198- - Madamadam release their first demo tape

198- - Grahaeme Bastable (Drums), Neal Reed (Bass, Vocals), Andy Cook (Lead Guitar) and Mike Gilpin (Guitar, Vocals) form a Thrash Metal band called Tortured

198- - Technikill's 'Taken ... Without Warning' demo is release. It contains the tracks 'Burn & Die', 'Hotel Hell', 'Valley Of The Bones' and 'Death Camp One'

198- - The first incarnation of Sevenchurch break up never having performed live. Tracks such as 'Meathook' and 'Night Of The Scarecrow' are now lost forever!

198- - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Technikill play their first and only gig

198- - Dying Breed are formed from the dying embers of Technikill. Featuring Dave C. (Guitar) Tim Chilton (Vocals) Dave 'Rave' (Drums) and new members Louie Corr (Bass) and Dave S. (Guitar)

198- - Ollie forms a new band called 'Scream City' featuring Ollie (Vocals, Guitars, Drum Machine), Guy Smith (Bass) and Mark Smith (Keyboards)

1989- - Scream City release a demo tape

1989 - Gig - December - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Dying Breed play a gig at the Jericho Tavern. They are supported by Tortured

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1990

1990 - January - Dave S. leaves Dying Breed and begins working on a new project. Ollie soon joins him they soon decide to resurrect the name 'Sevenchurch' for the band name. Various other members come and go as the songs begin to come together

1990 - 17th-18th March - Tortured record a 3-track demo tape at Union Studio containing the tracks 'Killing Machine' 'No Place To Hide' and 'Life Of Torture'.

1990 - May - Dying Breed split up.
Dave C. decides to join up with 'Sevenchurch'. They continue writing throughout the Summer months and convert/soundproof a garage at Ollie's parents house into their own rehearsal room.

1990 - Madamadam release their second demo tape 'Yabba Dabba Dont'

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1991

1991 - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Madamadam supported by Critical Mass

1991 - February - With the rehearsal room complete Sevenchurch now just need a drummer to complete the line-up. They remember being impressed by the drummer from the band Tortured and Grahaeme Bastable (Basty) is invited to join the band. The new Sevenchurch line up is complete.

1991 - May 3rd - Gig - Chinnor Village Hall. Madamadam

1991 - Thursday July 11th - Gig - 'The Mean Fiddler, Harlesden - Madamadam

1991 - Sunday August 4th - Gig - 'The Square', Harlow, Essex - Madamadam support Under Neath What

1991 - Gig - August 9th 1991 - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Madamadam supported by Sevenchurch
Sevenchurch play their first ever gig supporting the mighty Madamadam

Ollie's Diary: I remember being very nervous about the night. While the other three 'Churchies had all played at the Tavern fairly recently this was my first proper gig. Plus I was also the front man and whilst the singing didn't really bother me I was fairly nervous about how to handle between songs. The place was packed Madamadam always attracted a good following and their was a good buzz around our first gig. Plenty of fans who had seen Technikill, Dying Breed and Tortured were there to see what we were all about. The gig itself went extremely well and the crowd were getting into the music, (though I expect most of them were expecting us to be a thrash band). I felt the adrenaline pumping through me between each number and I feel that I probably rushed through my between song banter.
Before I knew it the gig was over and we all felt very pleased and proud of what we had achieved. We had taken the audience by surprise and given them our vision of extreme heavy music, not lighting fast but instead grindingly slow and with songs that travelled a journey rather than taking the usual verse/chorus approach. We joined the crowd to watch Madamadam and enjoy the amazing showmanship of frontman Martin Spear I realised that there was plenty of room for improvement from me in that department ... Either that or we get someone in!

1991 - Wednesday August 21st - Gig - 'The Old Trout', Windsor - Madamadam support Silverfish and Gallon Drunk

1991 - September 14th - Madamadam split up and lead singer Martin Spear joins Sevenchurch. The other three members of Madamadam recruit new singer JJ (James, ex-Critical Mass) and become Underbelly.

1991 - Friday 18th-Saturday 19th October - Sevenchurch enter Fleece Studios, Witney and record two tracks for the 'Nefarious' demo - 'Circus Divine' and 'Twilight Of Evergreen' with Tim Turan Engineering/Co-Producing.

