The early years

My ambition to produce, tour and record albums has always existed and having been bitten by the bug at such a young age situations occurred enabling me to express myself in a musical form.

My first attempt: I was nine and involved in an awful sounding but inventive band with my cousins, playing anything that resembled an instrument even if it wasn't — cheap guitars, tacky keyboards, saucepans and lids.

I started rattling the skins approaching my teens under the influence of old school punk, indie and anything alternative, even though my musical tastes were much broader.

The door opened to the world of music through an ex- of my mum's who was a gigging musician and also a punk.

My first gigging band

Aged fourteen: I was asked to join a college band called Suzie Never Barks with four other teenagers, instrumentation consisting of two vocalists the usual bass, guitars and drums. A mish-mash of noise, influences and creative moments; Suzie's style musically morphed organized chaos in a bizarre and unexpected fashion.

Performances were held at local community centres, pubs and occasionally theatres in and around Telford; occasionally national gigs including the 1-in-12 club in Bradford.

Telford new-town contains cultural restrictions and due to Telford's only alternative club closing down any development of a music scene was eliminated by the local fascist council.

Droughts and spurts

Suzie only lasted a couple of years I departed experiencing my first musical drought.

During this drought I joined a punk band called Torture Shed but nothing really struck me and lasted total of two weeks. It must have been the smell of glue.

Re-emerging I had a creative spell during 1996 a string of gigs with punk band trio CO-ED and no gigs with a nameless drug shop indie band. Also involvement in various recording projects including Sounds of the Summer compilation were produced.

The years to follow proved to be difficult, creative energies were channelled and over-come by limitations surrounding me, so I started to focus my energies elsewhere.

Shrewsbury

Now in my early 20s I had an opportunity with a 60s and 70s covers band called Joe Soap in Shrewsbury next town along from Telford. I leaped to the rescue after their drummer deserted them short notice and as my audition was the gig I claimed my position to the throne of the band.

My involvement regarding original bands in Shrewsbury was on the increase producing more versatile material one east-meets-west and the other a fusion of funk/rock with a reggae twist. Evolving constantly: needed to change direction.

Nottingham

The turn of the century brought me here to sunny Nottingham where I completed a two-year performance based music course covering most aspects of music possible. Odd I didn't perform once whilst attending this course, not something I would recommend doing.

Outside the music course I formed many gigging and non-gigging bands. Formed 2001: Beat route, which later became Covered In Dogs, combined an eclectic mix of material and personalities from 50s to present day. Over the years a collection of characters passed through and were auctioned. The early days saw Mark Kings tribute on bass - Danny Merriman. Much later a Butlin's cabaret vocalist - Anna, John the stoned busker, happy Barry the etiquette blues dude with fag in his trap and a kebab in his paw. And ex-session musician, classically-trained pianist Mat, and of course me. Plenty of gigs and agent interest were achieved until the split in September 2003.

After the Dogs, bands and gigs were irregular. I managed to secure a position as reserve drummer during 2004 in a Leicester based band Pussy Galore. All girls, minus Rob, S-and-M rock covers outfit that supported local charities mostly gay-orientated including Leicester Pride.

2004/2005: I found myself in a studio based dub fusion indie/funk set-up, and later 2005 I joined the Pointy boys.

Contact: shel@pointyboss.co.uk