Thanks so much to Joe Allen for the interview! I had written about The Jade, a fantastic Bristol band from the heyday of indiepop that for some reason only put out two demo tapes, no proper releases. After discovering them, I was wondering how come the band didn’t put out any records, their songs were really great! Happy to know to learn more details about the band, and also super interested in the new music Joe is making as it is brilliant too.

++ Hi Joe! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Are you still involved with music?

My pleasure, I’m very well thanks… yes I still write and record…

++ These days you are recording with a band called The Narrows that sounds great. Can you tell me a bit about this project? When did it start? Who are the members? Where are you based?

Thank you… it’s just me recording in my home studio, playing all the instruments and singing, trying to capture the sound of the 80s indie recordings that I love, it’s been an ongoing thing for a while but I’m just getting it together now… it’s based in my bedroom at home… so kind of full circle there!

++ I’ve listened to two tracks on Soundcloud and I am looking to hear more from The Narrows. Are there plans for more recordings? Maybe a release is coming soon? Gigs

Yeah I’m putting up stuff(and taking it down) all the time… it can be a bit random what stays up and how long depending on my mood! A release would be great but probably not something I would get together… it’s very unlikely I’ll get a band together and gig… I’m a bit lazy these days and kind of just drifting along seeing what happens.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what your first instrument was? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?

My first music memories are listening to my mum and dad playing cassettes in the car, great stuff like early Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. My first instrument was a classical guitar, all I wanted to do at that stage was be like Jimmy Hendrix so i was a bit baffled by it… I had lessons for a while then switched to bass.

+ Had you been in other bands before The Jade? What about the other band members? Are there any songs recorded by these bands? 

No i hadn’t i think Dave the drummer had,I’m not sure about Alex and Mark… somewhere there’s a tape of  me, Alex and Dave playing before mark joined, but its best left where ever it is.

++ Where were you from originally?

We were all from Bristol.

++ How was Bristol at the time of The Jade? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Bristol was incredible at that time, there were so many great local bands I really liked The Chesterfields, The Montgomery Clifts, The Brilliant corners, Rodney Allen, The Blue Aeroplanes, The Flatmates and loads more, there was a lot going on… Rocker from The Flatmates had a great night at the Tropic Club and you could see so great national bands there, though more often than not I’d gone to see a local band who were supporting.. Rival and Revolver record shops were still going then… I remember Revolver being particularly terrifying, if you asked for the wrong thing you get shouted at “what do you want that for it’s shit” very High Fidelity….

++ How was the band put together? How was the recruiting process?

We met through a mutual friend who i was in school with…me, Alex and Fave played instrumentally for a long time, we tried loads of our mates as singers and had some hilarious auditions, but just couldn’t find the right person… it was a very frustrating time we were only about 15 and were desperate to get gigging and it seemed to be hopeless… Mark lived around the corner from Dave’s house where we rehearsed and after a particularly bad audition came round knocked on the door and said I can do better than that!! He was a bit older and could write lyrics and seemed very confident…

++ Was there any lineup changes?

No

++ What instruments did each of you play in the band?

Mark Espiner – vocals, occasional live guitar and cowbell

Alex Lee – guitar

Joe Allen – bass

Dave Francolini – drums

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Very good, for a bunch of teenagers we were remarkably disciplined… we came up with new stuff all the time and rehearsed every week, in Dave’s bedroom to begin with, then in a rehearsal room when we got bigger amps! Dave’s mum and dad were very understanding.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Errm… I’m not sure but i think mark’s dad came up with it… we just couldn’t think of anything and had a gig coming up and something had to go on the poster… it’s our initials.

++ The only recorded material I know from The Jade is a demo tape from 1987. A demo tape that included six tracks. I was wondering if you could tell me more about this demo. For example if it had a name? Where was it recorded? Did you work with a producer?

It’s actually two separate demos, the first one was recorded in Alex’s house on portastudio by a friend called Ade Dowden, he was our age and a very funny person… I remember laughing a lot between the nerves of recording for the first time… the second one (“How many”, “The Man”, “Perpetual Motion”) I think was recorded in a proper studio, where we rehearsed called E-Plus but I’m a little hazy on that one.

++ Also what was the main purpose of the demo? Was it to get gigs? Maybe to promote your music in radio? Or even sell the cassettes at gigs?

It was probably to get gigs, but I’m pretty sure it was just for the sake of it, it was all new to us and any chance to get into a studio would have been taken.

++ The six songs are now on Soundcloud thanks to Matt Barrett from Bristolsound. Was wondering if you know Matt or the people behind Bristolsound? Or was it a surprise to you to see the tracks online

Matt is a friend of mine,we were chatting one day about the demos, I didn’t own a copy, I lost mine along time ago,but he had one he’d made at the time, he said he put it up on Soundcloud so I could have a listen.

++ Was there any other songs recorded by the bands? A 2nd demo tape?

There were some great rehearsal tapes we made so we could practice along at home, Mark or Alex may have some still I’m not sure… there was another demo we made but I think that got lost along the way.

++ Why do you think there were no proper releases by the band? Was there any interest from labels at any point?

