(c’77-78) Peter Hart (drums), Clive Cook (vocals), Brian Kavanagh (guitar), and Eric Stanway (bass).
The Absolute were formed, the Summer of ’77, by Kavanagh and Cook after a few pints in The Wooden Bridge, Guildford. Bassist Stanway was subsequently added, as was, the band’s drummer Hart. On 12 March ’78, The Absolute were billed to perform, along with Strange Cult and The Ellory Bops, with future members of The Vapors, Ed Bazalgette on guitar and Howard Smith on drums, at the Memorial Village Hall, Worplesdon, but didn’t.
In the Spring of ’78, punk inspired The Absolute, who were “more than thrashy two-chord wonders having a pop sensibility pulled from a wide variety of influences including The Who, The Byrds, and Motown, but also with some axes to grind lyrically” were scheduled to support Crisis at the Wooden Bridge. Hart however was banned from the venue. As a result, bass player Steve Smith, who had shown an interest in drumming, was drafted temporarily to replace the band’s banned basher. Smith’s drumming created a much tighter band and temporary became more permanent. Later in the year the band played Guildford Tech or University, where the drummer was reportedly so inebriated he fell off his stool! They also appeared at most of the popular Guildford venues, often accompanied by The Ellory Bop.
The Absolute fell apart after a disastrous Guildford Free Festival gig, with the Guildford band playing their very last gig at The Royal, Guildford. In addition to playing at The Royal, Kavanagh could also be seen ‘doing the sound’ for others at the pub. Smith would later join The Vapors, and several other local bands.
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