The Addled Eggs

Also known as White Lightning for some strange (and some might argue, psychedelic) reason, The Addled Eggs boys were a very strange band that almost played one gig. It would have been under a tarpaulin in a whole load of mud and straw in some woods by a field somewhere near Bow, near Crediton in Devon. Conditions were absolutely appalling. With the heavy rain which poured from every hole in the sky for hours without pause or mercy and other events that conspired against the band, they didn’t play in the end. When some of the local motorcycling fraternity turned up and set light to the straw that was the ‘stage’ – and the place where most people were sheltering from the elements – the band tried to abandon the place and make off with their equipment. It was a fantastically disastrous gig with much equipment being damaged and covered in mud and the atmosphere there was terrible. Everyone was pleased to get home the next day.

The band featured Ben on drums, Martin on guitar, Dean on vocals and guitar and George on bass (although at first, guitar with octaver pedal). Ben’s drumming was first class and Dean’s songs were beautiful, emotional and evocative, although the Addled Eggs never really did them justice. Martin had a curious style of playing that involved profuse soloing from about two to three seconds after a song had started to about three to five seconds after it had finished. His favourite band at that time was Mountain, and a cover of their song Silver Paper found its way into the set. Martin later went on to successfully read a degree in jazz and is now a fine musician.

The Addled Eggs, although not strictly a wud band, formed in May 1986 and lasted until September of the same year. By this time Dean and George had decided they wanted to take the songs they had and move forward in a new direction. The result was a band which became known as The Subterraneans…