Ollie's Diary: Day One: Arrived half-hour early on Friday morning (9.30 instead of 10) to ensure getting one of the few parking spaces available, preferably the one nearest the studio to minimise the humping of gear. The rest of the band (bar Martin) gradually arrived. Grahaeme being last (typical drummer!) missed out on a parking space and spent much of the morning, eyes out the window, waiting for a car to move.
We recorded with drums and bass in one room and both guitars in another (vocals to be added later) and recorded live connected by headphones. Any overdubs were recorded individually afterwards. The Spear joins us at about 1pm and casts his beady eyes over the proceedings, but even so we finish recording the music by about 3pm and set about a late lunch of Ginsters Pasties, Keema Nans and other assorted junk. After lunch our engineer Tim Turan sets to work while we relax in front of the goggle box. The fare includes MTV, the Lovers' Guide (video brought in by Grahaeme) and in my case reading Spiderman comics.
By 7pm we were ready to eat again (Sevenchurch being a band who thrive on food), and while we eat, Martin, Dave (C) and I prepared to work. Yes, now it was time for vocals so the evening was spent singing and sucking lozenges. Martin was still recovering from the tail-end of a cold but did an admirable job. While we slaved away Dave (S) and Grahaeme pissed off to the pub next door. Finally by midnight we were ready to leave. Dave S. and I went back to Tim's home mini-studio and supervised as Tim worked on the intro that would begin 'Circus Divine' (birds, wind, thunder). Got home about 2.30am. Knackered.
Day Two: By a couple of hours into the 19th our work was finished as far as recording was concerned and the rest of the day would be spent mixing. This meant much hard work for Tim and lots of TV watching and eating for us. We improved on the cuisine by going out for fish and chips. During the day we each took turns to supervise as our own instrument was tweaked for sound, and effects were added (such as the backwards vocal reverb on the 'Twilight Of Evergreen' acoustic section). By the evening the first rough mixes of the songs were ready and we all listened to them together giving out comments, making adjustments and re-listening. After god knows how many playbacks we were all satisfied and the 2-inch masters were transferred to DAT. Our first demo was completed!

1991 - December 6th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford. 'Sevenchurch' play their second gig (their first with Martin) supporting Carcass

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1992

1992 - February 14th - Sevenchurch's' track 'Circus Divine' from the 'Nefarious' demo is played on BBC Radio One's Friday Rock Show as part of an unsigned bands competition called the 'Rock War'. They don't win!

1992 - February 21st - Gig - At the Jericho Tavern - Originally scheduled as a support to Headbutt, it becomes Sevenchurch's first headline gig when Headbutt have to pull out. Support came from Damage (Tortured's Mike Gilpin's new band).

Ollie's Diary: Our second gig with 'Mad' Martin Spear, the Manic Undertaker began with a bang or rather a 'phut' as 'Man Mountain' Smart's (© ATL) pre-amp refuses to produce any sound and not a note had been played! This unfortunately resulted in Mr. Spear filling the time with some of his legendary chat and joke telling and I would like to apologise now for this infliction upon the crowd, ... but as they say 'the slow must go on!' Eventually Dave managed to get his mighty death rack fired up and we did!
Anyhow by the time we were halfway through our second song 'Spirit Sanctum' all mishaps were forgotten on my part and as the crowd surged forward towards the front and the doom dancing began I gained my first inkling that it would be a night to remember. By 'Circus Divine' I was having a great time and so it seemed was everyone else. This became my favourite gig we've played.

1992 - March - Issue 70 of Metal Forces magazine is released. It contains a Malcolm Dome review of the 'Nefarious' Demo in its Demolition section. Malcolm's praise is generous and the review is a major step in elevating Sevenchurch's public profile.

1992 - Saturday

May 2nd - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Supported by ...

