lost & found

Despite the encouragement received with the release of Signs Of Change, they felt they had reached the end of this stage of the band's life. They believed that either the band could now fold, or they could try to promote the album with secular record companies. Either way they believed the album would effectively be a culmination of their ministry, allowing fans to take home their music and absorb its message.

The feeling that they had reached the end of an era, was present even as the record was being recorded. Andy explained this reasoning:

"Up to now we've had a certain ministry of winning friends and proving that people can be in rock music and be Christians. In a live situation, one of our aims has been to win friends so they will buy an album and hear what we're saying. The lyrics are very positive and you can preach on them. They are not the be all and end all of the gospel; not John 3:16 in every line and every song. An album is not a total evangelistic concept, but it's a large step, whereas just live work is a very small step."

The release of Signs Of Change, gave the band an opportunity to lay to rest their 'progressive-pomp' image, and to fully embrace the New Wave music that had swept through the music scene. In a flurry of pen-writing activity, new, faster, shorter songs appeared. In a recent interview with Mike Rimmer, for CrossRhythms magazine, Banks explained the change of direction:

"We had not planned this in advance. But once the album had come out, we seemed to have a release from that style of music and began to write songs that were much more hip and current, and energetic and shorter as well. At one stage, we wrote four or five songs in one day. We suddenly found ourselves with a complete new repertoire."

Speaking to Sounds' Hugh Fielder, Piercy had spoken similarly of this release:

"We were getting dry before the new wave; there's no doubt about that. The album we did contained our history as a band up to that time. But once we'd done it, we seemed to be released from our old material. I was affected by the new wave for its total energy, rather than its musical standards. We also got excited by the idea of shorter songs. So we started writing and thinking differently, and when we came to go back on the road after the album, we'd written so much new stuff that we decided to change the set completely."

Banks played session keyboards on Fish Co's new album, Beneath The Laughter, and Andy McCarroll's Epitaph For A Rebel, both issued by Pilgrim Records on their Grapevine label. Meanwhile, Twidell, keen to express himself more fully than he felt able to in the band, recorded an album of his own, Waiting For The Sun, with Aleksander John.

Profile GMOR 167

Tour dates were announced for May, beginning at City College, Norwich on the 5th, and ending at the Jackson's Lane Community Centre, in London on the 27th. The band also played a few dates in June, starting at Twickenham on the 2nd, to St. Helen's in Lancashire on the 24th.

In July the first of a regular series of cartoon strips called Lost & Found appeared in Buzz magazine. Written and drawn by Piercy, they featured a pair of talking heads who began the series by pontificating on the merits of Christian festivals. The cartoon strip occasionally appeared in the Friends fan-club magazine as well.

In August, despite intending to stay as a three-piece, they enlisted John Russell (now ex-Regeneration) into the band on lead guitar, with Piercy staying on bass. The new line up was now:

Peter Banks (backing vocals, keyboards)
Andy Piercy (vocals, bass)
John Russell (guitar)
Ivor Twidell (drums)

Russell was immediately thrown in at the deep end when, in deference to previous years, the band played the Reading Festival instead of their usual appearance at Greenbelt (though rumours circulated of an appearance at Greenbelt anyway). At Greenbelt, they would have been headlining, but here they were way down the bill. Duffin's remark a year earlier must have struck home. In fact they were the opening act on the Sunday afternoon - a very difficult slot to play - and it was only Russell's fourth live outing with the band.

The NME in it's coverage of the festival, gave them an unfavourable mention, but the Reading crowd gave them a good reception. Piercy described things to Buzz's, Lindsay Tuffin, soon after:

"We didn't blow them away, but we were very pleased with the reception."

Alan Freeman had writen to Banks, in reply to a letter from him written 18th July in which Banks tells 'Fluff' about ATF's progress. Freeman is encouraging, and requests a tape of ATF material he can use to promote them on his new roadshows. The encouraging letter was proudly re-printed in Friends magazine (No.5). Freeman also plays tracks from the new album on his show, and his favourable comments were taped and played back to the punters after some of their gigs.

In September, the band got a mention in Sounds (with a photo Twiddell) as a result of Piercy almost being electrocuted at a gig.

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