GRAEME HAMILTON After leaving college I began to branch out into different styles, playing with local rock, punk, alternative and experimenting as well as having my own band playing some of my own compositions. I was approached by band members of a punk band the Au Pairs, they were fairly well known across Europe and it was the first time I was able to tour, travel around to festivals in the UK and the rest of Europe.
We had a great local following and so the shows were always atmospheric, we played around the UK and some alternative festivals in Europe, a great learning period. Carmel were a Manchester based band that fused some “Jazziness” into their catchy pop songs, I’m unsure how they got my phone number but they asked me to play with them and do solo’s and riffs to embellish the music. The band had a couple of hit songs in the British charts and so we would play on television and even performed on Top of the Pops, this show was the number one TV show in the country. It’s amazing by going on popular TV programs how quickly you make a name and a reputation. Also it gave me income so I could continue to experiment with less commercial outfits.
In this period UB40 a band with a global name asked if I would be interested in joining forces. They used to come and see us rehearse and play around town and liked our alternative approach. We grew up in the same city and many times I would meet different members at local shows, parties around town and on the road at different shows and festivals. It was quite a natural process that we might work together as it was a pretty tight circle of musicians in the city. Brian Travers, the sax player a good friend, was eager that I record with the band. We recorded the album Geffery Morgan; we had a great time, the band still play shows and are recording, that’s pretty amazing after thirty, plus years.
Pic by Mira Arad. Pic given by Graeme Hamilton
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