Ollie's Diary: Well yet again things did not run as planned. Are Sevenchurch cursed I wonder as the support band the 'Loveblobs' phone at 6.30 p.m. on the night of the gig to say they are not coming now with no explanation. First Headbutt pull of of our February 21st gig and now this. Who dares to play on the same bill with Sevenchurch?! Well, the valiant Mac - Arthur Turners Loveblob and gig Promoter threw himself on the mercy of the disgruntled hoardes and launched into a handful of numbers with but his lone guitar and voice. Thanks Mac!
Tonight for the first time Sevenchurch were using an intro to start the show (A slowed down version of 'You're The One' by Chris Montez fact freaks!) and then the onslaught began. It was a fine performance by the band in general but it was also one of the smallest crowds we have played to. (Including apparently a lurking A&R man who was 'blown' away). It was also one of the hottest gigs we have played.

1992 - Sunday May 24th - Gig - The Dolly, Oxford - Supported by Arthur Turners Lovechild.

Ollie's Diary: The evening started slowly as Sevenchurch struggled to get the right sounds during our soundcheck on this (to us) Alien PA System. Eventually though, the elements align and all is set. As ATL begin their soundcheck, lead singer Mac delivers the immortal line, 'Leave it the same for us, just turn down my vocals!'
Being a Sunday night, showtime begins early and as such ATL did not have a great crowd when they took to the stage but they did a fine job and sure enough the audience arrived and enjoyed what they saw. By the time Sevenchurch took the stage the Dolly was packed. A new intro (taken from the film 'Eraserhead') preceded 'Old Truths, Ancient Magick'. The atmosphere was great and it felt good to be playing a different venue. The stage was larger and though the roof was low I didn't bash my head! The crowd soon moved towards the front and there was a lot of 'banging going on. As we left the stage the applause was great. This became my joint favourite gig so far.

1992 - Friday June 14th - Event - Interview for July Issue of Curfew (Local Oxford Music Magazine)

Ollie's Diary: It was a beautiful day and the venue was the garden of 'The Fishes' Pub, North Hinksey. With beers in hand (except Martin - on coke) Sevenchurch began their first proper interview (minus Basty who was on holiday). The four of us sat around the tape recorder with Ronan asking the questions. It was a new and fun experience. The end result was a July cover feature on 'the' local music mag of the time. 'Curfew' later folded before re-emerging as 'Nightshift' magazine which is still going strong today with Ronan still at the helm.

1992 - Friday July 17th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Supported by Walk On Water.

Ollie's Diary: This was an interesting gig as it provoked some extreme responses. Walk On Water began the evening well. The female vocalist was reminiscent of Siouxie Sioux in sound if not look. Unfortunately the evening was running late as we took to the stage and we were slightly unsettled as the intro began. As it turned out we gave a good performance, although the pace was fast for us, one for the history books!
As I said extreme reactions were generated. This was the gig that Robin Poultney reviewed (and slagged) in Kerrang! It was also the gig that was watched by Mike Exley from Noise Records who thought we were great. It led to Noise offering us a record deal!

1992 - July - Event - Sevenchurch are the cover stars of Curfew Magazine, The Local Oxford Music Magazine

1992 - Saturday August 8th - Gig - The Pennyfarthing, Oxford.

Ollie's Diary: There were a few ghosts stirred up for me tonight. This was a weird place to be playing as I'd seen so many great bands playing here in the early eighties. Now it was open again and Sevenchurch were playing here. It was a good gig in all. The stage was tiny and the lights few but the PA had a good sound. At least it did until it went down halfway through the gig! There was a good turnout, in fact it's rarely (if ever) been beaten since the Pennyfarthing's reopening. Tonight was the first time we played 'Inavoid' and it went down really well. Meanwhile outside a storm was raging, yet again. Why does that seems to happen every time we play?!

1992 - Friday August 21st - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - The 'YOUR SONGS' Covers Night. Featuring Sevenchurch, Death By Crimpers, Squid, Arthur Turner's Lovechild, The Jennifers, The Daisies, The Candyskins, The Anyways and Saturn V

