Vixen

(c’80-’83) Cliff Turner (guitar/vocals) John Suddick (bass), Mark Booth/O’Dowd (rhythm guitar / keyboards / vocals), and Mick Hulme (drums).

Farnborough based Vixen joined other local bands: Lynx, The Torpedoes, The Vulgar Bros., Human Beings, Blue Unction, Roosta Boots, Larry Miller Band, Animal, and Magic Pictures to play the Stonehenge Festival in 1980. Some of the costs were covered by the sale of t-shirts designed and printed by Tim’ Rockin Timbo’ Freeman, Martin Freeman’s brother, who also performed. The next year they competed in and made the final of the Freer Music Talent Competition held at the Sports / Recreation Centre, Farnborough.

In February ’81 Vixen recorded a demo at Multium Studios, Wokingham and later that year, on 11 June they supported Ginger Baker’s Trimmer & Jenkins at the Three Tuns, Kingston. They also supported The Fix at the Marquee, London. At some point Suddick was replaced on bass by Alex Forsyth (bass / flute) and Mick Pankhurst joined, also on rhythm guitar. There was also talk of a recording deal with Bronze Records, with the label funding studio time. This may have been the recordings made at the BBC.

Prior to Vixen, Booth was a session Musician, working on records for Kiki Dee and Olivia Newton-John. Turner went on to co-form Tried and Tested and was seen in Ten Thousand Revs in 2013/14.

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