VOID / INDEX |
VOID with LOUISE
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CHRIS, LOUISE (first vocalist) and TONY
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| Two apprentice electricians from Brown
& Smiths decide to form a band after being inspired by the DISLEY
group NOISE, whose bass player NEIL DARLINGTON they work with. Another
band, the NEW MILLS based band X S RHYTHM, who will later evolve
into BLITZ also inspire the two to do something. |
VOID, the band they form begin rehearsing
at 'The SLUM', the now legendary rehearsal rooms that all the early
'80's punk bands in the DERBYSHIRE area use (Bands such as X.S. RYTHYM, BLITZ, ATTAK, The VIOLATORS and on occasion, LIFE ON
EARTH to name just a few.) |
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CHANEY-Drums |
VOID at Smugglers with GAIL (LoE) on Vocals |
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| TONY SMITH on bass is an avid STRANGLERS,
JOY DIVISION/NEW ORDER devotee and so wants a 'bass heavy sound'.
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He and CHRIS ROGERS on guitar decide
to use a drum machine in the early days of the group. They decide
early on that they want female vocals but that they want to be flexible
and use different vocalists when needed. |
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CHRIS and TONY with GAIL (LoE) on Vocals
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TONY-Bass |
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| The use of different musicians will
give their music a slightly different slant to other groups of the
time. Amongst those who will serve include in no particular order
- LOUISE KING, who will go on to join The VIOLATORS after HELEN
leaves; HELEN HILL herself of VIOLATORS fame; STACY SMITH; and of
course GAIL HEATHCOTE, LIFE ON EARTH's vocalist. |
VOID were quite inward looking and didn't
care if people couldn't understand what they were trying to do.
The music VOID created was very intense and made up of monochromatic
landscapes of sound reflecting the dour times that people lived
in.
The image and music of VOID were at odds with the perceived notion of what bands
from the Derbyshire area like BLITZ, ATTAK and The VIOLATORS looked and sounded like
at the time.
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VOID with GAIL on Vocals |
VOID at Smugglers |
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| The music was led by TONY's 'Hooky
esque' lead bass riffs, a la JOY DIVISION and CHRIS's GANG OF FOUR
style guitar scratchings. |
VOID, who later would become INDEX were
an alternative to the livelier, more rogueish, rougher sounding
alternative bands popular at the time. |
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