Ollie's Diary: Tonight was different. It was Mac's (the Tavern's promoter) Birthday and to celebrate he had invited nine of his favourite local bands to each play a fifteen minute set of cover songs with all bands using the same backline. The bands playing were 'Death By Crimpers', 'Squid', 'Arthur Turner's Lovechild' (Mac's band), 'The Jennifers', 'The Daisies', 'The Candyskins', 'The Anyways', 'Saturn V' and ourselves. The running order was pulled out of a hat, and we got the second slot of the evening, rather fortunately as it turned out because there was free beer available for the bands. The place was packed, completely sold out and the atmosphere was phenomenal. What did we play? Well, we began with a totally doomed out version of the 'Funeral March' which metamorphosed into 'The Teddy Bears' Picnic' without changing pace! Next it was time for a couple of old punk tunes completely thrashed out and the sudden change of pace certainly shocked. We played the Sex Pistols 'New York' first with an excellent Johnny Rotten impersonation from Martin (vague memories of Madamadam!) and followed that with Discharge's 'Protest And Survive'. Finally it was back to the Doom as we finished our set with our own special version of 'Happy Birthday' for Mac. This evening was purely for fun, and great fun it was. All the bands were excellent and by the end of the evening I was very, very drunk.

1992 - Thursday October 1st - Gig - The Mean Fiddler, London - 'Oxfordpolooza' aka 'Oxford goes to London' - Sevenchurch supported by ATL, Death By Crimpers and Squid.

Ollie's Diary: This was a gig we had all been looking forward to. A showcase gig of Oxford bands billed as the 'Oxfordpolooza', with Sevenchurch headlining. For us it was our first gig outside of Oxford which made it a very special event. The band (minus mad Martin who lives in London) set off for the smoke around 1pm in a hired Ford Transit Van. Dave 'The Ghost' Capel was at the wheel, 'Man Mountain' Smart was navigating and the rhythm section (Basty and myself) were in the back trying to hold everything down! (no change there then!). We made the venue in plenty of time for our 4pm soundcheck and we were very impressed by the venue - a big stage, lots of lights and a great PA. Martin joins us and the soundcheck was duly completed. There was nothing left to do but relax until showtime. At 8pm the doors were opened and people started to arrive. Two full coaches travelled down from Oxford/Banbury (plus the odd car load) so there were lots of familiar faces around as the place filled up. The other bands all put on good performances and the crowd was well warmed up when we took the stage. The reaction was fantastic, lots of movement going on down the front and we were having a great time on stage. We started with 'Circus Divine', for the first time in a few gigs. Next came 'Autobituary' (which is my own personal favourite) closely followed by 'Inavoid'. Things just couldn't get any better - so instead they got worse! As we finished 'Inavoid' Martin was asked to make an announcement - namely that the Oxford coaches were just leaving prompting a mass exodus as we begin 'Twilight Of Evergreen' It's rather a strange feeling to see 150 odd people all leaving your gig at the same time while you are still playing. Nevermind, we still had a crowd to play to, just a smaller one. Also at about this time the crowd for the post-gig nightclub were beginning to arrive and I don't think they quite knew what to make of us. It was cool, they got up and tried dancing anyway and didn't heckle. In fact, by the time we had finished 'Twilight', I think most of them were enjoying our vibe.

1992 - Sunday October 11th - Old Truths, Ancient Magick' is recorded at Courtyard Studios with Jon Burton Engineering/Co-Producing.

Ollie's Diary: This was another event we were all looking forward to, roughly a year since the recording of the 'Nefarious' demo we were back in the studio. This time it was Courtyard Studio and what a superb studio it was. Upstairs were living quarters fully equipped with about 8 bedrooms plus dining room, lounge, bathroom and kitchen. The studio itself was downstairs - 3 recording rooms and the control room.
In an effort to capture that 'live' sound that is so hard to get in a studio we decided to set up the equipment so we could play together in one room. We put the guitar cabinets in another room and my bass cabinet in the third room to achieve the separation. Martin sang a guide vocal from the control room and all the separate instruments came together via our headphones. Also we spent a lot more time miking up the instruments this time which gave better sounds. Final vocals were added separately, (the same as when we had recorded the demo). John and Man Mountain then shared the duties of mixing and producing. This left Dave C, Basty and me free to play Sonic The Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive supplied by the studio! It goes without saying that during the day huge amounts of Junk Food were consumed by the band including Pizzas, Ginsters Pasties, and the odd beer or three! As with our last studio visit it was far more tiring than I would expect. We had begun at 10am and finally left the studio 16 hours later at 2am Monday morning. Really we would have liked just a few more hours . . .

