Pozer

(c’79-81) Rob Kemp (guitar / vocal), Ian Goral (guitar), Bruce Richins (drums) and Dave Gilbraith (bass).

Prior to getting this Farnham based new wave / power pop combo together Goral and Richins had been rehearsing in a band with Bruce Dickerson and Kemp had been in The Vapors. Shortly after forming, Pozer moved from Farnham to Croydon.

Chris Smith became their roadie with Simon Clothier. After a short while Gilbraith left and returned to Farnham; with Goral switching from guitar to bass. The three remaining members continued to gig and rehearsed in Wimbledon. While playing at a party they were joined by Mark Landini on sax, who subsequently joined the band as vocalist. After moving rehearsals to the railway arches near Waterloo they found themselves getting better gigs.

A record company audition fell through but the band kept gigging. A new roadie, Adie Street was now getting them to gigs, such as opening for Classix Nouveau and on 31 May ’80 supporting Gary Glitter at the University of Surrey, Guildford. They were back in London on 13 August ’80 to support Mungo Jerry at the Rock Garden. We also know that they appeared at Bunters, Guildford on 13 October ’80. Goral quit sometime in 1980. He was replaced on bass by Bernie Griffiths and Rock Bottom music store employee Paul Sheldrick (guitar) also joined. Without Goral’s songwriting, and Griffiths and Landini being more new romantic versus Kemp and Richins’ rock sensibilities the band was struggling. Then Sheldrick was in a serious car accident forcing the band to play an awful gig as a four piece at Farnborough Technical College. The band never recovered and called it a day in ’81.

Kemp went on to own Total Video, Farnham before moving to the US in 1986. He sadly died in 2016 as a result of a heart attack. Goral had a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction before leaving this world in 2007 as a result of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Gilbraith is believed to be in Basingstoke and Richins is in Farnham. Landini emigrated to Australia.

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