Biography

1995

Released: 'Closedown' Demo (ver 2.0), 'The Widow's Blame' CD Album

This is the year that made All Living Fear: fanzines such as Low Life, Naked Truth and Bats and Red Velvet gave the band much needed positive reviews and interviews. The band played a few gigs here and there but the next thing to do was another trip to Runcorn to do some more recording. However, things didn't work too well – no real reason – the tracks that were recorded just weren't right so a new drum machine was purchased, and the band started to think about recording themselves. The first thing needed to do was to re record the 'Close Down' demo as the band were never that satisfied with the original. Fortunately, a lot had been learnt from Steve Paine and they were able to use that experience to good effect. The recording session was done with Matthew and Andy only, as Steve Tackle didn't have the time to commit to the band due to his college course, so he was replaced by Andy Heard, a bass player, from Exmouth.

Summer 95 and ALF played their first tour proper as a headline band. It was supposed to be eight or nine dates on the trot, but with one thing and another became five gigs over two weekends – Exeter, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham and London, the legendary show where Matthew's car broke down on the way and he spent £198 (via Andy Fat Wallet) on getting towed to the venue! Matthew shortly joined the R. A. C. after that. Note that All Living Fear were supported that night by, the then unknown, Mesh.

Andy Heard was a fantastic musician but, was again, like Steve, unable to commit fully to the band and so left after the Marquee club gig. All Living Fear were now officially a duo.

It was now time for the band to make an album, so from the time the band thought of the title, 'The Widows Blame', they promoted it like mad – every gig flyer and fanzine advert mentioned it. There was a healthy Goth scene at that time and Matthew would be at countless gigs handing out flyers. (Remember, this was pre-Internet, almost!!) The album, recorded in one week in August, was often thought as the most fun week of the band's life, and was mixed with the assistance of Tim Chandler, then of Sins of the Flesh, now of Manuskript.

'Thee Vampire Guild' based in Dorset and run by Phil White, now the singer with the Narcissus Pool, released the second in their series of compilation CDs, 'What Sweet Music' and the ALF track, 'Crimson', was featured on it. This single event is what made the band in the UK as club DJs were playing "Crimson" and the band were getting gig offers right left and centre and, as a result, "Jessica" was almost at the point of selling out. So, with a good publicity campaign helped by the band heavily promoting itself at the Necromantic Encounters festival in London and the Whitby festival (even though the band didn't play at either), most of the UK Goth scene knew that All Living Fear were happening.

The CD was pressed and released officially on Halloween. In October the band went on a UK tour, preceded by a pre-tour show at the Borderline in London that was filmed by David Milner and which subsequently made it as the 'Fear On The Road' video. The tour proper started at home to a packed Cavern Club then up to Derby for the 'Carnival Of Souls' festival where Andy got VERY drunk on stage, then went to Newport, London, Nottingham, Coventry, Southampton and then finished back home in Torquay their first gig there since 1993.

Later on the band played three high profile shows: London at the Borderline supporting Children On Stun, and Manchester & Birmingham with James Ray's Gangwar.