1992 - Saturday October 24th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Underbelly support The God Machine (maybe their first Gig?).

1992 - Saturday December 5th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Sevenchurch supported by Scumpups and Bugshifter

1992 - Underbelly release their first demo

1992 - Saturday December 19th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - The 'YOUR SONGS 2' Covers Night. Featuring Sevenchurch, Arthur Turners Lovechild, Radiohead, The Candyskins, The Bigger The God, Death By Crimpers, Squid, Freak.

Ollie's Diary: I didn't have a diary entry for this gig. But recently I came upon some rehearsal tapes that revealed the set list we had been rehearsing for this gig. We began with a slow and doomy version of the Dad's Army theme tune. This was followed by faithful renditions of SOD''s 'Freddie Krueger and Charged GBH's 'No Survivors'.

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1993

1993 - February 18th - Courtyard Studios - Re-mixing of the demo track version of 'Circus Divine' for the Noise Compilation CD 'Louder Than Words'.

1993 - Saturday February 27th - Gig - The Oxford Venue, (nowadays called The Zodiac), Oxford - Sevenchurch supported by Scumpups and Bugshifter

1993 - Saturday May 15th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Sevenchurch supported by Scuba

1993 -Underbelly. Bassist Jam leaves and is replaced by new recruit Pete and a second guitarist Jason (ex-Fuzzgun)

1993 - May - Noise records release the compilation CD 'Louder Than Words'. It is the first time that Sevenchurch appear on CD. 'Circus Divine' is the track featured. A re-mixed version of the original demo track. Price £4.99

1993 - 24th June - 27th July 1993 - The 'Bleak Insight' CD and 'Festival Of The Spoons' EP are recorded at Woodlands Studio, Castleford, Yorkshire England. Mixed and engineered by Pat Grogan. Produced by Pat Grogan and Sevenchurch

1993 - 27th September - Sevenchurch's debut CD 'Bleak Insight is release on Noise International. 6 Tracks and 70 minutes of magnificent morose malevolence!

1993 - Saturday October 9th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Sevenchurch supported by ...

1993 - Sunday November 21st - Charity Gig - The Dolly, Oxford. Sevenchurch supported by Amoebuzz

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1994

1994 - January - Grahaeme Bastable leaves Sevenchurch by mutual consent. He is replaced by Doug Stephens

1994 - Friday April 8th - Gig - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford - Sevenchurch supported by Supergrass and Underbelly

1994 - May - Sevenchurch's 3-track 45 minute EP 'Festival Of The Spoons' scheduled for release this month is cancelled by Noise. They state the the 'Bleak Insight' CD has only just been released in some countries and that where it has been released it has not yet sold enough to warrant a new Sevenchurch release. Instead they think we should proceed with working on the second full CD ...

1994 - May - Sevenchurch record a 4 track demo at the request of Noise Records. The record deal is stuttering and Noise wants to hear something different. Sevenchurch decide to record at one of their favourite venues and record the songs more or less live at the Jericho Tavern with a portable studio. They hope to capture more of their live intensity. The 4 new tracks recorded are 'Magnolia Siege' (5.12), 'The Rubber Room' (4.39), 'Bifocal Mind' (4.28) and 'Green Grass Blindness (8.20). The songs are in general shorter than previous Sevenchurch songs and also less doomy. The style is more stoner doom. Some even have a chorus. The band are looking to expand their range

1994 - Saturday May 7th - Gig - The Venue (The Zodiac), Oxford - Sevenchurch supported by Thurman and Underbelly

1994 - Wednesday May 18th - Gig - The Dome Club, Tufnell Park, London - Oxford goes to London. Featuring Sevenchurch, Candy Skins, Arthur Turner's Lovechild, and Pod

1994 - August - It is announced in local music magazine Curfew that Sevenchurch have split up. Curfew went on to say '.... singer Martin has decided to dedicate his life to the futile pursuit of golf while the rest of the band are heading to Kentucky to throw stones at white trash. They have promised to return at some point in the future with a new sound and are looking for a singer to replace Martin .... A thousand black crows were yesterday spotted circling around the skies above Carfax mourning the passing of this Satanic brood!'

