(c’83-84) Tim Petzold (guitar / vocals), Steve Cussons (drums), Bruno Skrastins (bass), Des Byrne (vocals), and Nick Gibson (sax / guitar).
The Innocence, not to be confused with The Innocents who came along later, got together towards the end of ’83, originally as a three-piece comprising of Petzold, Skrastins and drummer Mick Colenso. To quote Skrastins “We thought we were being clever, something along the lines of naming our band after innocence as a concept, or some such daftness”. Based in Aldershot they rehearsed in the wooden classrooms that used be at the West End Centre, Aldershot.
The band’s first gig was on 24 June ’84 at 5’s Wine Bar, Aldershot. After this rocking gig to a celebrating 9 Squadron RE, Para engineers marking the second anniversary of the end of the Falklands war, the next gig was a come down, to just 4 people at the Crossing Gate, Liss. A few weeks later, things improved, when they played to 9 punters at The Cranley Hotel, Cranleigh. The jazz-savvy Colenso was replaced by rock drummer Steve Cussons and shortly afterwards The Innocence recruited a lead vocalist, Des Byrne and sax playing guitarist Nick Gibson, both of whom contributed significantly towards the band upping their musicality.
The Innocence rehearsed during the summer months at the Village Hall, Tilford and Village Hall, Albury and played at the Golden Fleece, Elstead, later supporting The Plague at the Wooden Bridge, Guildford. The highlight of the bands year and brief career was in early December ’84, when they played the Christmas Party at Merrist Wood Agricultural College, Guildford. Late that same month, with gigs sparser than hoped (with poor networking and connections with people running the local scene) and differences in influences The Innocence disintegration.
Petzold, Cussons, and Skrastins went on to form This Breed of Heroes.
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