Legends of Corby Rock - Energy.

One of the most popular bands in Corby during the 1970s and 80s was undoubtedly the four piece outfit Energy. Consisting of Iain Wetherell, Mike 'Bozzy' Bosnic, Mark Stewart and Stephen 'Flapper' Fulton, Energy built up a great local following who appreciated their driving rock covers of Thin Lizzy, Status Quo and Police material. During an interview at Iain's Premier Studios in 2007, Iain and Bozzy relived their Energy days for inclusion in the third part of the 'Steel Rock and Roll' trilogy 'No Occupation Road'. "When I grow up, I want to play in a rock band," Mike Bosnic told his dad. His response was typically caustic; 'you can't do both son!' The year was 1976. Bozzy took up the story; "We first started playing when we rehearsed in the Nags Head where Iain's brother Bip was proprietor. Then after a few weeks Bip threw us in at the deep end and told us we were playing in the Sunday dinnertime jam session! It was the first time we'd played in front of an audience which was daunting but a great experience. Bip was great, lending us gear when we needed and giving us the opportunity to learn our craft. Our first proper gig came at Corby Samuel Lloyds School on October 2nd 1976 thanks to teacher Frank Holmes, a one time Skiffle man himself, who encouraged pupils with musical aspirations. The dance was packed out. All our school friends were there of course. Iain sang the first song, Bryan Ferry's 'Lets Stick Together' before Flapper made a grand entrance, running in from the back of the school hall with a duffle coat tied round his neck like a cape, as Iain played the theme from 'Batman!'" Iain; "Initially we sorted out gigs for ourselves or with the help of Bip and then decided to sign up with the Concorde Ham Acts Agency. It didn't take long for us to realise that they were booking us in air bases for less money than what we were getting doing it ourselves, so Bozzy took control of affairs. Calling himself Pyramid Promotions he used to phone venues where live music was played and ask if they'd be interested in booking us. He would send them a copy of a collage we'd made of Energy, a record for their jukebox and ask them how much they paid, which was usually around the £100 mark. Boz would give them some bull, tell them we normally played for double that amount but as a favour we'd do the gig for £150 and after a bit of bartering, we'd get the gig! We became probably the most organised self controlled band on the circuit. We had a data base of people who followed the band. We'd phone what we called the ringleaders and tell them we were playing at such and such a place and they'd put the word around and the gigs were often packed out." Self sufficiency extended to taking care of the group van. Before a tour of Scotland Bozzy decided it needed a service; "It was outside Ian's house in Studfall Avenue. I changed the plugs, HT leads, rotor arm, oil, points, everything. Then when I finished, I couldn't get the thing going! I checked everything again, got the set of feelers out to re-check the gap in between the points, distributor cap was clean, etc. Still there was nothing. I said to Ian, 'tell you what, we're on a hill here, lets' give it a push and see if we can jump start it. Well, the van rolled down the hill, failed to kick in, and we were standing there bemused and scratching our heads when a taxi pulled up. The driver, Robert Knight, got out and asked us what the matter was. We told him the story, he said he'd give it a go, turned the ignition key, just a grunt as usual, then he discovered there was no fuel in the tank! That was my last attempt at being a motor mechanic! Mark Stewart would later complain, 'I'm only in the band because a drum machine can't push the van!'" Following this farce the band came up with the idea of joining both the AA and RAC motoring organisations. "We thought it was a good idea." said Iain, "we could use one to tow us to a gig if necessary, and the other one to tow us back home afterwards!' Iain did most of the driving; being the only one who'd passed his driving test. Coming down long lonely highways, like the A1, often in thick fog, or so it seemed, Bozzy would be sitting next to him steering the van while he kept his foot on the accelerator, trying to keep his eyes open and stopping from falling asleep! "When we reached Stamford I'd give him a shake, 'right, come on Iain, this is a bit more tricky from here on in!'" Energy received a great boost with an article featured in 'Musicians Only'. 