1994 - Underbelly release a 4-track CD entitled 'Off' containing the tracks 'Mined', 'Off', 'Running Off My Back' and 'Inside'

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1995

1994-95 - Sevenchurch minus Martin begins working on a new project. They audition and hire Robert Lawrence (ex-Sindicat). They settle on the name August, a name that seems to pay tribute to the month that saw the end of Sevenchurch Also it suits their new musical direction, which while retaining some of the heavy down-tuned riffage that made the Sevenchurch, also see them expanding into other genres, and brings many more of their southern rock influences to fore. They keep the final 4 songs written in the Sevenchurch days albeit with some changes down the line to lyrics and song names. The new bands line-up is Rob Lawrence (Vocals), Dave Smart (Guitar), Dave Capel (Guitar), Ollie (Bass) and Doug Stephens (Drums). A short time later they change their name again to Earth Machine after realising there were already several bands using the 'August' moniker

1995 - Friday April 7th - Gig - The Hobgoblin @ The Plain, Oxford - The opening night for the venue and August's first gig - August support The Daisies. August's set list: 1. Muddlehead. 2. Medicine Mountain. 3. Bifocal Mind. 4. Green Grass Blindness. 5. Audiovibe. 6. Moanday Sorrow. (Tracks 3 and 4 were originally recorded by Sevenchurch and tracks 2 and 6 were originally recorded by Sevenchurch with different titles and lyrics).

1995 -Saturday May 20th - Gig - The Hobgoblin @ The Plain, Oxford - August support Hooker

1995 - Monday July 31st - Gig - The Dolly, Oxford - August support the Rufus Show. It was an unannounced show

1995 - August - August record 2 songs on a mobile studio in their rehearsal rooms. 'Black' Dick Edwards is engineering/co-producing. The songs recorded are 'Muddlehead' and 'Audiovibe

1995 -August - Gig - The Hobgoblin @ The Plain, Oxford - August play their first healine gig

1995 -Thursday October 26th - Gig - The Hobgoblin @ The Plain, Oxford - Slyder (featuring Steve James, ex-Dogs D'Amour) supported by August

1995 - Friday December 22nd - Gig - The Hobgoblin @ The Plain, Oxford - The 'YOUR SONGS 7' Xmas Covers Night. Featuring August, The Bigger The God, Skydrive, Badger Baitor

1995 -November - Underbelly announce they have split up and Madamadam to reform rumours abound but rumours are all they turn out to be

1995 - Wednesday December 27th - Gig - Oxford United Manor Club, Oxford - Arthur Turners Lovechild? supported by Daisies, August and Dustball

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1996

1996 - April - August's 'Audiovibe' track is released on a local music cassette 'Eine Kleine Nightshiftmusik' along with tracks from 'Dubwiser', 'Shuffle', 'Ether', 'Borgnine', 'The Changelings', 'Flow', 'The Relationships', 'Bubbleman' and 'Twist'

1996 - April - August change their name after realising they are not the first or last band to be called August. They settle on the rather more unique 'Earth Machine'

1996 - Saturday April 27th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine play their first gig supporting 'The Bigger The God' and 'Dustball'

1996 - Sunday June 2nd - Gig - The Dolly, Oxford - Earth Machine

1996 - Friday July 26th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine support Arthur Turners Lovechild?

1996 - Sunday July 28th - Earth Machine enter Dungeon Studios with Richie Haines and Mac engineering/Co-producing. They record two songs 'Hollow' and 'Pokerface'. EMI are showing some interest in the band and have donated some money for the recording

1996 - Friday November 29th - Gig - The Kooler, Oxford United Manor Club, Oxford - Earth Machine

1996 - Thursday December 5th - Gig - The Zodiac, Oxford - Earth Machine

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1997

1997 - Tuesday April 24th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine play a BBC Sound City Fringe Night

1997 - Friday April 25th - Gig - Harley Davidson Rally, Oxford - Earth Machine support Status Clone

1997 - Saturday May 10th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine support Feeder

1997 - Saturday July 26th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine support Nought

1997 - Friday October 31st - Gig - Fuggle & Firkin, Oxford - BBC presents Oxford Sound City - Earth Machine play 2 sets. Beginning on the outdoor stage early evening: 4pm Dionysus, 4.45pm Bubbleman, and 5.30pm Earth Machine. At night they play the indoor stage: 8pm Reservoir Cats, 9pm Earth Machine, 10pm Bubbleman.

