The Me
 Musical Genre/Type: Rock/Pop
Formed: 1982 Split: 1983
Andy Meakin - Lead Vocals (Polesworth)
Phil Smith - Lead Guitar (Atherstone)
Steve Saunders - Bass Guitar (Atherstone)
Pete Fulleylove – Drums (Atherstone)
Tim Burgess – Keyboards (Mancetter)
Recovering from the psychedelic trip of - Quark, in 1982 Andy Meakin teamed up with Steve Saunders (aka Grot), Phil Smith and Tim Burgess (aka Budgie) from Atherstone to form The Me. As a temporary measure Meakin started singing the self-penned tracks whilst the band endeavoured to recruit a vocalist. However, it quickly became apparent that there was no one who was going to step into the role so a change of tack meant that Atherstone drummer Steve Wallbank was drafted in to allow Meakin to step into the front-man spot.
At a heat of Battle of the Bands Meakin was likened to a “nonchalant Lou Reed”, and when heckled by a member of the audience over the quality of the evenings entertainment quipped from behind his Raybans "You paid to come in, we didn't" and "If you can do better come and get the microphone.", which seemed to stymie the protaganist. Meakin and Saunders drifted away from the rock element of the bands earlier material, and Meakins dissatisfaction with Wallbanks drumming ("its not that he was a bad drummer he just wasn't playing the tracks in the way I'd have played them.") coupled with Tim Burgess' erratic attendance finally resulted in the band splitting.
Coffee & Pills - Meakin/Saunders
Wish I Was Me - Saunders
Tonight - Meakin/Smith
Julie Was - Meakin/Saunders
Battle of the Bands 1982 Tamworth Arts Centre
31/01/86
The Me
Spirit Lake
‘Save Hurley Village Hall’ concert
16/02/86
Wolfsbane
Depth Charge
The Me
The Parade
Battle of the Bands
Tamworth Arts Centre
Title: Last Known Recordings
Format: Demo
Track List: Wish I Was Me (Saunders); Coffee & Pills (Meakin/Saunders/Smith); Tonight (Meakin/Smith); Valium Queen (Julie Was) (Meakin/Saunders)
Additional Info:
Our roadie-come-manager decided that it would be good to string these tracks together with an anti-drugs narrative- don't you just love hypocrisy?
Thanks to: Andy Meakin
Tamworth Herald – 17/01/86
TAMWORTH’S second annual Battle of the Bands contest looks set to be a great success with 16 groups – some completely new to the scene – taking part. The event has been stretched over five nights, with four heats and a final which will possibly be judged by a celebrity.
And as well as winning the accolade of Tamworth’s best band, and a Young People’s Arts Festival trophy, the successful band will also win £50 worth of recording time at the Expresso Bongo studios.
The whole event will get underway two weeks on Sunday at Tamworth Arts Centre.
Sunday February 2 – Caprice and Femme Fatale take on the unknown quantities of Coleshill’s Burnin’ Sky and new Anice Byfield group Precious Toys.
Sunday February 9 – The Australians, One On One, Dance Stance and another new one, Drowning Pool.
Sunday, February 16 – Depth Charge, Wolfsbane, The Me and The Parade.
Sunday, February 23 – Terroa, Spirit Lake, Judas Cradle and Breaking Point.
Friday February 28 – The Final.
Tamworth Herald – 31/01/86
TWO NEW bands from North Warwickshire play a special ‘Save Hurley Village Hall’ concert tonight (Friday).
The bands – The Me and Spirit Lake – will both take part in the Battle of the Bands later this month, but in the meantime, they are urging all local rock fans to support what they see as a very important cause.
“This is a venue where local bands can play and we must make sure it stays open.” Said a spokesman for The Me. “We hope people will come and support the gig because we are in danger of losing all our venues.”
The concert – which runs from 7.30-11pm at the Hurley venue, also features a disco and it promises to be an interesting night out for anyone who enjoys live rock music and wants to help a good cause at the same time. Tickets are £1 on the door.
Tamworth Herald – 14/02/86
THE THIRD intriguing night of the Battle of the Bands contest gets underway on Sunday when heat-favourites Wolfsbane take on the varied talents of Depth Charge, The Me and the always-interesting Parade.