'It can be argued that a lot of bands in the early stages of their career fall by the wayside, not through a lack of ideas or musical direction, but because they have not got the business end organised properly. That's why, in the light of the unpleasant fact, it was refreshing to meet the four people who make up the Corby based rock band Energy, and to witness for myself not only their unbounded enthusiasm onstage, but also their professional approach to the marketing of their name. Energy was formed out of the remains of two school bands; The Hardly Worthit Band and Lipstick. Mark Bosnic was asked why the band had parted company with their manager (their first and last) to go it alone? His reply demonstrated the band's ambition and self belief; "Well although his opinion was valued in many ways, on many things, we thought we could accomplish more on our own. It’s as simple as that." Certainly if you study the bands track record since they started handling their own affairs, you can see they made the right decisions. Mike handles the booking arrangements and publicity, while Ian sorts out the accounts and insurance. Agents are used as much as possible, the reason being purely financial. Equipment such as the PA, lighting system and the transport are bought out of the kitty. "Basically, it’s the money that's left after gig expenses. Sometimes one of us might dig into it for our individual instruments, but it is always paid back, always," stressed Mike. A new van is the next thing on the shopping list, as the two they have now don't warrant a decent set of spares between them. Turning to the subject of touring, Mike told me that apart from a three day stint in Middlesbrough a while back, the band have never been on a full tour. That's not to say, though, that they have been sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. Energy, clapped out vans and all, have averaged two gigs per week for the last sixteen months or so, taking in places like Cinderford in Gloucestershire, Ashford in Kent and Leicester where they were runners up in a national competition sponsored by Premier. They have also been support to big names like Love Affair, The Pleasers and Chairman of the Board. "We wouldn't have done half of this under our old manager" said Steve. Energy will be gigging consistently, but as before, it’s not an organised tour. And although it will take them right through to mid summer, there are no London dates mentioned. I put it to them that it might be a good idea to try and slot some London venues in between the local haunts. "We would love to play London" Mike replied, "but what would be the cost of a mini tour down there?" True, in financial terms, (time off work etc) it would be a bit of a struggle. But what about the long term effect? Mike; "Yes, you're right I suppose if we made the effort and the gigs came together it would probably lead to something". One drawback I did note was the playing of non original material mixed in with their own compositions. This is a shame, for their own songs had far more going for them, in terms of depth and style than the bulk of the pop/rock which made up the two sets that I saw them play. That's not a criticism of their playing ability because they played numbers like 'Message In A Bottle', 'Black Betty' and 'Since You've Been Gone' with just as much finesse as the original artists. It would be hard to pick out any particular star in the band; although I must say that at times front man Steve Fulton stole the show with his antics, dashing here and there, offstage and onstage, as though possessed. At the end of the second and highly impressive set I joined the lads backstage, where they presented me with a copy of their EP 'Energised', self financed, and issued/released on the BIPS Record label. The number which impresses me most was an out and out rocker called 'No Go' which reminded me of early Nazareth. Mike; "We have had a thousand copies pressed and we've sold about half. They're available through the local branch of John Menzies and mail order through me." Their immediate plans? Mike; "To keep on gigging. We would move to London as a band, not individuals if we thought we could make a living at it. But at the moment, just one gig and one stage at a time." Energy clearly has the ability but what they need to do is to get right away from Corby and its surrounds. If they made that all important move and wrote and performed more of their own material, their chances of making the big-time would be greatly enhanced. They are the best band I have seen this side of a lucrative record deal. Now it’s a question of finding an enthusiastic producer to channel their ideas into something commercially viable. The bands' reputation continued to grow, thanks to coverage in the 'Evening Telegraph' following a gig at the Rising Sun pub in Kettering... 