We were so young we had no idea who to approach… I think some demos got sent off… and I do recall a hilarious day going round all the major labels in London trying to blag our way in! we got the coach down and just figured some one would see us…. needless to say we never got further than some very amused receptionists.

++ And let’s think you would have had the opportunity to release a record then, what kind of format you would have liked to be your first release? A single? An album? Any songs you would have picked for sure?

I think we would have settled for anything at that point, we were quite ambitious especially for our age, and thought everything we did was great!!

++ I read that many Bristolians think that The Jade is considered the best Bristol band that never made it. Have you heard this before? Any thoughts on that

I hadn’t heard that before no, we were still at school and were just really excited to be doing gigs and be in a band, i don’t think we had any realistic concept of what making it  was… it was just a case of carry on and I’m sure we’ll be as big as U2.

++ Are there more songs recorded by the band? Maybe live recordings?

There were some live recordings but I think they’ve all been lost…. gigs were great events very high spirited slightly drunken affairs,where months of practice basically went out the window in a rush of over excitement… everything ended up twice as fast… one gig they left a mic over my side of the stage so having had a few i decided to do some backing vocals…. it came out like someone had trod on a mouse… a strangled squeak… Alex laughed so much he couldn’t play… lots of things like that.

++ Have you ever thought of re-releasing The Jade songs?

Not really,I’m glad that they are up on Soundcloud and am really proud of them, but i think the moment has passed.

++ My favourite song of yours is “Perpetual Motion”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?

That’s a great track as ever with us it was a mix of ideas… I think inspired by “Inbetween Days” by The Cure… the bass line is me trying to rip off the “Headmaster Ritual” and just not having the ability to do it properly… and the lyrics are great.

++ If you were to choose your favorite The Jade song, which one would that be and why?

I think “How Many” is a great song that we didn’t quite have the knowledge at that age to pull off… we did a cover of it years later on a tour with Rodney Allen in-between Blue Aeroplanes tours but that’s a different story.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many?

Quite a lot in the time we were together,i get a bit mixed up now between Jade gigs and Coltraines gigs ,but we were lucky enough to do some great supports to the Chesterfields and The Blue Areoplanes.

We did a couple of gigs in London at the Timebox.

++ And what were the best gigs that you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

All the gigs were pretty good, because we were still at school and we went to different schools we have a ready made crowd, a hoard of bored teenagers just waiting to go mental, it’s possible that the band was just an excuse for them but most of them seemed to enjoy the music too! we did one supporting The Chesterfields that was really good, I remember getting locked in the dressing room before one gig cause there was no handle on the inside of the door,the main band had to come and let us out… and steam coming off my friend Paul Cook’s head at a gig at the Thekla… he was so  proud.

++ And were there any bad ones?

Not that I remember.

++ When and why did The Jade stop making music?

Mark got a place at university in London, it seemed like a million miles away… also when The Jade formed we were all into The Smiths and The Cure and taking ourselves very seriously… then along came The Housemartins and we’d discovered Orange Juice and Aztec Camera it seemed like time to move on… washed up at 17 haha

++ You were in The Coltraines and Strangelove, how do you compare these bands with The Jade?

you can’t really… The Jade was the first band we were in… it’s like your first girlfriend or your first kiss, it will always be special… The Coltraines was really good fun, and Strangelove wasn’t… am going to  post up some Coltraines demos on Soundcloud at some point

++ What about the other band members? Were they involved in any other projects afterwards?

Yes, me Alex and Dave were in The Coltraines and were all in the original line up of Strangelove… Dave went on to join Levitation with Terry Bickers and was replaced by John Langley from The Blue Aeroplanes… Alex played with them and made a couple of albums and has gone on to do loads of session stuff and TV and film music,mark became a journalist and now lives in Berlin, Dave owns a studio somewhere in Europe I can’t remember where…. and I retired to Cornwall.

++ Was there any interest from the radio? TV?

No, we did make a video in some uni as part of a project but I don’t think anyone ever saw it

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

There was a live review in venue Bristol’s listing magazine but I can’t remember much about it other than a cowbell reference

++ What about fanzines?

I don’t recall any

++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

I think just the band it’s self really…to have gone from Dave’s bedroom out into the world and to gig and record was our dream come true, going into a proper studio the first time… the near riot we caused at our first ever pub gig… everything was a first, so it was all pretty cool

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have? Bristol Rovers or Bristol City fan?

Errm just music really,sad but true, though I’m not really into football I’m a rovers fan by geography alone…and have only ever seen city play!! Pretty typical for me.

++ I was once in Bristol for a day, didn’t get to see much so I’d love to ask a local. What do you  suggest checking out in your town, like what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

i actually don’t live in Bristol anymore,it’s changed a lot since  i was last there so i wouldn’t know…. though my favorite place on the whole planet is the sportsman pub in Bishopston, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it as such…. its exactly the same as it was in 1986 and that’s fine by me…. the Mayflower Chinese restaurant in the underpass by the bus station is really cool, they do dim sum on Sundays and many an afternoon was spent eating and drinking there

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

I love what your doing with the label and everything, best of luck… thanks for taking an interest, it was all along time ago and I’m sure there’s loads more that could be said it truly was a magical time

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Listen
The Jade – Perpetual Motion