Gene Regulation
Gene
Regulation were; Angus McDonald on guitar and vocals, Kevin O'Neill,
Vocals and guitar, Grant "Peach" MacDougall on Drums, Mike on Bass.
Got
together in mid 85, played first gigs at parties at Dysart Miner's
Welfare (where we practiced) and the Strathearn Hotel, that summer.
Peach didn’t always show up for practice cos he was often ‘stuck in a
field’ on his tractor. Like everyone else we went to gigs at the
Skittle and the Abbotshall and wherever else anything was actually
happening around that time. Many a good night out, usually with
Peter Fraser, too much Newky B, and a carry out from Michael's for the
long walk home.
Musically
we agreed on the Stranglers, the Smiths and maybe NMA - don't think we
sounded very like any of them though. Our own songs were pretty slow in
developing - mainly cos no one could play very well at first, though
Gus got pretty good pretty quick - and we learnt by playing covers. We
always kept at least a couple in the set, e.g., Walk on by, Meat is
murder, John I’m only Dancing, etc. to try and fill it out and keep
others awake, although we enjoyed our own racket regardless.
By
86 we had enough songs to play a reasonable length set and did a few
gigs sometimes with The Twist, and Sacristy (I think Bobby Nicholson
was still playing with Andy at that time) and for some reason a Heavy
Rock band from the West somewhere who’s name escapes me now. A couple
were videoed and there were one or two tapes around – not heard one for
a while. Probably played no more than a dozen gigs in all over 18
months or so, but it was good fun while it lasted… at least that’s how
I remember it. One cassette got put together, track list below. I’ll
leave the last word with Angus who scribed our epitaph on the inlay
card.
‘The
entirely dubious idea of Gene Regulation was proposed June 85 and
materialized in July. Mercy and common sense prevailed and Gene split
up in January 87. Gene Regulation’s music on this tape was supplied
freeby Angus. Sleeve by Mike. The song ‘TMP” doesn’t appear because it
was even worse. Credits go to ‘One Minute to Curtain’ for best song,
and ‘Smash Up the Surface” for best goddam guitar
break. “Beautiful people are never heard”.
Tracks
– Beautiful; Getting Nowhere; One Minute to Curtain; Candour; Caves;
Smash up the surface; This is your life.
Thanks to Mike Madden for this collection of Gene Regulation posters