Parmaviolet

(c’89-94) Scott Lawrence (drums), Elliott Forge (guitar), Ben Corbett (bass / vocals) and Paul Bolton (keyboards).

Camberley’s Parmaviolet started out on Christmas Eve 1989 and played their first gig 5 months later, on 30 May ’90, at the Fox & Hounds, Fleet. Then Corbett left, going on to form Phobia! The three remaining band members released the “And Then…There Were Three” demo shortly after the bands “demise” in June of that year.

Sleeve of “And Then…There Were Three!” demo cassette. Picture courtesy of Sid Stovold

Lawrence, Forge and Bolton kept the fire burning for a while. In June ’91 they competed in day two of the Buzz Club’s Midsummer Madness local band competition against Frayed Edge, Who Moved the Ground?, Cesspit Rebels, and Big Sun. In ’92 their track “Sky” appeared on Farnborough Groove Vol.2 (aka Son of Farnborough Groove).

Adam Wolters (vocals / rhythm guitar) joined in Summer ’92. But Bolton had left, and Forge and Lawrence were the only original members left. By November ’92, after some more shuffling, that reportedly included Chris Wareham (bass) joining before he moved on to Flowers of Sacrifice, a ‘new’ 4-piece Parmaviolet eventually emerged with Nigel Firth on Guitar. We know that the band, in one form or another, played at Camberley Town Football Club on 30 June ’93 and on 14 July, supported by Summersalt, and the 20 August. The next year Parmaviolet competed, but lost to Headnoise, at the Battle for the Limelight held at Princes Hall, Aldershot in May – Head Noise also surpassed Who Moved the Ground?, Strange World, Blind, Punching Judy, and Redefining Beautiful! The band continued until September ’94, when Forge, Lawrence and Firth formed Riser with a female vocalist. After the rise of Riser, Parmaviolet’s “Holy Rover” was included on Farnborough Groove Strikes Back Vol.5 in ’95.

Nigel continues in Vienna Ditto, Wolters was last seen in The Charlie Farley Sunday Four, prior to which he’d joined Backlash for their final gig as bassist before joining Vis The Spoon and Matt Alexander in Brad Obscure, playing 2 gigs before dropping the curtain. In fact all the members have played in various bands over the years since Parmaviolet.

Tracks: