1990 - 98

THE BIRTH OF CATATONIA
Cerys and Mark were about to play their first ever gig [as Sweet Catatonia] at Cardiff’s Meltdown - a Sunday night Cardiff institution that gave musicians - both established and otherwise - a stage for the evening. That was the simple and alluring idea behind Meltdown - an organisation run by music lovers for music lovers at the City’s Welsh Club, Clwb Ifor Bach, and before that at the Four Bars Inn, Cardiff’s late and legendary jazz venue.

Cerys says of that first gig: ‘We were awful. I’d regularly been to this place and seen other bands, and now I was up on stage behind the microphone for the very first time. I was really scared so I drank loads of brandy which I don’t think helped my voice any!’.
Cerys, Catatonia and the Rise of Welsh Pop
David Owens
Ebury Press

About sixsidedmen

Country is a bit cool now but, believe it or not- in Cardiff at any rate, that wasn’t always the case. There, during the late eighties and early nineties the merest hint of a clip-cloppity rhythm and a jaunty, catchy tune was often enough to see a band being publicly flogged down Caroline Street. The Six Sided Men were a brave bunch then because (especially in their earliest incarnations) they were purty darn country and weren’t afraid to revel in it.

Ayres had been in Cardiff C-86 contenders The Third Uncles but (although they had been quite successful for an eighties pre-Manics Welsh band- signing a deal with Chrysalis and stuff) he had gradually tired of their rock bluster and had wanted to experiment with acoustic instruments and the country and folk idioms which he had always loved. Gathering together drummer Stewart Lucas (ex Statues of Us) and Adam Barley (double bass) The Six Sided Men (originally known as ‘Ayres and the Barley Crew’) performed their first few gigs at Meltdowns and discovered that they weren’t alone in liking that kind of acoustic stuff. Gradually the line-up expanded to include Matt Cotham on fiddle (Ayres had encountered him at a party, lost his number, and then he met him a few weeks later by chance whilst driving home from a gig one night and Matt was crossing the road at a pelican crossing! Ayres stopped the car and gave chase. Poor Matt was apparently terrified at first thinking he was going to be mugged!) and Paul White on electric guitar. After a while, however, Adam Barley announced that he wanted to disappear to travel the world and that’s what he did. (Nobody ever heard from him again!) Andy Thomas (ex-Pier) was recruited on electric bass and this line up proved to be very popular although, after a while, Paul left and was replaced by another guitar wizard- Mike Slee.

The band recorded an album ‘Riverside Moon’ and wowed audiences with their infectious tunes and foot-tapping grooves. A second album ‘Plugged’ followed as the band developed a rockier edge. The band split ( ever so amicably! ) in 1993. Their final appearance was actually on HTV’s show ‘The Electric Chair’. A few years later Ayres, Stew, Andy and Mike decided to reform as The Soda Men and for more on their adventures check out the soda men page.

SPENCER FROM THE COOPERS
Live in Bermuda. Originally from a small, but great hearted country, with Dragons. Married to ...... er...err ... my wife ! (Who is not a dragon !! Oi!!!. She is from the island. Have 2 wonderful kids (two footed variety...not goats!) Played drums for Within Reason and The Coopers in the UK....That was a little while ago. I itch to gig again. Although family cures the itch with a cream called responsibility....when the kids are a little older and I have more free time outside of work/family who knows! People tell me I should write a book, a script, or do standup....or was that an instruction ..."Standup !" ??!!! I hope to achieve one of these someday. If standup was an instruction, I achieved it 3 days ago. Hurrah. Life is amazing, but burdens me with the curse of not having enough time to finish anythi