The Photons
The Photons were a band set up/manufactured by ex Roxy Club Owner and band manager Andy Czezowski in late 1977. What’s interesting about the band is Czezowski’s approach to management as it’s he who comes up with the name, look and concept and selects four people not on musical ability, but how they look which is to be the antithesis of punk and more power pop, and gives them rehearsal space to come up with something musically good before promoting them. In the nine months the band is in existence they will have numerous changes of personnel on the dictate of Andy.
That personnel have several claims to fame in what happened to them before or after as the band never got to release anything. First is their links with the controversial punk band – the Moors Murderers and second two of their original demos were reworked into the first and third singles for New Romantic stalwarts Visage.
Steve Strange would become the face of the New Romantic movement and help launch a major club Blitz and Vince Ely would go on to drum for the Psychedelic Furs. It’s arguable that without The Photons, and manager Andy Czezowski, all that may never have come to pass and is revealed in this feature.
Post The Photons, Andy & Sue would give up band management, which they’d had little success with, and would eventually go back into club ownership creating the legendary Fridge nightclub in Brixton.
As 1977 passed, it was apparent that Punk was softening around the edges as record companies began to take notice and a more consumer friendly type of music such as new wave or powerpop was starting to come through.
On October 6th 1977 one of the first punk bands on the scene – Chelsea – played its farewell gig at the Roxy Club. Bear in mind Andy Czezowski had opened the Roxy in late 1976 with Chelsea who he was managing at that time. By April 1977 he had been kicked out by the owners who installed a gangster in his place called Kevin St John to run the place.
Andy Czezowski: After the fiasco with the Vortex/Void everytime the owners would see our success they would muscle us out so next time we did it we’d make sure we owned the lease instead of renting the night. Until that time we just got back to getting into music. Punk77, 2020
Key to that endeavour was securing some space. He had secured an old warehouse at 29 James Street Covent Garden where he had his offices and management company Positive Promotions plus he brought in other like-minded enterprises like PR companies (Alan Edwards –The Stranglers) record labels (Soho Records), rehearsal studio and at times somewhere for people to stay and later PX clothes shop.
Andy Czezowski: The idea of James Street was to take on a building and keep our hand in the music business because I knew lot of bands like The Stranglers and Wire so I said do you want to rent a room so I became a music slash landlord. I had head offices then.
I can’t remember how Gene October came back to me but the landscape had changed. L&K were such a different thing, didn’t know quite where we were going but we were trying to find a different style musically and visually. That was very conscious you see to not follow the crowd; When we got involved with Punk in 1975/76 it was new and fresh and confrontational but come ’77 you can see from the newspapers that it had become negative, mainstream and boring. It was bigger yes but did I want to be treading the same path again. We’d done that. Punk77, 2020
So Andy went back into band management. His track record hadn’t been good up to now with Chelsea, The Damned, Generation X, Wire and Adam & The Ants all being managed by him at some stage over 12 months but moving on to bigger and better things.
Andy Czezowski The idea of me managing a band was always a great idea but unfortunately you have to deal with musicians! They don’t have the most logical point of view and my way of managing is to try to ‘manage’ which is getting things right. It didn’t mean getting drunk in the studio while they were trying to record. Punk77, 2020
On Andy’s suggestion Gene October would front a band named Love & Kisses and the music played would be a more power pop/psychedelic orientated set of songs.
Mark ‘the Kid’ Ryan who had recently left Adam & The Ants is onboarded as a guitarist, but after just a couple of rehearsals the band once more reforms as Chelsea (Mark5!) and Andy and the Kid are left bandless.
Mark ‘The Kid’ Ryan: After I rehearsed with them (Love & Kisses) for a few weeks they decamped to The Police’s label as Chelsea again while I decided to stay with Andy and set up a new band.
Also in the band early on is Vince Ely (below left) on drums aka Vince Elite, ex drummer for The Unwanted, who appeared on their 1977 Raw single 1984/Bleak Outlook.
By 1978 punk covered a wide remit; from Sham 69, skinheads and Rock Against Racism to the UK Subs and Menace flying the flag. Elsewhere more new wave bands were coming through like The Skids or Members and others like The Slits and Banshees and the emerging Joy Division were beginning to create new sounds.
Andy had the name for the band, ideas for their look, the type of music to be played and the line up of the band. Even to the point where physical appearance and look were more important than ability. They wouldn’t gig and build up a following but would hone their skills outside London and burst onto the scene as a breath of fresh air as a clear split from the perceived punk drudgery. A chance meeting with a couple of well known faces on the scene leads to an audition for a bassist and singer to complete the line up.
John Harlow (Bassist) In late November/early December, Steve Strange and I had bumped into Andy Czezowski and he invited us down to James Street to audition with the Kid and Vince Ely, or as he was called at the time Vince Elite, who were the remains of Love and Kisses.
So me and Steve auditioned. It wasn’t much of an audition; we went downstairs, Steve jumped about and I was shown a bass line for a song called Walking On Paper which was about Howard Hughes who used to put tissue paper on the floor wherever he walked. It was very simple and two minutes later we were in. That was it! To be honest if you looked the part for Andy that was enough. I was not only in the band; I also moved into James Street to live.
At that time there was no name and yet as much as Steve was trying to get into what would be the Photons he was still dabbling in the Moors Murderers trying to get a record and some interest. Punk77, 2021
Both were active in Steve Strange’s band the Moors Murderers, with occasional members Chrissie Hynde, Eve Goddard and Egan but it’s highly likely that the soon to be named Photons rehearsing in the basement of Czezowski’s 29 James Street would have had very few songs and would have run through whatever the Moors Murderers had. However it happened though The band are persuaded, no doubt by Steve Strange as a bit of punk controversy, to play an impromptu set at as the Moors Murderers at a gig December 15th 1977 by The Slits at singer Ari Up’s Holland Park Comprehensive School.
John Harlow (Moors Murderers Bassist) Andy had a little 12 seater van that he used to hire so we all just piled into that. It was me, Steve, Vince, the Kid and I’m not sure which girls; if they were around it would have been Eve or Chrissie. We were on first and we sounded rough and a typical first gig sound. It was all impromptu with equipment we weren’t used to.
