Wes - bass guitar Mike Ford - guitar + backing vocals Steve Ford - guitar + vocals Chris Billam - drums
In The Beginning
The sexy young studs in Consumed have been together as a band for over seven years. They began in late 1993 when Steve Ford (guitar and vocals) and the original bass player Jay Chapman were on the lookout for a drummer to form a three-piece pop punk band. They had tried a couple of guys out but they didn't meet the right man for the job. They were out in Nottingham one night when they met up with Steve's friend Pete Lee, who used to front the surprisingly successful comedy thrash band Lawnmower Deth.
Steve asked Pete if he knew of any drummers that could join their band. Pete said "no", and then remembered that one of his friends, who was stood right beside him, had started playing drums a week or two earlier. The friend of his in question, ladies and gentlemen was the one and only Chris Billam, who of course we now know as "Chris Billam". Chris agreed to try out for the band, and the following day the line up was complete. The name of the band - Gibbon Complex (they had all recently visited the zoo. It seemed funny at the time).
After several weeks of rehearsals, the first show was at the Filly and Firkin in Nottingham supporting their friends Chattererman. More shows were soon to follow, and our heroes soon hooked up with another local pop punk band, Bradworthy and played The Narrowboat (legendary venue in Nottingham, which sadly has since been bulldozed) to death. Soon it became apparent that the songs Steve was writing really needed a second guitar in the band to do the job properly, then along came Mike…
Just After The Beginning
Steve's brother Mike had been living elsewhere in England since their previous band Desecrator split, but things weren't working out too well for him where he was so he moved back to live with Steve, and the natural thing for him to do was join Gibbon Complex. By now the band name had lost it's appeal and after many suggestions were put to the vote, they decided on Consumed. With a new name and a new line-up, nation-wide shows soon came thick and fast, their favourite being The Coach House in Swansea. They were having a blast. However before too long Jay began to realise life in a band wasn't as much fun as he had hoped and decided to call it a day.
Towards The Middle
With Jay gone, the obvious replacement was Steve "Bear Grappler" Watson. He fitted in well as he was already a friend of the band, and it was with Steve that Consumed recorded their first CD in 1996. It was the Spin Out Records compilation "Don't Do It", recorded by Andy Sneap, who had already been responsible for the recording of numerous Consumed demo tapes. After a couple of boozy years with Consumed, Steve Watson began playing guitar with fellow Nottingham band Iron Monkey and found himself having to decide between the two bands. He chose Iron Monkey. Now Consumed needed yet another bass player…
The Middle
The next choice for bass player was the guy behind Spin Out Records - Baz Barrett. He injected a great deal of humour (and nudity) to the band, and was a great help in the promotion of the band at a time when the other three were becoming increasingly disillusioned and lazy. Consumed recorded an EP called "Breakfast at Pappa's" which was set to be released on Spin Out, then late one night Steve received a phone call from Fat Mike, offering the band a deal. Baz had sent Snuff a cassette copy of the EP, and Snuff had then played it to Fat Mike when they were over in the U.S. which in turn led to Fat Mike calling Consumed. Being big fans of Fat Wreck Chords, naturally they were stoked.
Just After The Middle
The first Fat Wreck Chords release for Consumed was the EP that had got them the record deal. Higher profile shows became more frequent and the boys were thrilled to play with bands including The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, NOFX and Snuff.
Consumed found themselves back in the studio with Andy Sneap in late 1998 to record their first full-length album - "Hit For Six". The songs on the album were as reliant on catchy melodies as they were from the very beginning, and The Consumed sound was again defined by Andy's weighty production. Unfortunately various setbacks meant that the album wasn't released until the middle of the following year. Shortly after it's release they promoted it by touring Europe, as part of the Fat tour which also included Mad Caddies, Tilt, Snuff and headliners No Use for a Name. Consumed had a great time on the Fat tour but once again there were band personnel problems that needed to be addressed. Personal and musical differences resulted in the departure of bassman Baz.
Nearly There
Consumed were now left without a bassist once again, and with a tour of the U.S. and Canada starting in a matter of weeks, they had to think fast (something they're not too good at). The one bass player that they knew was right for the job was self confessed geek Wes Wasley from One Car Pile-Up, and as much as they were against poaching other band's members it had to be done. Wes was happy to join, and off they went across the Atlantic. Towards the end of this tour however it was becoming more obvious that all was not well with Mike. At this time he had a lot on his plate back home and this was beginning to affect the band, and sure enough, as we reached the end of the tour Mike announced that his time with the band was up.
The Home Straight
Mike left soon after he and the band returned to England. It was a big blow to his brother Steve, who was convinced Mike couldn't be replaced. After a considerable time off last year, Consumed advertised for a guitarist to replace Mike and after seeing a couple of people, they settled on new boy Will Burchell. It's now February 2001 and the latest incarnation of Consumed is ready to hit the road. Coming to a town near you…Watch this space
Source: http://www.consumedhq.com/
