My 15 mins of fame

[2020sound]

Wow - surprised to hear even Helme didn't think the songs were strong (and I don't personally believe he went on to write anything better). The story with the second Seahorses album was that Helme wanted to get those songs on there, but Squire wasn't having any of it... so he wanted to launch a solo career whilst still in the band (and limelight I guess)! I genuinely thought the songs were great, except for Old As The Woman (if that's the proper title) which was woeful. Someone sent me some clips of a bootleg years ago, and the band sounded cooking to me - a shame it didn't progress... but I guess the bust up put paid to that! Definitely no fancy strings at the Liverpool gig.

Was it true that you only rehearsed for 3 weeks (think that's mentioned in the NME article)? I remember being amazed how the Seahorses only split in January 99, and Helme was out touring in March... and then disappeared except for small gigs in York.

[slinger]

Hi.

The thing about Chris is he is very modest and he would never had thought the songs were brilliant. That's not to say he didn't like them and he did think they were good enough otherwise the tour wouldn't have gone ahead. I can't stress enough what a lovely guy Chris is, too good a person for the music industry.

I remember reaction of females when he entered a room, everybody would look around and women would instantly be moist. Such a good loking guy on the outside and the inside. He increased my street cred a 1000% and it was a mad crazy time.

Rehearsals were mostly in rehearsal place in York called the Jam Factory. I think Chris rented the room there solidly for a month and we were there everyday for that time. I had never heard the songs before that and I don't remember them being completely finished songs when we started. I remember having an open reign with coming up with the drum parts.

We have a mutual musical friend who I was in another band with who's parents had a holiday cottage in the Lake District. I went there with several bands to rehearse and remember going there for a weekend to rehearse with Chris. We set up the gear in the large living room and played a lot that weekend. We all had our own room. Needless to say there was much drinking and smoking going on. I like Stu Fletcher a lot but he was a miserable bugger that weekend. I remember him hardly eating anything and he never left the house whereas the rest of us went for a walk up a mountain each day.

The falling out I had with the guitarist was nothing to do with Chris and that band. We were in another long standing band and the bad feeling on my side was all to do with what was happening there, not Chris's band. I am not sure that is why things went off the boil with Chris, something else was going on with him. He was constantly drunk when not rehearsing or gigging.

Are you saying you have a bootleg of one of the gigs where I played ? If so I have never heard it and would love to get hold of a copy somehow. Do you know where I can track one down ? We were cooking eh ? We did gell together quite well and I remember enjoying playing with Stu Fletcher on bass.

[2020sound]

It must have been quite a strange time for Fletcher and Helme, as they'd basically just had the rug pulled under them. I seem to recall Helme sounded quite nervous at the Liverpool gig, which was surprising. This is a pretty much undocumentated time, so it's really interesting to hear more about it. Maybe drink was a problem, as I know Helme has mentioned that about Seahorses rehearsals. Strange how you could go from fronting a band who were really pretty big, and then disappear and not get any label interest... but then I guess the early 00's were a funny time for guitar acts.

Unfourtunately it was just short clips of several songs, but I will dig out the mp3 from an old hard drive later. I also remember than a Roses website listed a bootleg of the Improv Theatre gig, but I never managed to get a copy before they were raided by the BPI! It's never turned up anywhere again either, which is a shame. If you have anything from that time, like tour passes or tapes or anything that you'd be interested in selling I'd probably be interested!

[karatestu]

My memory of the time is not great but I have remembered things I had forgotten since you got me thinking about it. At the time I was on top of the world. Chris used to come and watch one of the bands I was in called Lo Beams and he looked really in to it. This was at the time he was in The Seahorses and everybody wanted to talk to him and hang out with him. He had a long standing girlfriend - or he could have been already married. I can't remember if his son was born by then or not.

Everybody involved was drinking a lot and taking various substances at that time. There was a real buzz all across York because of Helme and Fletcher being plucked from obscurity by John Squire. Up until then the only band that had got famous was Shed Seven. Chris was friends with them as most musicians were in a small City like York. I remember Shed Seven knocking out my first ever band in the Fibbers annual battle of bands. Never forgave them for that

Chris came down my local pub a couple of times which is out in the sticks. Everybody was like "is that Chris Helme ?". I'm like "yeah, I'm the drummer in his new band". I was beating girls off for quite a while after that. Then they were asking "when is Chris coming down here again". Totally bonkers. It was a hard time for Helme and Fletch though.

I don't think I have got anything from that time to sell you. I will check but I doubt it.

[2020sound]

Yep, I can imagine the buzz... it's easy now to forget how big the Seahorses were.

Here's the mp3: https://we.tl/t-lEBjU59EVA Kinda annoying it's only clips, but the person who bootleged it didn't want to let it all go at the time for whatever reason. If you find anything, let me know!

[karatestu]

Yep, I can imagine the buzz... it's easy now to forget how big the Seahorses were.

Here's the mp3: https://we.tl/t-lEBjU59EVA Kinda annoying it's only clips, but the person who bootleged it didn't want to let it all go at the time for whatever reason. If you find anything, let me know!

Thanks for taking the time to post that. Definitely sounds like me on drums. First time I played it more than one clip was playing at the same time. I played it again and everything was fine Sounds like a bootleg but I am very pleased to have it. Rock and roll ending on the last song - I hate those type of song endings, wasn't my idea.

I remember arguing (nicely) with Feltcher (Stu's name if you were cross with him ) in the Lake District about who should change their part. I had come up with this really cool drum beat, it was killer. Fletch changed his bass part and I ended up having to change my part after much light hearted protestation. Stu was one of the best bass players around in York but he was a very selfish player. Always wanted to get ALL the notes in if he could.

Chris told me that Stu was very excited about the prospect of playing with me, I was very flattered. We were both heavily in to funk and jazz fusion and admired each others playing. I can't believe I had never been a band with him up to that point or Chris for that matter. Chris was heavily influenced by folk music. He was in a famous band (in York) called Chutzpah which was a jazz folk band. They were awesome and people still talk about them.

Just had a memory come to me. Fletch came up with the middle section of Love is the Law I think. He asked Squire about getting a song writing credit for it and Squire basically said no chance, you can go back to playing shit pubs in York if you want. Charming man isn't he

Got a few more things coming back to me now, one of which came from Chris' guitar tech who he took on tour in Japan. I will save them for another post though.

[slinger]

The Seahorses were on tour in Japan but got stuck in a hotel for some reason with The Prodigy and Green Day. I know, how bizarre. Chris Helme's guitar tech told me about this. Lloyd (the guitar tech) is a fabulous guitar player with a liking for country music. I was in a country rock band with him and he had a few stories to tell.

I will tell the rest of the story tomorrow when I can actually see the keyboard

[slinger]

I came across this photo on facebook of me playing drums with Chris Helme and Stuart Fletcher right after they left The Seahorses in 1998. The keyboard player, Fraser Smith went on to play with Shed 7. That was the Duchess in Leeds. I have a jazz beard I'm still playing that green Premier Genista drum kit