Zig Zag SEPT 1981

The End..? I’m still shell-shocked. Finish The Story‘s debut gig was better than the second coming of Jesus Christ. Hastily flung together four weeks ago for this gig, they were raw, powerful and exciting. They’re a three-piece band from such diverse Islands of Aptitude as Bromsgrove, Bristol and Evesham.

Fronted by the blonde and the beautiful Nicola (the Evesham ingredient, hostess at the notorious Vauxhall Inn), they skipped through a short set of six embryonic classics. The drum machine went places no drum machine has been before, Gary etched lines in the air on his keyboards (I thought he was touching em .. Mick Mercer), Pete murdered his rabid guitar in true Bauhaus style, and above it all Nicola’s vocals soared clear and sane.

She bounced and bopped through the catchy “Chant of the Boxed-in Society”, caused a major emotional earthquake with “Apparently He Couldn’t Hear Me”, bounded through “Inspiration Didn’t Come Today” and “Alone With A Picture In A Matchstick Frame”, forgot the words to “The Dodgy Concept”, and . finally ended with “Playing At Life”.

They left. the audience happy, if a little confused, Through the last two songs a video of unsurpassed excellence played. They were wonderful. What more can I say?

Next band up were Evesham’s own Dancing. Did..(Cut!…. Ed).

SARA JONES

Collecting Easter eggs and telephone answer machine messages, a video that has taken 20 years to compile.

BBC online . September 2005 – a fresh look back at the early days as guitarist with ‘Finish The Story’. Click Here This Window – BBC Radio 30th September 2005 Finish The Story – Friday Session interview . (2 mins 42 secs. Realplayer.)

Related articles

• Who is Peter Bright? – from Wikipedia (morguegallery.com)