We found out after it was a thing for a children’s charity but the funny thing is once the kids found out what we were called and we had gone off stage and tried to leave they were going fucking mental. We got into the van and they were trying to roll the van over and banging on the glass calling us ‘cunts’ and ‘wankers.’ How we got out I don’t know, but Andy just gunned it and we were out. It was quite funny like the Beatles film ‘Help’. It was crazy! Punk77, 2021
Then an article about the band appears in the Sunday Mirror and then another in Sounds music paper in January which names Vince Kray (Vince Ely) and John Kray (John Harlow) and Steve Brady (Steve Strange) but identities hidden by bin liners in photos before the band folds in the face of negative publicity and indifference. Reaction to the band is wholly negative across the music and national press and its members are threatened with violence.
Various books down the years, and even the Kid, has suggested Andy Czezowski’s involvement in both bands but he’s adamant they were not involved.
Andy Czezowski There is no link. It wasn’t my name, idea or concept. I just let them use the basement studios for nothing. I don’t recall being aware of them but Steve or John would have been sufficiently aware to have had a key made and sneaked in without me knowing with other people which is no more than I deserve. I did the same to Acme Attractions with The Damned. When I went to their warehouse to pick stuff up I sneaked in with The Damned to let them rehearse. So I got my comeuppance. Nothing to do with me. Punk77, 2020
As we’ve seen John’s recollections contradict Andy’s which sees the latter driving the band to and from the gig but that was probably it and one thing was clear the publicity was not going to help the fledgling band and Andy wanted to draw a line under it.
John Harlow (Moors Murderers Bassist) Andy kept saying to us you’ve got to drop this fucking Murderers thing because it’s becoming a bit of a pain as people were asking questions and the negative publicity. But Steve Strange wouldn’t let go of the MM and was using the situation and still flogging the MM at every opportunity saying there was a record and it was Steve Strange being Steve Strange. Punk77, 2021
From the start though Andy’s plan is high risk as it’s based on looks rather than ability. The band with disparate looks, personalities, backgrounds and abilities have to not only gel as a group but be able to develop as a band, learn their instruments and write songs. Then when they have some songs, to get live experience outside of London until they are the finished product ready to face the critics.
It’s no surprise that with a band thrown together like this, there are multiple sources of friction. Right from the start there were doubts about Strange’s ability and reliability as a frontman. Add in the fact that he just wouldn’t let the Moors Murderers go and he is given the boot from the fledgling band after barely a handful of rehearsals which was a challenge for bandmate John.
John Harlow (Moors Murderers Bassist) The band weren’t very sure about Steve S’s singing. He could sing but he was very nervous all the time and when out of his head he’d have a go. When we joined, Mark and Vince had some songs together by this time, but I don’t think Steve’s heart was in what they were doing so he wasn’t coming across as credible. He still had this punk look and turning up like wurzel gummidge but for us punk was finished.
That Christmas Steve went home to his mum and while we were rehearsing there my mate Steve Davies used to come down to watch and he got to know everybody pretty well. Steve always had a great look and people wanted to look like him and he had a bit of style so Sue and Andy thought Steve D would be a great person to be in the band and why don’t we audition him. So while Steve Strange was in Wales they auditioned Steve Davies to see if he could sing and they liked him so they asked him to join.
Strange took it on the chin pretty well and to be honest I don’t think he was that interested in what Andy was doing with the band anyway. I don’t think he got the power pop thing with Andy. In addition to that it wasn’t his lyrics and he wasn’t the main man and he had to come with lyrics and lead but he couldn’t.
Steve asked “What are you doing John?” and I said “Its horrible but I feel part of this and its only because you won’t drop the fucking Moors Murderers stuff.” I think Steve was using the situation to see how far it would go. He wanted something different and he was still selling the Moors as an outfit and doing a lot of these publicity things with Chrissie and she was trying to sell herself. Everyone was kind of using everyone else. Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies was best friend of John Harlow and they had both got into punk together. John had been invited to the first Roxy Night featuring Generation X and from the off Andy had wanted Steve for a band based on his looks.
Steve Davies (Vocals) I met Andy at the the Roxy Club show with Generation X and from the start in 1976 he wanted me to be in a band. I could never play an instrument though. I tried and tried but I was left handed so found it difficult to play upside down (laughs). I was always being asked to be in bands but they never wanted a singer. They wanted a guitarist!!! (laughs) There was no audition. I was straight in. Punk77, 2022
Looking back, John has regrets about this, but at the same time, The Photons looked a better opportunity.
John Harlow (Bass) It’s a period of my life I feel I have to hang my head low. Steve Strange was a driving force and wanted to do something and go somewhere and he invited me along on the journey and we became close friends. When anything happened, he always included me and I had a great time because Steve was the best ligger in town and whoever was in London we would go backstage to and to their parties. I saw him as a mate, though at that time my real mate was Steve Davies. Punk77, 2021
So Steve Davies, John Harlow’s best friend is now in on vocals, who Andy and Susan used to call ‘Dodo’ on account of his penchant for prescription amphetamines called ‘Do Do’s’ which was like legal speed for people with asthma to help them breathe.
Steve Davies (Vocals) It was cheap legal speed. Me and John always used to take them. When we used to go up town on a Friday night I’d pop into the off-licence and buy some Thunderbird wine then go to the chemist next door and get a packet of dodos and a tube of KY. We thought KY was for putting in your hair to spike it up. God knows what they thought of us in the Chemist! Punk77, 2022
Well-known on the scene, John and Steve were often photographed together.
Jon Savage I used to see them around all the time – they looked brilliant – but never talked to them. Leee [Black Childers – Heartbreakers manager] no doubt was fascinated, he always had an eye for a finely chiselled face.
One thing is that Derek Jarman did photograph them. He was another with an eye for a finely chiselled face. Scouting for “Jubilee” extras. Punk77 email, April 2020
Together they had modelled Seditionaries clothes for Sheila Rock’s photographs and were two good-looking boys ideal for being in a band.
So with this put together band, what were the dynamics?
John Harlow (Bass) Initially it was Mark and Vince and at that point, Mark was the main songwriter and the only proper musician who could play and write. He had some sort of style, but was already becoming an alcoholic then, but he was gifted and could play and had a fantastic personality. Small guy but very charismatic.
Vince’s music tastes were less punk and definitely different. He wasn’t the greatest drummer; but he was a drummer and workmanlike. Because he’d been there from the beginning, he had a voice with Andy and he’d been in The Unwanted and recorded so he thought he had a bit of history. He was also going out with a pre-punk Hazel O’Connor.
