Andromeda

Andromeda were an original multi-genre four-piece band from Dawlish in Devon, and one of our favourites this planet every produced. Their songs ranged from hardcore drum’n’bass to catchy acoustic alternative rock. During the journey from one to the other, they passed through delightful regions of trip-hop, indie, ambient, nu-metal, electronica, classic rock, trance and the odd experiment.

The band featured the many talents of Amy McGill on mostly lead guitar, and sometimes bass and keys. Joe Ings was on vocals, rhythm guitar and keys. He did a lot of the studio production and programming as well as being the main composer within the band. Adam ‘Chubs’ Bonner played bass and keys, and Tom Brown was on drums.

As well as having great songs to perform live, Andromeda were visually interesting and different. They were young and good-looking and would often swap instruments during songs. Their live sets tended to be far more akin to rock or metal then their more trip-hop or electronic studio recordings, and they seemed to enjoy the freedom and release of those performances.

Amy’s live lead guitar playing was of an exceptionally high level of virtuosity. She could shred it up with the very best. Her chosen instrument of destruction was a white Fender Stratocaster, which was both a contrast and a compliment to Joe’s black Fender Telecaster.

Joe was also an exceptionally interesting live performer. He had a true thespian’s ability to oscillate between strength and vulnerability as the band played their songs. He could play the tortured genius, the man on street, the paranoid recluse, the wise professor, and others, all with great aplomb.

The Andromeda rhythm section was made up from the ever-dependable multi-instrumentalist Chubs on mostly bass and keyboards. He was always busy, and seemed to have the most different jobs on stage. He may have provided backing vocals as well, although our memory of this is unclear. The sensitive, accurate drumming of the highly sought-after Tom Brown completed the line-up.

Andromeda released three CDs around the turn of the millenium before the band evolved into other forms, including the critically aclaimed Trimorphous. We believe Joe and Amy married each other and both read PhDs at Exeter University. We are not sure what became of Chubs or Tom.

We hope to be able to add the other two Andromeda CDs to our Archives in the coming weeks. If you have any Andromeda material, including photos, videos, audio, or memories, we would love to hear from you. Please contact archive@wudrecords.co.uk and we will see what can be done.