'Energy need never fear a court action under the Trades Description Act. Their act is so energetic they probably link up to a trickle charger at night to prepare for the next gig! But surprisingly the band's name was not designed to fit their on stage gymnastics. Singer Steve Fulton in his soft Scottish tones;” I feel that if we are there to entertain then that's exactly what we will do - and to do it properly you have to create a buzz of excitement in the audience. We love jumping about on stage because it feels good, and shows just how much we enjoy our music." They write lots of their own material but the gig at the Rising Sun took on rather a pop flavour with the Police being honoured above all other chart bands. The thief who undoubtedly stole the show was bassman Mike Bosnic whose gangly frame practically dwarfed his Guild bass. This man put on a show which should have been watched by the country's bass playing statues. It was refreshing to see a bassist dramatise his playing but it would have been a whole lot more enjoyable if we could have heard what he was playing! He seemed to form a duo of victims with singer Steve Fulton. Both were barely audible above the standard rock offerings from guitarist Ian Wetherell and the awful boomy drum sound which yawned from Mark Stewart's kit. I hold a very old fashioned view when it comes to singers and their backing. As far as I am concerned, the singer and front man is the most important member of any band and he should come across above his backing - he shouldn't have to fight his way through the 'barrage from behind.' But to be fair, playing Energy's brand of music in a smallish pub is not easy - and their hard core of appreciation in the pub was obviously happy enough with what they heard. Energy has been working in its present form for about two and a half years now and seems content to carry on playing the circuit from their base in Corby. The four men have plans to put together an LP featuring mostly their own material and they hope to push the album themselves on their own record label. Steve;” We won't make any money on the record - it’s just a way of spreading our name and music about". He describes their sound as 'commercial rock' and makes the point that his band is not to be confused with a heavy rock outfit. Energy is a great band to watch. Unlike many other local crews they make an effort to provide a visual show and inject some excitement into the proceedings. Sound wise, I wasn't terribly impressed, but then I think the venue, had something to do with it.' Energy's lively stage act did have its embarrassing moments, as Ian admitted: "During ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, the AC/DC number, at a venue in Peterborough, I turned round and wondered what had happened to Boz. Turns out he'd jumped up in the air too much on the one spot and eventually the boards on the stage gave way, and he went straight through it! At Cambridge Corn Exchange when we were support to Eddie and the Hotrods, Boz climbed up onto this plinth at the back of the stage and prepared himself to leap off when he overbalanced, went tumbling and ended up doing a forward roll on the stage. The crowd thought it was part of the act! They roared their approval. Terrific! Corby Civic Centre was yet another cringe making gig. Flapper did his usual routine of jumping off the stage and running around the hall, singing and whipping the fever up. He then ran back to the stage and couldn't get back up! The Civic stage was a bit higher than most of the others. He had to sheepishly walk to the side and get back on via the stairs. Everybody took the piss out of him - as you'd expect in Corby! We used to have an intro, the ‘Thunderbirds 54321’ tune, till one day we decided to change it to an air siren. Unfortunately, the first time we used it, at an air base, it caused a panic and they thought it was an air raid! A red alert! They weren't amused." More sobering was playing at the Royal Navy Base in Faslane, Scotland when the Falklands war broke. Mark Stewart; "That was a strange gig, tense. I couldn't help feeling for these young guys, many the same age as ourselves, preparing to head for a war zone in the South Atlantic and an RAF base in Northern Ireland was similarly a stra

nge experience, going to the bar or toilets and finding machine guns and rifles leaning against the walls." Energy turned fully professional in 1979, a press release stating their ambitions followed; The four man crew who energise locally are planning to peddle their particular brand of rock as far a field as possible. And that has meant their day time jobs have just had to go. "It's going to be a bit of a struggle and I suppose cars may have to be sold but we mean to make a real go of this" said Iain. Their bid for the big-time gets a shot in the arm later this month when they play the first round of the RCA 'Battle of the Bands’ contest in Birmingham. And its' quite a feather in the band's cap to have won the chance of competing. Thousands of demo tapes were sent to the organisers and 84 bands have been chosen nationwide. Only six were picked for the Birmingham region - and one of those was Energy. The final will be held at London's