(c’86-’90) Mick Devine (lead vocals), Keith Macfarlane (guitar/vocals), Pat Davey (bass/vocals), Simon Lefevre (keyboards/vocals) and Austin Lane (drums).
Formed from the ashes of South African band Face to Face (which started in ’83 and lasted 18 months, but securing South African hit records, a Sarie Award for Song of the Year with “Here We Are” which was also featured in the Spud movie, and sold-out gigs), when McFarlane and the LeFevre brothers returned to the UK. They re-established Face to Face based out of The Red House, Woking. They were “discovered” by Soundscene in ’86 working behind the bar (they also lived above). John Goodison, the then Red House landlord, having given them a loan and their first break by making them the residential band, which they did for almost a year.
At the time Devine was in South Africa, playing drums in the band UC27. Devine left South Africa and joined Face to Face. In ’86 they performed at the Miss Woking event at The Old Schoolhouse, report by Soundscene to be “the gig of the year”. At some point John LaVerve left, with ex-Cosmetics bassist Pat Davey and drummer Ross Elliott joining.
The band triumphed on Bob Monkhouse’s Opportunity Knocks on April 2nd ’88 (Series 2, Show 5) with a 96 on the clapometer, performing “Inside Love”.
The band met Mike Parker, their first manager, at a talent show and relocated to Bournemouth and renamed the band Seven. The band released their first single on cassette in late ’89, with the 7″, 12″ and CD single following in January 1990. “Inside Love”, on Polydor [PO 63 / 873 496], peaked at #78 in the UK, lasting a total of four weeks on the chart. Engineered by John Spence, who also worked with The Happy Mondays, and produced by John Parr, it received a remix by Howard Jones collaborator Stephen W. Taylor. For one UK magazine, Phillip Schofield described the track as “a moody ballad that wiggles its way inside your brain forever after a couple of plays.” In a 1990 issue of the Cover Boys magazine, the song was described, “If you’re familiar with the sounds of American bands like Journey and Foreigner, then you’ll understand a little of how Seven sound.”
This was followed in June by “Man With a Vision”, again engineered by Spence and produced by Parr, reaching #91 in the UK.
Lane was last heard on managing the Drum Dept at Absolute Music, Poole, whilst both Macfarlane and Lefevre returned to South Africa. Devine moved to Market Harborough and Davey settled in Bournemouth, teaching bass in Bournemouth and Poole College and performing regularly with several jazz bands, and joining Diesel with vocalist Robert Hart (Bad Company, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Distance) and the guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick (FM).
Tracks:
America
Gallery:
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