The story of Cross
Section
When 5
teenagers in 1978 saw an advert in the Melody Maker that read...
“Do you
want sex drugs and rock and Roll” you can imagine what they said.
The advert
was referring to the movie Quadrophenia, based on The Who’s 1973 studio album
of the same name.
The movie
was now being made, a young band was required to portray a band mid 1960’s
playing in a club in London, this was to be a scene in the movie.
A demo was
sent as an answer to the advert plus a publicity shot, the band sat back and
got on with their lives, namely school and playing in local clubs and pubs in
Kent and across south east England.
To their
amazement in the summer of 1978 the band auditioned along with many other
hopeful groups that had been chosen out of hundreds of applicants. The list was
narrowed down to 70 or so bands. After playing live in front of a couple of
members of The Who at the Electric Ballroom, Cross Section got to be the band
of their choice. Roger Daltrey approached them after the audition in Camden
High Street, much to their disbelief told them he liked what he heard, and
popped the question “Would you cut your hair?” “Yeah I’d dye it green” said the
drummer, naturally.
Weeks
passed as they slogged away in the working men's clubs of Kent, trying not to
upset the Bingo caller or set off the volume limiter or pacemakers attached to
the various committee members, after all the band had amplifiers for heavens
sake.
Then out
of the blue they were contacted, yep they got the part in the movie.
This
resulted in visits to London to The Who’s Ramport Studios, to record the songs
‘High Heel Sneakers’ and ‘Dimples’ and of course to the film set to become the
new infamous Mod Band that are to this day still on the Original sound Track
album and appear briefly in the movie.
Cross
Section retired soon after Josh and Dene left in the late seventies and the
boys lost contact. Vince and Lawrence along with Phil continued for a while but
it seemed the dream of ‘Sex Drugs Rock and Roll’ was probably nothing more than
a dream.
35 Years
later it seems that something woke the band from their slumbers, through social
networks the band members all found each other and started conversing, a bit
like the opening scene from the 1979 movie Alien when the crew awake after a
long journey and emerge from their capsules, though the bands capsules where in
fact real life.
Dene has
been a professional drummer living in Norway for 25 years, Phil plays guitar
and sings in Tenerife, he is a well-known local musical genius, he’s been
living there for 25 years. Vince continued in the industry singing and playing
guitar, then decided on a career change, he is now a sea captain and boss of a
large ocean going research vessel based in the UK, Lawrence is a successful
horticultural/agricultural contractor in Kent. Josh has been playing
professionally since he was 19 as some of you may know.
In 2014
after various Emails, the band decided to do something about the passage of
time, it seemed that the world new about the band, many articles had been
written about the band that never was, with YouTube hits and fans, yes fans!
In
February 2015, Cross Section decided to get together again, well what was the
rush?
After
deciding that we were actually the teenagers from all those years ago and then discussing
various ailments they struck up. It was like time stood still, the chemistry
was still there, after a 1 hour run through the band had re-recorded and
finished the two songs from the movie, sounding better than ever, but still
sounding like Cross Section, now very awake the band are planning to play to
the Mod fans that never had the chance to see them the first time round.
They are
delighted to be re united today, for you all to hear the first performance of
the band since 1979. Sadly Dene can’t be with us today, but how fitting that
the original drummer from the iconic 60’s super band the Small Faces is
stepping in, thank you Kenney.
Dene
O'Neill - drums
Josh
Phillips - keyboards
Phil Kitto
- guitar/vocals
Vince
Merton - guitar/vocals
Lawrence
Merton – bass
New live date
JUNE 13th
2015
ROCK 'n'
HORSE POWER
AT
HURTWOOD PARK
POLO CLUB
EWHURST
GREEN
SURREY
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