Hammersmith Odeon and will be televised. First prize is a recording contract and £4,000. To provide some Northamptonshire flavoured support, Energy are hoping to run two coaches to Birmingham Locarno and return tickets will be £2.50. Energy were recently at the Rising Sun, Kettering, and played to a packed house. They are a well rehearsed band, well sung, well played, and well deserving of national recognition. Ian; "We are planning to record another EP soon and it should be pressing about 2000 copies. And of course we will be after a record deal. Now we have given up our full time jobs we will have more time to chase these things." The band's date sheet is filling up nicely. This month they have 19 bookings and as Ian explained, the band has an insatiable appetite for work. "Of course, now, it's not just a case of bookings for exposure - we need money to live!" The Battle of the Bands contest was a headline making night to remember, for more than one reason. Apart from winning through to the finals, one of the coaches ferrying their follower’s home from the gig had to be abandoned when it went on fire on the M6! '52 escape coach fire' screamed the Birmingham Evening News. 'Passengers had to scramble to safety when a coach burst into flames. They escaped the smoke filled coach through emergency doors and windows after a night out in Birmingham. Passengers were transferred to two other coaches and police were called. The three coach loads of people, who were delayed for three quarters of an hour had been to Birmingham to support their band Energy in a contest.' On board was a shaken Cathy Bates of Corby; "Somebody shouted that there was a fire and a man banged on the window of the bus and told everyone to get out." Encouragement also came from The Leicester Trader's 'The Insider'. 'Like most other things, the music industry bares large, seeping wounds, inflicted without mercy by the recession's cast iron teeth. Hardly a week goes by, without news filtering through the record and entertainment jungle, that somebody or other has been released from what looked like and indeed was, a mouth watering, zillion dollar contract. Bands, like trends and fashions, come and go. Some disappear as if in their sleep, while others are condemned to a series of ups and downs, followed by slow, painful erosion which can and has broken the spirit of each individual concerned. It is with this in mind, why I have the utmost respect for the voice of voices who say goodbye to 9-5, cross 'no mans land' and plunge headlong into the uncertainty of the professional musicians world. Four such voices belong to Energy, a rocky type, all round entertaining quartet from Corby. "This will be a real test for all of us, in every respect" said vocalist Stephen Fulton. In a recent conversation we had, when the band played The Windmill. Steve is a front man par excellence and the same can be said for the guitar, drums bass combination of Ian Wetherell, Mark Bosnic and Mark Stewart. In the last three and a half years since the bands inception, Energy have averaged twelve to fifteen gigs per month, playing everything from seedy backroom bars with wall to wall sawdust, top plush nightclubs where even the Gents and Ladies powder room don expensive shag pile. On the recording side, the band have an EP out on the independent BIP's record label called ‘Energised’ and since being released about eighteen months ago has chalked up sales of around 1,500. The follow up to ‘Energised’ could take the form of an LP as there is more than enough original material ready and waiting in the Energy vaults. Playing regularly up to four, five gigs a week around the country, Mike told me that Energy will go 'pro' sometime this autumn, possibly in early October. All four members giving up careers 'to pursue the golden trail in the music business.' Iain was a trainee accountant, Bozzy a trainee computer programmer, Steve Fulton a fitter and Mark Stewart a trainee engineer. As they handle all their own affairs, all are aware, that once the bridges are burnt, the future will be full of animal traps, parasites and hollow promises. But all are equally aware, that at the end of it all there could be success. Will they stay the course? I think so. It may have been a bold decision to 'give up the day job' just as the unemployment figures locally were set to rocket. But for the four young lads, some far reaching horizons and exciting times were ahead of them. Who could blame them on taking the chance? The EP (Extended Play) 'No Go', 'Don't Show Your Face', 'Lovely Lady', 'Spoilt Choice' was recorded at Derek Tompkins Studio in Wellingborough. All songs were a collaboration by the band. Bozzy; "I used to tell people we've sold over two million copies of our first record. And if you don't believe me, come and look in my garage!" Two more singles followed; 'Conquer the