Arctic Frost
Every band has got to start somewhere and it was no different for this young set of hopefuls called Arctic Frost. Neither the punkiest of names nor the punkiest of looks, but here they were playing that bastion of punk rock where so many famous names have played. Not even mentioned in the Roxy gig adverts, they were one of the nameless many on audition nights that played often to disappear soon after.
Alderman Huggins When I first realized that music was the most important thing in the world to me I thought I’d better start trying to make my own, so I got a reel to reel tape recorder and a guitar and spent the next 2 years teaching myself to play and to write songs. When the time came to be in a band I found one through the small-adds because I was quite reclusive and did’nt know any other musicians. So I joined Matt on guitar and Henry on drums, I played bass. Matt was the leader and what he wanted was to re-create the Jimi Hendrix Experience. We practiced regularly for weeks and then Matt decided to jack it in. This was quite a good thing in a way because although I liked Hendrix, I also knew that it was “old hat” and I was really only doing it in the absence of any better opportunities.
Back to the small-adds then, and enter Arctic Frost. With me on bass again this was a much better venture, I was a serious XTC enthusiast by this time and Tim the drummer was into Elvis Costello so the rhythm-section was on the same wavelength. Dave and Darrel still had hippy sympathies but Dave actually came up with one of the most modern quirky songs of the set – “Cowboy”. Other notable contributions from Dave were “Dogs Life” and “Emu In Gogessita”. We played only original songs, no covers, and we always had an equal number of Dave songs and my songs. Some of mine were “Nothing Left” “Seen a lot of People” and “Tight Strings“.
Our career on stage went as follows:
1st gig – The Roxy Club, London.
2nd gig – two and a half weeks later – The Adeline Geneé Theatre, East Grinstead.
We continued to rehearse but I was still feeling that I wanted something more of the moment and more professional.
Three weeks later I was at the PIL auditions, a week after that I left Arctic Frost. No, not for PIL, but to play bass for an established London band called Smak, who were Ronnie Britton – vocal, Rocco Barker (later of Wasted Youth and Flesh For Lulu fame) – guitar and vocal, Ken Kostik – guitar, Russ Greenaway – drums, and now myself on bass and vocal.
This band was in a different league. Hanging out together, going to gigs, playing gigs, listening to music. I was a happy boy.
I still write and play, solo or with Brighton acoustic band The Formulators
Above article courtesy of Alderman Huggins 20/9/2006