I was pretty malleable and flexible in playing things. Bass is easy to pick up but very difficult to be really good at it because you can overcomplicate things.
Steve Davies was in the band because of how he looked. He was someone people wanted to look like. Andy liked Steve D being on board rather than Steve S because he could manage it more. He couldn’t manage Steve Strange and Steve was well known to take advantage; so it wasn’t quite count your fingers when he shook your hand, but if something wasn’t bolted down! (laughs) Punk77, 2021
However there was friction almost from the start with Steve Davies and both his commitment to the band and again his abilities.
John Harlow (Bass) Now Steve went to work regularly Mon Friday 9-5. After work he’d go home have his dinner, change and turn up with loads of cigarettes and drink and we’d rehearse. This went on for a while and then certain people were saying this wasn’t working. We’re hanging around all day rehearsing and then this guy turns up. Is he part of it or not and that came to a head later on but the rumblings went on for a while
The other issue that Steve Davies had as well, was he didn’t like people watching when we were rehearsing. I know what stage fright is like but I didn’t give a shit because we had to try to learn to play in front of people and to listen to get and give feedback and that used to cause problems as well. Lots of niggling little issues. Punk77, 2021
His job being a source of friction was something that Steve recognised
Steve Davies (Vocals) John had moved into the offices and I used to stay there at weekends. It was a very run down part of London, but right in the centre. We used to go out and just walk back from round the corner. Hazel [O’Connor] was giving me singing lessons. She was alright. Just a bit too good for Vince but he was a alright though (laughs).
I was the only member of the band working and they never had a penny between them really. That’s what caused all the friction and how I fell out with Vince. I was working during the day and then coming into town at night most nights to rehearse. Punk77, 2022
The band also weren’t entirely bought into Andy’s vision including the name ‘The Photons’ which Andy already had for the band but in the absence of any other kept it.
John Harlow (Bass) Andy had the idea for the name already and once we started using it, it just stuck. We hated the name so much we used to call the band The Porn Stars – anything to wind Andy up. We hated the name because we didn’t have any following or kudos and because we didn’t think the name meant anything so we had no loyalty to it. Thing was we couldn’t come up with another; we were going to use it till a better one came along but nothing came up. We didn’t have the suits then. We just wore what we wore. Punk77, 2021
The band’s first gig was at the Brighton New Regent on 13th January 1978.
John Harlow (Bass) First gig – Brighton -it was a great gig and fantastic night and we all fitted together and the audience liked it and Andy then put us up as The Photons. Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies (Vocals) We used to rehearse and rehearse and nag Andy for gigs and then suddenly he announced “You’re playing tonight!” and we just drove down and played the first gig supporting Advertising. It was brilliant. There were two girls at the front that wanted to kiss me as we came off the stage and I thought it was really good being in band. Punk77, 2022
The next one was over a month later but by then the band had started to come together. Also involved in the songwriting was another person with a bizarre fleeting walk-on part which was again Andy looking to control the band.
John Harlow (Bass) We had a guy an A&R guy from A&M and he used to put some lyrics forward. He was very close friends with Andy McKay from Roxy Music and he said he would put some of my lyrics to him but nothing happened with it.
Because this guy from A&M was writing lyrics, Mark was was writing tunes and they were going into the set it was a creative time. We were experimenting and trying to write out all the shit to get to the good stuff. Vince wanted to start writing and he would put things forward and you’d think ‘What the fuck is this!’ and it was painful sometimes. Anything Mark did was usually pretty good. I started putting stuff forward – load of old lyrics from being on speed and Mark started writing tunes to some and I did a couple of tunes and I started thinking this is good. Steve liked some of the stuff and we seemed to be getting a bit of a machine going and building a set and rehearsing. We were coming up with stuff. I’ve got a lot of it on rehearsal tape.
We couldn’t play well but it was sort of Syd Barrett melodic stuff. We used to tape rehearsals and one morning Andy came in and he said ‘fuck me you sound like Crosby, Stills and Nash!’ He was taking the piss but we thought fuck we’re quite good! He wasn’t happy though – he wanted powerpop because at the time there was bands like The Boyfriends who wore suits and had that look and there was a lot of New Wave and American style New Wave coming through. The papers had a hard time as the punk scene was exploding in all directions and it was a weird sort of time with post punk crossing over. Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies (Vocals) Everything was manufactured; even a lot of the writing. He had a writer brought in to write for us. Mark wrote a few songs and John wrote a couple and it was starting to come together but we had very little say in what was going on. Punk77, 2022
In terms of demos or press Andy didn’t think the band was ready.
Andy Czezowski: Yes there was no PR originally; it was conscious and they were moaning about this. I said how do I know what you look like or sound like on stage. Do I really want to get a journalist down and you turn out to be a pile of shit. At least lets get a show together that’s worth seeing. You’ve got to test run the product. They couldn’t see that because they were young and stupid. They thought they were really good but I said no, not necessarily. Lets see what the audience response is. Punk77, 2020
John Harlow (Bass) Andy was always saying we weren’t ready and that we were too rough. He just let the band develop and saw what happened. As more and more songs came up he was liking what he was hearing.
We were fairly well known in our own little scene and there was a little buzz going round because they hadn’t seen us (laughs). As much as Andy wasn’t too involved in rehearsals though, he had this idea that we wouldn’t gig in London till we were ready. He wanted us to gig out in the sticks where music writers couldn’t get to and see the worst and hopefully by the time we started getting gig experience and a bit more professional then we would play in London at a showcase. That’s how he saw it. It was a bit forced and the band didn’t evolve naturally.
He would have been telling people that EMI and others were interested but that initial rush to sign bands had petered out and labels had got stung so there weren’t too many people queuing up for us and no one came to our gigs that was of any importance though Andy tried like hell. Punk77, 2021
To build up the mystique of the band though the band undertook some guerrilla advertising to get in peoples subconscious.
John Harlow (Bass) We had a phase of putting a lot of posters up. Andy thought it would be great to put up posters saying Photons and we pasted these all over the place but nothing came of it – there was no questions asked in parliament (laughs)! Punk77, 2021
This was followed by a gig at Toppers, Norwich on 22nd February 1978 and then at Fangs Disco in Paddington where Andy and Susan were trying to set up another club night on the 28th February.