World', 'Make It', 'Lawbreaker' and 'Nowhere To Hide', 'Fight For Your Freedom' became their third. "All are now collector’s items," says Bozzy, "you can find them on EBay!" Ian; "We secured a publishing deal with Nigel Gray, who had seen us play at the Ad Lib Club. Nigel was the producer of the first three Police albums and hits Message In A Bottle and Roxanne. We demoed all our songs in the same studios the Police had used which had a big impact on me as I was even then, interested in the recording and producing side of the business. A showcase gig was arranged for us at the famous Marquee Club in Wardour Street, home of the British blues in the 60's. It was a great experience but it was a shithole! Three coach loads of our fans travelled down to support us. Unfortunately, none of the invited Record Companies bothered to turn up. This soured our relationship with Nigel. We were disappointed and disillusioned but later on we realised it was just typical, it wasn't particularly Nigel's fault, it's just the MUSIC BUSINESS!! We secured a gig in Dubai, which we thought was a dry state and a typical Middle Eastern country, women in veils etc. On the plane journey over there we decided to make the most of it on and got rat arsed drinking bottles of wine. This was going to be our last drink of alcohol for nine weeks! Then we discovered everybody was pissed! The women were all wearing miniskirts, right up their arses! It was unbelievable. We played at a five star hotel, where there was a Rolls Royce in the foyer which was a raffle prize! For an hour a night, and the way we played and performed it was hard to work in that heat! Bip came out for a visit, told us that with all the spare time on our hands, we should be concentrating and doing some writing instead of just holidaying. He basically gave us a kick up the backsides." Boz; "I was suffering with my ears in Dubai and went on board a Royal Navy ship to have them syringed. They pulled out a solid piece of wax the size of a peanut. And I suddenly realised I could hear the fan in the ceiling whizzing around. Back on stage, the volume of the band amazed me. It was deafening!" Energy continued to tour the UK, Europe and the Middle East where a second trip to Dubai, lasting six months, netted the band £11,000 and gave them the opportunity to take a stab at America. Arriving in New York they discovered, quite coincidently, a 'Showcase for Talent' going on at the Marriot Hotel in Times Square, a 'world-class' hotel in the theatre district of midtown Manhattan. It was within walking distance of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Central Park, Carnegie Hall and the Empire State Building. Iain; "We took part in a big cavernous auditorium, it was scary, the first two rows were occupied by these music people who we had to impress. It was the scariest gig I ever did. It was so sterile and the atmosphere was zilch. Gigs are all about atmosphere and this wasn't going to be achieved in this situation. Despite not giving our best, we met up with a guy who was very keen to become our manager and he arranged a few shows for us in New York and the West Coast to play at the famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles amongst other venues. That was terrific." By this time Mark Stewart was becoming restless and admitted he'd had enough of the travelling and on our return decided to quit. Chris Page took over on the drums." Energy were one of Corby's most enduring bands, a career which spanned a decade and rivalled that of some of its predecessors the Size Seven, Midnighters and Formula in the 1960s. As with them all, the treadmill of touring and quest for stardom became tiresome and eventually they called it a day. "The dread of having to get a 'real' job raised its ugly head" recalls Boz, "and I started my own wheelie bin cleaning business." Iain quipped; "Energy was a full time band for nine years. Bozzy calls it his retirement years! When the band split up, we all had to go back to work!" For Iain, his talent for recording had been noticed by his brother Bip who was in the process of setting up Premier Studios. Bip recruited him for the job 'behind the desk' where his years of experience and perfectionist attitude quickly saw him inundated with recording projects. Premier Studios rapidly gained a reputation to qualify its name. Energy would come back together 'for a one off gig' in 2002, playing the Corby Pole Fair on the back of a lorry in the middle of the roundabout between the Cardigan Arms and what was the Old White Horse, now the Village Inn. Thousands turned out on the hot summer’s day to enjoy and recall some great memories when following the band in their heyday. In a unique kind of way, they can claim a piece of history as being the only band to have appeared at two Pole Fairs, having played on the Nags Head roof during the 1982.