1997 - Saturday November 8th - Gig - Oxford University Union, Oxford - Earth Machine play 2 sets at a Freshers Ball.

1997 - Saturday November 29th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Earth Machine supported by Mogmatic and Olmec Heads and compared by Martin 'Ringmaster' Spear.

1997 - Earth Machine recruit an additional member 'Jonas' (Dubwiser) to play precussion and supply backing vocals.

1997 - Earth Machine recuit another 'part-time' member in Karen Cleave (ex-The Anyways) to play keyboard now making them an occasional seven piece band

>1997 - Saturday November 29th - Grahaeme Basty appears on TV in Blind Date with Cilla Black. Competing against two other guys, he is chosen by the Girl (Alice) for her blind date and she picks a trip to Lanzarote

1997 - Saturday December 6th - Grahaeme Basty appears on TV in Blind Date for the follow-up programme. Unfortunately the date has not gone too well and they will not be staying in touch

1997 - Saturday December 20th - Gig - The Elm Tree, Oxford - Earth Machine supported by Dog's Prayer Day

1997 - December - Earth Machine split up. Ollie and Bob go on to from 'Flume'. Dave Smart will go on to form 'Twinjet Superstar' with Jonas. Dave Capel will retire from playing in bands altogether.

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1998

1998 - March - Flume are formed by ex-Earth Machine members Robert Lawrence (Vocals + Guitars) and Ollie (ex-Sevenchurch) (Bass). They add Nick Townsend (ex-Puppet Regime) on Drums to complete the line-up

1998 - May - Flume enter TOG studios and record 2 tracks 'Some Time' and 'On My Own'

1998 - Wednesday September 2nd - Gig - The Dolly, Oxford - Flume's 1st gig supporting Chamfer

1998 - Saturday October 31st - Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume support Chamfer

1998 - Friday November 20th - Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume support Overground (featuring Karen Cleave, ex-Earth Machine)

1998 - November - Flume release a 2-track CD '... The Hell Are You?' containing the songs 'Some Time' and 'On My Own'

1998 - Wednesday November 25th - Gig -The Alleycat, Reading - Flume support Pull

1998 - Saturday November 28th - Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume support support Ruf Cut

1998 - Saturday December 19th Gig - The Waterside Centre, Newbury Flume with Hepworth and Implosion

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

1999

1999 -Saturday January 9th - Gig - The Jericho, Oxford - Flume support Callous

1999 - Friday February 16th- Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume support Full Frontal Assault

1999 - Friday February 26th - Gig - The Point, Oxford - Flume support Mindsurfer (who include guitarist and sometime Sevenchurch artist/photographer Darren Green)

1999 - Thursday March 25th - Gig - The Jericho, Oxford - Flume support Stack (who include Louie Corr ex-Dying Breed)

1999 - April 11th - Flume enter TOG studios and record the track 'Believe'

1999 - Thursday April 24th - Gig - The Alleycat, Reading - Flume support Toploader along with Chinki and Flynn

1999 - Thursday May 13th - Gig - The Dolly, Oxford - Flume play the Oxford Punt showcase with Black Candy, Callous and XI

1999 - Friday June 11th - Gig - The Elm Tree, Oxford - Flume support Buster Move

1999 - Saturday July 3rd - Gig - The Waterside Centre, Newbury - Flume supported by Khymera

1999 - Friday July 16th - Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume supported by Five Mile Drive

1999 - Thursday July 22nd - Gig - The Jericho, Oxford - Flume support Seren

1999 - Saturday August 21st - Gig - The Point, Oxford - Flume play 'Your Song 14' Covers night with Holy Roman Empire, Whispering Bob, Stars of Track & Field, ATL and Overground

1999 - October - The 'BURBs Too' Compilation CD is released. It includes the Flume song 'On My Own'

1999 - Thursday October 21st - Gig - The Elm Tree, Oxford - Flume supported by Perfect 10 and Cobalt 60

1999 - Friday October 21st - Gig - The George, Swindon - Flume supported by Cobalt 60