John Harlow (Bass) Fangs in Praed Steet was our first time in London and all the clothes we wore onstage were from PX. I’d been living out of a black bin bag for a while just wearing jeans and t shirts from Sex but Andy wanted a better look. We hadn’t got to the “fabulous” (laughs) suits yet. At the time I had bright yellow hair and shaved my eyebrows off but then I decided to dye it black. Punk77, 2021
Andy Czezowski: We did a regular Tuesday night and I put bands on… we had put on The Homosexuals and The Photons played 28th of February with the Nipple Erectors supporting. We were going to have Jayne County but after the Photons the mgmt. of the pub, Charringtons, wanted us to stop because of complaints so they gave us a wedge of money we said we’d spent but hadn’t. Punk77, 2020
Susan Carrington Diary 28.2.78 – Total Chaos! Lots of people turned away.
To be fair to Andy, he’d given the band a good start here with some out of town gigs, a safe London club night and then straight after that got them as support to The Adverts on a mini tour that took in Dundee, Aberdeen and Queen Mary’s College on the 3/4/& 5th of March 1978. He also stumped up for hotels and a van and driver and roadie. These gigs were perfect for the band, though reaction from a punk starved Scottish audience with the draw of main attraction of The Adverts was enthusiastic but not representative of what the band would get.
John Harlow (Bass) We got the chance to go to Scotland and support the Adverts. We had a roadie and a driver. We enjoyed it – typical support band and then a gig in St Marys Glasgow Uni and they had bars up on the first floor and a glass viewing thing so you could look down on the stage. When we came on you could see the bar was packed upstairs but where we were and there was about three people. Then about four numbers in Vince’s drum kit fell apart so Mark started kicking shit out of that and then as Vince is putting it back together we’re all kicking it back out. After that the people looking down got interested and they came down to watch to see what would happen next.
In Aberdeen the kids there went mental and it was like ‘fucking hell its happening!’ We did a few other places and they went ok but most people came to see the Adverts who had progressed from their early days. We didn’t get booed off the stage but we did get a lot spit and beer cans thrown at us. We were doing beer can tennis whacking them back and every now and again you’d get a full one. Andy used to come to most of our gigs at that time. Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies (Vocals) Tour of Scotland with The Adverts – enjoyed that. Don’t think we had a conversation with The Adverts once though! Punk77, 2022
For the band it definitely seemed like something was starting to happen both live and writing wise. So all the more stranger that following one more gig on the 6th March at the Riverside Recreation Centre, Mark Ryan left the band on the 10th March and by the 17th March replacement guitarists were being recruited.
When Punk77 asked what the band sounded like, gigs played and why he left Mark Ryan’s answers came back terse and concise but seemed to stem from singer Steve Davies’s ability!
Mark ‘The Kid’ Ryan. Syd Barrett sort of stuff; We supported the Adverts on a tour; The singer couldn’t sing and I got sick of it.
But according to John, he was sacked for perhaps the harshest of reasons as explained below. For a band struggling to find its way musically, losing its star player would seem like band suicide and exacerbate whatever divisions there were in the band.
John Harlow (Bass) Mark went first – Mark was sacked because Andy says he was ugly, even though he was the only musician at the time and basically ran the show. He had a good stage presence and look – he wasn’t too interested in that kind of things – ie looking like a Christmas tree – he had his own way and I liked him for it.
I think though Mark was fed up with the whole thing. He just wanted to get off and start again with something else. He went on to to be a playwright and died too soon. He did like a drink, even then, but we were young and we all did. Punk77, 2021
Whatever the reason the band wasn’t involved or consulted about the sacking by Andy.
Steve Davies (Vocals) We didn’t know nothing about it. Andy just came in and said Mark’s not coming anymore. We didn’t know why and we didn’t have a say. There were rumours he wasn’t pretty enough. Punk77, 2022
The band was trying to broaden the sound and members, but Andy had a very fixed idea for his concept.
John Harlow (Bass) We tried to get Chrissie [Hynde] involved but Andy wasn’t interested he wanted a traditional four piece male band, drums, guitar, bass, with a singer. We wanted a sax player and/or keyboards but he wasn’t having any of that. We did try other ideas but Andy wasn’t interested.
So it was back to the drawing board and looking for another guitarist.
John Harlow (Bass) Mark gave us a tape of the songs and we had the lyrics written down and we started looking for a guitarist. I’m not sure how Andy found him, but I think we put ads in Sounds and Melody Maker and had some auditions with the usual cliches with people turning up with long hair and motorbike jacket playing Stairway To Heaven.
Dave Littler came straight from the Spitfire Boys; we could have had Paul (Rutherford – singer) or Budgie (drums) but we ended up with Dave. Fuck me we really won the lottery there (laughs)!
But he seemed to fit in and it was nice to have a Liverpudlian on board. He wasn’t up his own arse; he was friendly so that was it. There were better musicians but that applied to everyone in the band. We tried at it anyway. He worked on the original songs then started writing originals. Punk77, 2021
Again bringing in Dave was Andy’s decision.
Steve Davies (Vocals) He was auditioned but none of us had a say, or rather me and John didn’t. It was quite a manufactured band in lots of ways. Mark had a really nice guitar sound – was heavy, machine gun like – bit like Wilko [Johnson – Dr Feelgood]. Dave’s was a lot more mellow in sound. Punk77, 2022
Interestingly Susan Carrington’s diary records meeting Mark Ryan and him not being happy about being sacked on the 27th March.
Went to Speakeasy as Steve Dodo’s birthday. Levi & Rockats rather a bore. Didn’t stay too long. Met Mark who kept on about not being given a chance with the Photons.
The next day the entry records “Decided to try out Dave from L’pool.”
In December 1977 Liverpool Punk band, the Spitfire Boys, split up with its guitarist David Littler (left) coming to London in January 1978 looking to join another band.
David Littler (Guitar – Spitfire Boys & Photons) When I moved to London in January 1978 I lived in a squat in Euston. I had met the Slits and their tour manager with the Spitfire Boys and when I arrived in London I was looking for a band to join and rang the tour manager asking if she knew anyone looking for a guitarist. Whilst waiting for a response I jammed with a couple of bands but nothing worked. I then received a call from Andy Czezowski asking me to go to James street to see about this band he was managing.