It is probably the most diverse night yet in the contest ensuring another bumper attendance at the Arts Centre from a Tamworth audience that has really taken a liking to the competition.
First up – at around 5pm – will be Depth Charge the progressive rock band fronted by former BHX favourite Mick Goodby. The outfit, who were given a good reception the last time they played the Centre, play melodic rock that appeals to more than just rock fans and they should set the night off to a vibrant start.
That vibrant atmosphere will be more than sustained by rock and roll degenerates Wolfsbane who come up second. Their dynamic 100 miles per hour sleaze has the ability to stun an audience at 30 paces and they go into the heat as red-hot favourites to win.
Probably the least known band on the line-up is The Me who take the third slot. The Me, who scored well in the MUSICBOX poll are an amalgam of well-respected musicians with good track records. As little is known about them they should prove a big draw and the other three bands on the night will obviously worry about not knowing quite what to expect.
Finally on the night, will be The Parade – a good outside bet for victory. The committed trio play powerful modern music, built around the songwriting prowess of lead singer Bryan Lacey. They rarely disappoint and if they are on form they could be very difficult to beat. So yet another heat looks like causing quite a stir in the local music scene. Entry is once again free – even the February 28 final will only be 75p or less – and the night looks like being another great success for musicians and spectators alike.
Tamworth Herald – 21/02/86
 BATTLE REVIEW
Battle of the Bands – Tamworth Arts Centre
POWERFUL Wolfsbane scraped through to the final of the Battle of the Bands on Sunday night, in another close-fought encounter.
Wolfsbane won their heat by just one point, to conclude a night that was once again a triumph for the local scene.
First up were Depth Charge, who turned out to be, perhaps, the biggest surprise of all. A new mood of confidence and aggression has hit the band, and the resulting sound is one that won them many friends among the packed Arts Centre crowd.
The opening two numbers, ‘Running Away’ and ‘In My Car’ were two of the best I have heard in the whole contest, and they were both sparkling and very well played. The tight power of the band was quite inspiring and to many ears – mine included – it seemed hard to see how they could be beaten.
Wolfsbane, perhaps because they were carrying around their necks the unwelcome albatross of being the red-hot favourites, started their set off uncharacteristically uncertain. Slowly, however, things began to ‘click’ and it was clear that whatever Bayley, Jase, Stakk and The Slut have been up to these past couple of months, it has been worthwhile.
‘I’m Not A Baby No More’ was particularly dynamic, but the award for best song of the set – and the night – certainly went to ‘Clutching At Straws’ which is a track to get your rock and roll hankies out to.
As Spirit Lake singer Dylan said afterwards, the song is a real classic, and as Dance Stance guitarist Nick Reed also said afterwards, Wolfsbane were tremendous.
By way of a contrast, The Me were next to show. The Me are a likeable r ‘n’ b combo with a cheerfully spaced-out sound that is very soothing. Lead singer Andy Meakin was especially good, coming across as a sort of erstwhile Lou Reed character. He gave the sort of impression all r ‘n’ b singers should aim for – a kind of alcoholic nonchalance.
Exciting demos
Finally, came The Parade, who turned in a show made up largely of their exciting two demos. It was direct, powerful and impressive and even when Bryan Lacey’s guitar cut out, the group’s on-stage enthusiasm couldn’t be denied. The three judges on the night, Paul Speare, Phil Smith and Graham Phelps, were all agreed on one thing – with the right handling, The Parade could go a long way.
In the end, however, there could be only one winner and although two bands were almost neck and neck in the judges’ view, Wolfsbane were given the nod to take part in next Friday’s final.
Tamworth Herald – 16/05/86
THE ME have sent a lovely cynical letter to MUSICBOX thanking all the people who have pirated their recent demo and ‘removed the financial burden we would have expected from the sale of the tape’. The letter further went on to say that the area’s most Acidic outfit need a guitarist and drummer who likes The Beatles, Velvet Underground and Roxy Music. They further added that the ‘guitarist should comprehend what a beat is.” Well that rules me out.
If you have any further information about this band please email: info@tamworthbands.com |
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