- Return to all about /\dam. Alright For Toast is the name of a band assembled during the bizarre work free year of 1994 whilst staying at Coventry's finest Hall of Residence `Singer.'
Difficult to say really, but it is always on the cutting edge of originality. They are a hybrid mix of Indie/Gothic/Experimental Rock and have pioneered such innovative concepts as the first live concert held over the Singer Hall intercom system and the "Two Drummers - one drunk, one crap live session."
Well, you know when your bread is a bit stale and mouldy but "it's Alright for toast," well that just about explains it...
Ah, glad you asked! Well, the band was formed when /\dam came home
extremely drunk from a Hallow'een party in 1994 and was persuaded to allow his bedroom to
be turned into a complete recording studio. Within minutes various hi-fi (ha!) equipment
was set up and an impromptu drum set assembled. This included the infamous Giant Traffic
Cone, /\dam's lamp and bin and all of his saucepans. The virgin band even had the
brainwave of using his chopsticks as drumsticks, which is probably why they were so weak
when John had his fateful accident. With John
and Mark hammering out a rather catchy beat, /\dam strumming chords and improvised vocals
provided by Pete and (the only single guest appearance of) Mike they embarked on their
first `sesh.'
Soon, they had recorded the now classic track, "What's up Puff?" and the rest,
as they say, is history. It is a little known fact that this first concert was interrupted
at 5am by a tired and grumpy Raf - who would later decide that if he couldn't beat us up
he would have to join us.
Slowly, the band members found their various niches within the group. Pete was their vocalist, John swallowed his pride and accepted he would never be a drummer (after the Drunken drummer debacle) and decided to learn guitar, Raf made guest appearances on indian tublars, /\dam continued with basic rhythm guitar and Mark flitted uncertainly between drums, bass and keyboard.
By spring, `95, the bread was under the grill and nobody was stopping it from scorching. Raf developed an uncanny flair for flamenco guitar (earning the name `El Raf') and John soon learned in a month what had taken /\dam a year. Disgusted, /\dam bought an electric guitar and amp and, overnight, the band had a New Sound. To avoid being drowned out the chopsticks were snapped and newer, tougher sticks were brought in. Disdaining repeated warnings for noise by security guards the band strummed distorted chords and hammered the crap out of ironing boards day and night. The girl underneath /\dam's bedroom followed Raf's example and became AFT's official photographer instead of sleeping.
Then, in late 1995, tragedy struck the band. Pete left the country to work in Germany and we had lost our lead vocalist. However, this wasn't as catastrophic as it could have been, mainly because he only sang on about two occasions on account of him being an utter weed ("I can't sing, my throat hurts") and the band carried on...
By 1995 the band fell into a fallow period. Deprived of Singer Hall for rehearsals the band practised at Rockhouse Studios, bravely overcoming the lack of such basic items as a High Hat. A new singer was needed and a talented lass called Cherry reluctantly performed vocals when asked. After their initial success the band has had a difficult job to follow up and dissent is rife. /\dam, John and Mark are currently solo artists in all but name, and the old drive to combine riffs and chord structures that they used to possess is gone.
So, is this the end of Alright For Toast? Nobody can say for sure, but
their loyal fans will always remember "The Band that Should Have Been."
To see AFT in their prime click here.