<< Left – John Harlow , Andy C & David Littler at James Street pre later hair colouring and eyebrow shaving off! – Photo Erica Echenberg
The Photons were to be in stark contrast to punk, not only musically but sartorially, and the idea came about around April 1978 after Littler had joined the band. By now the name was there to stay.
John Harlow (Bass) The suits – it was a phase and we just thought lets see what happens. Andy wanted to be more futuristic and we were going into furniture shops and looking at plastics and materials for furniture and drapes. He had this thing about wearing plastic. We wanted to call ourselves Furniture but I think someone else had already done it.
It was supposed to be more out there and interesting but he ended up with a straight tailor with four primary colours and one of those was pink. We added some bits to the original design.
He’s good fun old Andy. One time he came in and said he was in discussion with a TV company and instead of the Monkees we were going to be the Punkees and he thought he had the best thing ever and we were all ‘what the fuck!’ He thought it was a great deal. Punk77, 2021
Andy Czezowski: The suits – the photons were entirely my concept. Photons are particles of light, light splits into colour and so the four colours of the rainbow.
The suits were done between Susan and myself. They were very 50’s zoot suit style in jacket – bum freezers (cut off at the waist) sort of mod style thing. They looked good. Punk77 2020
Pictures, suit concept and designs – Andy Czezowski
Echoed by Steve Strange in his autobiography.
Steve Strange. …Andrew wanted the Photons to wear special outfits that he had designed, in the same way that the Sex Pistols wore Malcolm and Vivienne’s clothes…’Photons’ means particles of light and the idea was we all wore different coloured suits , bright reds and yellows with big, billowing sleeves in contrast to the dowdy blacks and greys of punk. Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
David Littler remembers the suits that each band member had to wear all in bright primary colours – green, blue, red and pink.
David Littler (Spitfire Boys & Photons) A funny thing was that Andy made us wear these suits he had made by some East End tailor; Steve had a pink one that Andy took back when he and John were sacked, and made Steve Strange wear it after. It was probably more suited to Steve.
Andy Czezowski remembers the singer Steve Davies being much enamoured with his suit and wearing it out everywhere and heartbroken when he had to give it back. Andy arranges a photo shoot for the band.
By April, and four months in as the band are beginning to come together again with David Littler, there’s still the familiar challenge of Steve Davies’s commitment to the band that is frustrating both his fellow band members and Andy & Sue. So much so that Sue records in her diary that an ultimatum would be issued to him to make his choice as they are looking to line up a short string of gigs out of London before a potential showcase in the capital.
Susan Carrington Diary Entry 20.4.78 – Problem with Steve. Will he leave job? Ultimatum tomorrow. Otherwise silly. Either painter or star.
He opted to stay. By April/May though the band were beginning to ramp up. They had the look and the songs. Early April sees them play a short Midlands tour described by Andy Czezowski as a warm-up to a showcase in a press release to all the key music papers Sounds, Record Mirror, Melody Maker and New Musical Express.
09.05.78 – Top Of The World, Stafford
10.05.78 – Insect Club, Stoke On Trent
11.05.78 – Sandpipers, Nottingham supporting Johnny Moped
12.05.78 – Paddock Suite, Uttoxeter Race Course
18.05.78 – Woods, Plymouth
The gigs aren’t well attended but the band play well.
Susan Carrington Diary Entry 9.5.78 (Stafford Gig) – Band bit rough but basically magical. Audience non existent but some really like them…Suits look really good.
11.5.78 – Reaction to band v.good. Magic!
To get more material for PR the band have a photoshoot on 17.5.78 in their coloured suits featured in the photo above.
In his press release of 2.5.78, Andy describes his approach to the Photons as a band who have
“…up until now have been secretly rehearsing in a Covent Garden basement are surfacing in the Midlands. Czezowski has purposely steered clear of the regular venues for a London launch for the band and has been searching for his own venues to promote the PHOTONS…Czezowski believes that for every person who can afford or who is able to come to the centre of London, another hundred would like to so he is taking the PHOTONS to them.”
So the big London reveal was the showcase gig is at Norwood Hall on 19.5.78 put on by Andy Czezowski. Susan Carrington also recorded the following in her diary for the night.
Friday 19.5.78 – Norwood Hall. Never again. Total chaos doth reign. I didn’t go until later but everything a real circus. Not as many people turned up. Everyone seemed to like the band. A lot of ‘Bowie lookalike’ remarks. I did Steve’s makeup gold and silver – really quite exquisite. John had a bit of make up on and looked really good. Band fell apart quite a lot. Council Hall workers a real bore and stopped them playing. A real financial loss but fun I suppose.
Well not all of the band were overly enamoured with the make-up.
John Harlow (Bass) Sue was besotted with Steve and that was partly his downfall, because she used to paint him up like Bowie because she had a thing about Bowie and Ziggy Stardust. But we were trying to be forward not be 1973! Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies (Vocals) I wouldn’t have worn it if I didn’t like it. It was the crossover from Punk to more glammy. When I joined the band I was still pretty punk-looking and then I started to change anyway and wear make up so it wasn’t that much of a leap. She probably did it a little more over the top than I would have done it but I was starting to get what would become the more new Romantic look type of thing anyway. Both me and John went through that. We were always looking for something new and we were in that from the beginning. Punk77, 2021
The gig is also reviewed in the NME and is very downbeat pointing out the 10% full hall, history of the band members and lack of songs. The reviewer – Herb Hyphen – seemed to know a lot about the guest list and past of the band and its the first mention in the story of Rusty Egan who’s fortunes are connected with the Photons and their later singer and the whole review has a feeling of not being quite genuine about it.
Of the event David Littler recalls.
Herb Hyphen I’d met in Liverpool when he was an NME contributor, he was Liverpudlian. He moved to London in 1978 to pursue his journalistic career and I used to bump into him occasionally. Apart from being a bit flat not a lot of memories… I never felt comfortable with Steve wanting to be David Bowie and always felt we would not get far in that direction. I had to get a night bus home! Punk77, 2020
John’s not so sure about the review and suspects an inside hatchet job.