1999 - Friday October 29th - Gig - The Pit, Witney - Flume co-headline with Five Mile Drive

1999 - Friday November 5th - Gig - The George, Swindon - Flume supported by Vade Macum

1999 - Saturday November 13th - Gig - The Jericho, Oxford - Flume supported by Fuse, Cobalt 60

1999 - Friday November 26th - Gig - The Point, Oxford - Flume support King Prawn and Ex Cathedra

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2000

2000 - 10th Anniversary of the formation of Sevenchurch

2000 - Thursday, January 13th 2000. - Gig - The Swan, Wantage - Flume support Vade Macum

2000 - Friday January 14th - Gig - The Railway Tavern, Hungerford - Flume supported by Perfect 10

2000 - February 3rd - Flume begin recording their 'With A View' EP at TOG Studio. It will contain the tracks 'Provide', 'Easy', 'Infinite' and 'Bench' and will be record in short bursts of studio time over the coming months.

2000 - February 20th - The LSCD (LocalSoundCD) is release. It includes the Flume track 'Believe'

2000 - Thursday March 9th- Gig - The Swan, Wantage - Flume supported by Perfect 10

2000 - Friday 28th April - Gig - The Jericho, Oxford - Flume play the LSCD showcase gig with Atomika and Five Mile Drive

2000 - May - Flume begin mixing their 'With A View' EP.

2000 - Thursday May 18th - Gig - The Swan, Wantage - Flume supported by Cargo Cult Collective

2000 - Friday, July 21st - Gig - The Railway Tavern, Hungerford - Flume supported by Chamfer

2000 - Flume release their 'With A View' CD through peoplesound.com and Burbs.co.uk. They decide to take a short break to recharge and to pursue other projects. Unfortunately they never get back together as full-on band.

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2001

2001 -January - Dave 'Man Mountain' Smart (along with partner Jonathan Hickman) opens 'The Guitar Gallery' music shop in South Parade, Summertown, Oxford

2001 -Saturday January 27th - Gig - The Point @ The Plain, Oxford - Twinjet Superstar support Vade Mecum along with Caliber

2001 -Thursday May 10th - Comedy Gig -The Railway Tavern, London - Martin Spear + Katie Walsh, Danny Hurst, Gary Delaney, Jimmy Razor, Alex Marrion, Rob Deering, Alan Wilde, Paul Shruff, Jo Romero

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2002

2002 -February 6th - Comedy Gig - Joe's Comedy Madhouse, London - Martin Spear + Shan, Chocolate Sandwich, Phil Zimmerman, Avril Taylor, Lisa Showman, Compere: Ian Boldsworth as Ray Peacock

2002 -March 6th - Comedy Gig - Joe's Comedy Madhouse, London - Martin Spear + Ivan Steward as the Comedy Traffic Warden, Jeff Downs as Larry Bernstein, Hils Barker, Kevin Shepherd, Anthony Miller, Comperes: Ed Hill and Alison Cannon as Eurovision's Lars Eurosport and Katie Boiler

2002 -May 1st - Comedy Gig - Joe's Comedy Madhouse, London - Martin Spear + Ed Hill as the Rev. Hyde, Alison Cannon, Phil Zimmerman, Laurie Crowther, Eric, Compere: Steve Day

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2003

2003 - Sevenchurch website is started

2003 - October - 10th Anniversary of the release of 'Bleak Insight'

2004

2005

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2006

2006 - March - Sevenchurch myspace page is created

2006 - May - Terrorizer Magazine Issue 144 May is released. It is a doom special and includes a Sevenchuch picture and a write-up about the band. Not bad for a band that broke over a decade ago! It brings a tear to the eye!

2006 - Winter - Martin Spear appears as an actor in the student film 'Terrorists' by Notting Dale Video Productions

 

TO TOP TO BOTTOM
Years: 1984 1986 1987
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013

2007

2007 - September - Earth Machine myspace is created.

2009

2009 - June - Martin Spear makes an appearance on YouTube performing 'Can You Smell Bacon?'

2010

2011

2012

2013

2013 - September 30th - Sevenchurch release Stealing From The Dead and Festival Of The Spoons on Bandcamp