A Nightmare Begins

Originally formed as The Paisley Underground at Paisley College by Stevie (who previously played in legendary Girvan greats such as The Barney Rubble Blues Band, Plastic Fantastic Lobster and The Mystery Machine - with Telstar Pony/Lonecop Gav Laird) and Campbell (ex Love Phantoms who were infamous in their belief that "I Saw Her Standing There" was a Tiffany [remember her?] song). Grant was recruited to sing as he had serious Jagger lips, a face which was fast disappearing under a shaggy fringe of hair and was rapidly developing a taste for chelsea boots.

M.A.D., The Spaceman, Sir Richard and The Mooncat blast it at Paisley Arts Centre, September 1990. Photos by Charley Farley

An advert in the coffee room in the college (where they spent most of their time - thus leading to only one graduating in time) for someone who dug Pebbles albums brought them Margaret Ann (M.A.D.) another shaggy haired, black leather, pointed boot freak. Incidentally the names Mooncat and Spaceman were made up independently by geeks who happened to be in their classes.

So they hit the rehearsal room once a week for a month (most of the time was spent boozing, listening to records and digging Glasgow's then okay clubs - forget it now!), before facing their first audience. Sitting in the pub (as usual after a rehearsal) they were coaxed by the local yokels into playing - well let's just say the band proceeded to shock the nice people with their primeval bangings of Live With Me (Stones), Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones), Sidewalking (Mary Chain) and Good Times (Nobody's Children) - it was nothing short of an unrehearsed noise with broken strings, beer soaked walls and blown amps, listened to by a bunch of pub rock (honky blues) squares. Little did the band realise that things weren't gonna get much better. The locals also seemed to have a problem distinguishing the males from the female.

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