John Harlow (Bass) Damning review and it was fucking harsh! But I think it was a set up by Dave and Vince and that Hyphen person doesn’t exist themselves. I’ve tried to Google the guys name without luck. It’s like a pisstake name. It was harsh on me and Steve but Dave and Vince seemed to dodge the bullet. By then we were starting to dislike each other quite a lot. Punk77, 2021
Steve recalls the band (or some of them) giving Herb a hard time and shows no surprise he reciprocated in kind which for a fledgling band was a naive mistake to make.
Steve Davies (Vocals) That was our fault. Yeah we met him and we being obnoxious to him so I don’t blame him for giving us that review really. He seemed like a decent enough guy but I was brought up on Lou Reed interviews (laughs) and he hated the press. I thought that was the way you were supposed to behave towards the press. Punk77, 2022
Whatever the truth, the internal tensions in the band were exacerbated. They play another gig on the 26th May at South London Polytechnic and as they enter in June it all starts to unravel as Susan Carrington’s diary records around Steve’s commitment to the band.
8.6.78 – Vince and Dave gave it to A straight. Can’t work with Steve & John. Either them or them. Steve has to be more committed etc…A must decide and act upon it!
9.6.78 – A gives it to the band. Not coming up with the goods. All pose – gotta work too. Steve and John look shaken. Is there still a band? Like kids. Same old story over again.
Part of the problem was that John and Steve just never took, or appeared to take, things seriously.
Steve Davies (Vocals) It was all a new thing for me and great and I just took it as it came. At the time me and John didn’t take anything seriously though. Everything was a party; the whole time we met through the seventies into the eighties it was the same. Maybe we should have been more serious. Punk77, 2022
And by the 12th of June they had both left resulting in the fourth personnel change in 6 months and Vince the only original member. Though how they eventually left has a couple of versions.
David Littler (Spitfire Boys & Photons) At one point the Photons consisted of Vince (drums) and myself (guitar). Vince and I had sacked John (bass) and his mate Steve Davies (vocals) because they attacked Vince one night.
Andy Czezowski remembers it differently.
Andy Czezowski: Steve couldn’t commit and went back to being a painter; the usual sort of stuff. He didn’t make the jump and that’s when we found someone else to replace him. When Steve ‘Dodo’ left, John left as well because they were very close pals. They came to us as a pair. Punk77, 2020
In actual fact it was simmering tensions between Steve and Vince that came to a head as David had pointed out.
John Harlow (Bass) There became an issue between Vince and Steve Davies and it used to kick off quite a lot so they became aggressive towards each other. It became more and more difficult and then it did kick off big time and we split. Something happened and Steve caught him on the road and came out with a baseball bat and went to try and kill him but he didn’t get that far.
Not long after that Andy said we can’t have people fighting and that was it; they sacked Steve and then they asked me. Of course I felt guilty from the first time and wasn’t going to do it twice to my friends. I’d invested a lot of time in the band and it was a hard thing to do, but it was ‘if he goes I go’ and that’s what happened. Punk77, 2021
Steve Davies (Vocals) Vince could be a little mischievous as he had Andy’s ear for some reason. Andy gave me an ultimatum to pack in my job so I thought they wanted to rehearse during the day so I thought fair enough because it was hard for me as well. So I had packed in my job and was there during the day and had started rehearsing at lunchtime. But then Vince would start turning up the same time as I had been when I was working and that’s why I lost it and had a go at him and attacked him. It wouldn’t have been a baseball bat, but more like a mic stand. I didn’t actually hit him with it. The next day Andy pulled me to one side and said “You’re fired” and John came with me. Punk77, 2022
And that was that for the Photons Mark 3.
John Harlow (Bass) I’m not sure if Andy really likes music. I’m sure he likes the music from when he was a kid but I don’t think he was that really interested. In his office there was never any music played and he wasn’t the kind of guy to have a jukebox up there which was crazy because upstairs we had Alan Edwards and Soho Records so there was plenty of music but he wouldn’t be playing any.
All the people he had through his hands and nothing stuck till he did the Fridge and that was another nightclub. We stuck longer than most because we had nowhere else to go. He thought he could be the man who after punk came up with the next big thing.
As we were splitting up it was at that point that things were coming good and we were thinking this was fantastic and believing in it. We had something, but we weren’t going to be no Joy Division. The saddest thing of all was when the whole thing imploded things really were starting to come together. The whole band was being creative and writing songs together. I was quite amazed by some of the stuff Steve was coming forward with. In bands you get a pecking order and they get used to writing and then others want to have a go and the rumblings start, but you’re learning a trade and how to write songs. Punk77 2021
Points echoed by Steve.
Steve Davies (Singer) The Photons were so manufactured that I don’t think we were right for the band and were what Andy wanted. I’m not sure he even knew.
I wonder if Andy & Sue thought they’d made a mistake getting rid of us because they seemed to get rid of all the potential talent. We were just learning and it takes time to form a band, write songs and work as a band. Sometimes you need to mature a bit and we never got the chance to do that.
When Mark went and then I and John went, it was like the raw talent had gone. Vince and Dave were pretty safe sounding while me and John were quite wild and Andy just didn’t want that. Punk77, 2021
So how does Steve Strange come to be back in the band? In his autobiography ‘Blitzed‘ he says:
One of the people who had seen us rehearsing [Moors Murderers] was Andrew Czezowski and his lovely wife Sue. He ran the Roxy, but was about to leave there and wanted to put his mark on something new…. he asked me if I would front a band he was putting together called The Photons… The timing was good for me because I’d….hooked with another couple in the fashion trade called Helen and Steph Robinson….they had….split from Boy and started up PX. …Andrew wanted the Photons to wear special outfits that he had designed…The Photons even rehearsed in rooms under PX…Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
The above is obviously a summary of a year gone through the lens of Strange’s well known reputation for fact distortion and then condensed into a paragraph by a ghost-writer so is a bit cavalier with the facts all round! It also missed out he had been the singer once already but sacked and irony of ironies his mate John and his mate Steve Davies are now sacked and Strange is back in (are you keeping up!?)
Remembering Steve’s vocals on the Moors Murderers song played to him by John the bassist, Littler then drafted Strange into the band in June 1978. Littler already knew Strange as he was living with The Slits tour manager and that’s where he met him in 1977 but it’s strange (sic!) that neither Vince, Andy or Steve mention that he had already been in the band!
