Soho

(c’78-79) Charlie Skarbek (vocals/guitar), Sev Lewkowicz (keyboards) Tim Smit (keyboards), Greg Terry Short (drums) and Terry Campbell (bass).

This power pop / new wave combo were together for about 18 months, with Skarbek and Smit writing all the songs. When they first formed, Louis la Rose, who had played with Sylvester, was the drummer; but he didn’t want to tour so was replaced by Greg Terry-Short, who had played with ex-Running Dry keyboardist Lewkowicz in Asylum and House, of the Jackie Lynton Happy Days Band.

Their manager, now forgotten to time, put out flyers which purported that they were the only band with two Polish counts (Skarbek and Lewkowicz) in the lineup. When they played a gig at Holland Park School (maybe alumni Yasmin Evans (aka Yazz) or Drummie Zeb (Aswad) were in the audience) their dressing room was one of the classrooms; and when they’d finished their set they discoverd, in large letters on the blackboard that the support band had written – Soho the only band with 2 Polish c*nts. One person at that gig was keyboard player Dave Stewart, of Egg, Hatfield & the North, Barbara Gaskin fame; who came up to Lewkowicz after with some complimentary comments about his playing. The band played Guildford only once, at The Star Inn. The band toured the Netherlands twice, with Ian Bruce joining the band on guitar for the second tour in ’79. Both tours were ‘awful’ and the band called it a day.

After the demise of Soho, Tim Smit and Charlie Skarbek got together with opera singer Louise Tucker and released album “Midnight Blue” on Ariola [205 007], which they had recorded at Chestnut Studios, Churt in ’82. The album also featured Guildford sax player David Sherrington. The title track from the album went on to become a top ten hit across Europe.

Skarbek was commissioned by World Rugby to write an anthem for the World Cup in 1991; producing the lyrics to “World in Union” which he set to the central section of Jupiter, the fourth movement from Gustav Holst’s suite The Planets; and recorded by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Smit, who is now Sir Tim, after working in the music business as both a songwriter and producer, receiving seven platinum and gold discs in the process, was a founding member of the Lost Gardens of Heligan and director of the Eden Project. Smit along with Lewkowicz (who is well known to Soundscene regulars) and Stuart Reffold recorded “The Fishing Song” used on Channel 4’s ‘Jack Charlton Goes Fishing’.

Bruce changed his name to Rene Berg shortly after the tour and played with many well-known bands, including Hanoi Rocks, Idle Flowers, Jim Penfold’s The Killers, Soho Vultures, and the Herman Brood’s Wild Romance. You may recall the news story about Berg, while at a party on board HMS Belfast for the release of The Pogues’ “Rum Sodomy & The Lash”, he heroically rescued Melody Maker sub-editor Richard Fenn from drowning in the Thames after Fenn leaped overboard. Unfortunately, after years of drug and alcohol abuse, Berg died at the age of 47, on 28 July 2003.

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