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The following is taken from a long letter to the Archives

Filling in the gaps

from Rob Martin (lead singer, Be-Bop Dustbins '84-'85)

I thought I would mention a few names from the 80s of whom you may not be aware. In the early to mid '80s thee were a lot of one-off, short-lived, pic'n'mix bands in the Ryde area, made up of a number of people from different bands and their friends who were not in any bands at all. These sort of cheap 'n' cheerful bands did about one or two gigs and that was that. In fact, people always said that the Ryde music scene at the time was very incestuous.

• Abandoned City (Early 80s) Adam Smallman drums, other three unknown. Fairly well known, gigged on mainland. Well known for entertaining gig posters. Sort of heavy metal with a touch of Yes.

• Family Of Noise ('84-'85) Paul Armfield bass, vocals, Mark Wozencroft drums plus one other. Very into Cure.

• The Blue Flamingoes (85-86) Geoff Adams bass plus two others.

• Splash Of Pop ('85) Three members unknown.

• Crimes Against Nature ('86-'87) Members unknown.

Corrections to Isle of Wight Rock book:

• Cats Like Plain Crisps This band was formed by Jane Rostrum (girlfriend of Dave Cheesy-bits (The Walton's bassist) at the time) and my girlfriend at the time, Lora Hawkins. Lora was on the dole and really wanted to get an all-girl band together. As this was Jane's wish, they go the following band together around Xmas 1984: Lora Hawkins, Jane Rostrum, Sarah, Julie.

  At their first gig they only did three songs. One written by me and the other two by Dave Cheesy-bits. They soon started writing their own stuff and enlarged to eight members for a short while before shrinking to five members at which number they remained for the rest of their life, I think.

• Django Ratix Formed out of the ashes of a band called Sir Lord Easy-Listening's Trash-Bland All Stars. Original line up: Kevin Dean bass, Paul Weston bass, Sean Anderson guitar, Craig Anderson drums, Rob Martin vocals. Sean and Craig were nephews of John Anderson of Yes.

  Sean, Craig and myself got the band together with the view to having two bassists. All songs were our own and we did about four gigs before we split up. Sean, Craig and Kev took the name and recorded a very good demo-tape of three songs but they did no gigs.

  Sean, Craig and myself did a one-off gig as V and the Hep Snakes doing our own jazz songs (or they would have been jazz songs but for my howling!)

• Also not to be forgotten is Dave O'Neill, a Ryde beach guerilla par excellence and writer of the best salt-induced anarcho-cynical poetry this side of the Monkton Mead Brook.

That's about it. I've got a number of live recordings if they are of any use:

• Fatal Dose ('81)
  
• Loony Tunes ('82-'83)
  
• The Waltons ('83)
  
• Falling and Laughing ('85)
  
• Cats Like Plain Crisps ('85)
  
• The Bebop Dustbins ('84-'85)

  Rob Martin

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