David Littler (Spitfire Boys & Photons) I asked him to join the Photons when John and Steve S went…I distinctly remember him sitting on the wall outside the Marquee Club one afternoon (with a two tone knitted top) when I asked him about singing with us… the ‘Free Hindley‘ … From a musician’s point of view it had a brilliant vocal and arrangement (others can judge the words) and inspired me to ask Steve Strange to join the Photons. As far as I know, Steve Strange was never in the Photons before I recruited him in about May ’78 (after John and Steve D were sacked). Punk77, Interview 2020
Susan Carrington diary entry 19.6.78 – Steve Harrington (ex Moors M) rehearsing now.
So you now have a virtually a new band but back with the original singer with all the same baggage he came with except at least he’d got the Moors Murderers out of his system and finally recorded the Free Hyndley song! Based on Andy’s previous relations with Strange, he must have had reservations but based on the reasoning below, which up to this point hadn’t been a successful policy, he was back in!
Andy Czezowski: He looked good and he would be good for fronting a band.
John Harlow (Bass) I was and I wasn’t suprised when Steve Strange rejoined. Dave doesn’t seem to be aware that Steve was in the band before which was a bit weird. Mind you he worked with me for a fair few months but didn’t know my name and called Steve Davies ‘Frank’ which makes you wonder what planet he was on! Punk77, Interview 2021
Also drafted into the Photons Mk3 is another bassist Colin, whose last name has been forgotten, but he could play and the set list improved. In addition Strange’s confidence and songwriting seemed to have improved which seems almost miraculous as the Free Hyndley recording had been his only musical outing since the Moors Murderers splash of publicity at the end of December 1977.
David Littler: Yes the sound did change, the new bassist was very good and Vince and I had been playing together for a while so had got better. Steve was confident (unlike Frank) and we rehearsed songs lyrically written by myself (Cold Fire) and Vince (Shot) as well as Steve’s so had quite a few songs. Punk77, Interview 2020
On the basis of this Andy attempted to drum up some more gigs which never happened claiming the band was about to release a single and go on tour.
Image courtesy of Andrew Czezowski & Susan Carrington
Strange in his autobiography also reveals a very short history of the band namely a mini tour of eight gigs finishing with a showcase gig where he planned to leave because he saw the band going nowhere and didn’t get on with the drummer. Surely not again!
David Littler doesn’t remember the mini tour, and there are no entries in Susan Carrington’s diary, but he does recall the showcase as one of two this last incarnation of the band played in the summer of 1978. This was likely in the basement of the South Africa Centre in Covent Garden on 20.8.78.
We did a showcase in Covent Garden with an array of known Punks in attendance. Mick Jones and Joe Strummer from The Clash, Billy Idol, Don Letts, Siouxsie, Sid Vicious and Glen Matlock, Midge Ure and Rusty Egan from the Rich Kids. Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
Susan Carrington’s diary entry of Sunday 20.8.78, normally expressive, is very brief and after this Photons entries finish.
Hired theatre
Photons disaster
Evening ok
Steve describes this gig and his exit from the band in his autobiography in true form.
Steve Strange. I went to a designer friend of mine and asked for something special to be made for the gig so I didn’t look part of the regiment. The band didn’t know I’d done this. They went on stage…I quickly ran to the toilet and got out of my red suit. When I came out, their jaws dropped and they said, what the fuck has Steve got on? I knew that would be my last gig. Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
However this wasn’t how the band ended, though it was their last gig, but it contributed and Andy Czezowski was understandably more scathing in his recollection
Andy Czezowski. He left because he wasn’t pulling his weight. We were going one direction; the sharp suited look, power pop guitar thing and he wanting to go into the pirate look; he was very much a Vivienne clone so any money he could steal or borrow he would spend it on her latest look which was the pirate look so he was dressing like that instead of the Photons being a tight unit. Steve wouldn’t follow my direction…Africa Centre hired for a Sunday early evening…invited all press. He turns up in pirate clothing and an eyepatch. I said ‘what the fucks going on?’Punk77, Interview 2005
At the time of the Africa Centre gig the band looked like it was coming together. So much so that by August Andy Czezowski looked to record demos.
Andy Czezowski. Demo tapes – because we put the band together there is a trial period of can they play, can they sing have they got good songs – that initial investment period.. but at the start get the songs rehearsed so hence the room in James street where they could build up and we left them to it to get the songs sorted. Once they had that I got the recording time I can’t remember what my opinion was but it was good enough for me to sort a demo.Punk77, Interview 2020
In Blitzed Strange recounts how he learnt how songs were put together after rehearsing with Chrissie Hynde and The Photons. Andy Czezowski recalls Strange using the Photons to further his own ends:
Andy Czezowski. He was using us to learn how to sing and perform and experience in a professional studio. I managed to get some time at Surrey Sound studios on the 4th August where the Police recorded on the nod from Stewart Copeland, who I bumped into carrying his Klark Kent singles, and he suggested enquiring about downtime. We did some tracks which were good quality. Punk77, Interview 2005
The demos are reasonable quality and you’ll recognise two of those songs straight away.
David Littler (Spitfire Boys & Photons) With another bass player drafted in, we recorded 3 tracks at Surrey Sound studios (Aug 78) Madame Carla, Mind of a Toy and Tar. I was with the Photons from Feb/March 78 until Oct 78.
Interestingly the demos have 3 tracks on it but not all the above but more about that shortly. Following the demos being recorded there was a follow up mixing session which David Littler missed.
David Littler: I got sacked from the Photons by Andy because I didn’t turn up for a recording session at Surrey Sound (not a rehearsal as I mistakenly said before ), I was in South Wales ironically, Steve’s stomping ground. Punk77, Interview 2020
And that was that for David the guitarist.
In my absence for the Surrey Sound session, Steve Strange took Steve New and he played a bit of lead guitar on Mind of a Toy intro. Punk77, Interview 2020
Images courtesy of Andrew Czezowski & Susan Carrington
The demo is interesting because the three tracks on it are Mind Of A Toy, Tar and a third rough track which is a raw cover version of Eve Of Destruction which according to Andy Czezowski he suggested to Strange to do. Not sure where Madame Carla went.
David Littler: I think it may be just Steve New on Eve of Destruction multi-tracking the parts on a 4 track (there’s only that synth bass and guitar with a bit of syn drum). It’s just an educated guess…and I don’t know for sure.
I think what may have happened is that Madame Carla was not mixed at the 2nd session at Surrey Sound (time maybe) and I remember Andy C wasn’t a fan of the song and thought it sounded like The Knack…. no way….in my opinion.
It’s interesting because the cover version was reworked a short while later with Midge Ure, Rusty Egan and Strange using Rich Kids leftover studio time and used for demos to attempt to secure a recording deal that kicks off Visage but the electronica backing cover version here IS the nascent Visage sound and predates those later demos.
It’s hard to believe that Strange wouldn’t have played his future bandmates the songs. What do the songs sound like? Tar is excellent, close to Banshee territory around the Scream/Join Hands era and Mind Of A Toy has hints of Magazine. While Tar has been reworked, Mind Of A Toy is instantly recognisable from the chorus.
David Littler (Spitfire Boys & Photons) Steve went on to record Tar and Mind of a Toy with Visage. I fell out with Steve for a while after this because I co-wrote all with him and did not receive any cash or credit. It’s true that the lyrics were essentially his and the arrangements different but in copyright, those songs belonged to Steve and myself and I should have been paid accordingly.
Steve Strange and I fell out for a while but forgot our differences and whilst we were not best buddies as such I always had free entry to his club nights!
Steve Strange and I re-recorded Madame Carla with a female singer (can’t remember name) [Might have been Wendy Wu or pre Strange Cruise] and Gary Barnacle in 1984 at Gary’s place. Nothing came of it, usual story….Punk77 2003/2020
Interestingly a name pops up from way back in the earlier mentioned West Norwood review and also present at the showcase gig – Rusty Egan – who is involved in the re-write of the above songs when they were released by Visage.
David Littler …..Andy C said he had spoken to Rusty Egan who said he wrote the songs… because the original songs had not been published I didn’t have any rights (legally), had they been, I would have 50 percent credit with Steve Strange. Steve wrote the lyrics and I wrote and arranged the music. When Visage recorded the tracks they didn’t even know they existed as Photons demos so just assumed they were original songs. Punk77, 2020
Despite a new guitarist coming in Strange also had itchy feet.
David Littler: Steve wasn’t happy and I just stuck around for a while, I remember Andy asking me what I was doing still jamming and I said I was showing the new guitar player the songs (another guy came in for a handful of rehearsals before we split). It was all a bit strange because we were mates and it didn’t seem right. Anyway we split and I actually had a couple of jams with the new guitarist at his bedsit in Chelsea with the intention of forming another band. Nothing came if it and I moved to Cardiff not long after. Punk77, 2020
So the Photons ended and without ever releasing any material. Vince Ely went on to success drumming for the Psychedelic Furs replacing another drummer from The Unwanted – Danny Wilson (aka Danny Destroy) and reuniting with Jon Ashton ex guitarist from The Unwanted. That was also it for band management from Andy Czezowski who would next reappear to great success with partner Sue in another club adventure The Fridge in Brixton learning the hard way to own the lease and so keep any success.
There’s an interesting comment from John Harlow over how much Andy actually liked bands and music.
John Harlow (Bass) I’m not sure if Andy really likes music. I’m sure he likes the music from when he was a kid but I don’t think he was that really interested. In his office there was never any music played and he wasn’t the kind of guy to have a jukebox up there which was crazy because upstairs we had Alan Edwards and Soho Records so there was plenty of music but he wouldn’t be playing any.
All the people he had through his hands and nothing stuck till he did the Fridge and that was another nightclub. We stuck longer than most because we had nowhere else to go. He thought he could be the man who after punk came up with the next big thing. He was obviously trying to make the Photons a success – he had the ideas but didn’t know how to do it or rather some of the ideas didn’t work. Punk77, 2021
Psychedelic Furs 1979 – Vince 2nd right
Right Spitfire Boys Single 1979
John, who had been in the Moors Murderers and played on their infamous recording with Strange, disappeared out of music along with his mate Steve Davies and his fascinating story in full is here. God knows what happened to the other bassist with no name!
Steve Davies (Vocals) Me and John tried to put a band together afterwards but it never seemed to work out. In hindsight we both thought we should have got in touch with Mark Ryan and done something.
I’ve talked to Andy since and there’s no hard feelings. I even talked to Steve Strange when he said he was going back into The Photons but again there was no hard feelings. I took his place and then he took it back! (laughs). Punk77, 2022
David Littler, who Andy Czezowski regarded as the talent in the group, released another single under the name Spitfire Boys without success but has continued in music to this day.
But it was Strange however who achieved his dreams and finally made it big through a combination of chance, luck, acquaintances and using people. As said earlier he was involved in the Rich Kids and knowing Rusty Egan, Midge Ure comes backstage at the Photons showcase gig and suggests hooking up to use some dead studio time. Ure is getting into electronic music. They make some EMI demos that go nowhere (including Eve Of Destruction) and some Photons songs are reworked Tar and Mind Of A Toy, which become Visage’s first and third single respectively. There are no credits to Photons members, bar Steve and Visage.
At the same time Strange is working in PX and begins to get a name for himself as a face wearing outrageous clothes and someone to be imitated. Around this coalescing small scene he sets up a club with Rusty Egan – Blitz – that would launch the New Romantic Movement and which he would become the face of.
John Harlow reflects on the difference between The Photons and Visage.
We weren’t part of any scene and nothing was happening around us apart from friends. When Steve got Visage going he had Billys, PX and a readymade audience. Punk77, 2021
But unlike Czezowski’s gambit of looks over experience power pop, Strange also had people like Ure, Egan and others musically experienced and more than capable of writing songs. The irony was that when they saw the Photons they saw a frontman with panache and a leader and with Strange they got that plus his flair for self-publicity and it was they who ended up being the ‘New ‘new wave.’
So out of them all it’s Strange that achieves the fame. How he fared is well documented elsewhere. But the fame was a double-edged sword bringing with it drink and drugs, which he over indulged with to the point of addiction, a nervous breakdown and being arrested for shoplifting.
Though he managed to get his life back on track somewhat, he died much too young aged 55 of a heart attack. Without doubt a character that divided opinion, but nevertheless a talented one who knew how to use circumstances to his advantage.
After The Photons split Strange recalls thinking about his future.
Steve Strange. I thought I might go on to have a solo career; I didn’t know how things would work out. I didn’t plan to start a nightlife revolution. Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
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