In 1984 I began filling in on second guitar with local metallers "The Axe Band". The line up consisted of the Brown brothers, Andy (guitar) and Phil (vox), the Maitland brothers - again! (Tim on bass and Chris on drums), and myself (rhythm guitar). Playing a combination of Brown Bros. songs and covers we gigged regularly around East Anglia, with material leaning towards the twin guitar sound of Thin Lizzy. Playing mainly tunes written by the Brown Brothers (Andy's brother Phil had been the original singer/bass player in "The Axe Band"). The set also consisted of several cover versions by Thin Lizzy, Pat Travers etc. A number of original numbers became favourites within the band including "Eight Up, Eight Down", "Pillowtalk" and "Anybody Seen A Bass", the last one being based on the true story of when The Axe Band played a gig at an American Air Base only to have their bass guitar stolen - and later found - just in time for the gig.

Steve Jackson (vox) (see "Livin' Dangerous", "Burn" and "Bedlam") had been generally hanging around with the band began guesting on a few songs - in a similar way in which I had been guesting with the band at the beginning. This incarnation did an infamous 3 day tour around the country taking in Nottingham on the Friday night, playing to just 3 paying customers (very Bad News!); The White Bear at Masham in Yorkshire (a good gig followed by invites to a local party and a tour of the Theakstons brewery the next morning); and all the way down to Norwich for the last gig of the weekend. We had been given free drinks all night at the Masham gig and it was not until the Sunday morning did we find out that Steve's piss came out looking exactly like a pint of Theakstons Old Perculiar, brown and with a frothy head, scary! This line up lasted until Phil decided he wanted leave when the band then turned into "One Night Stand".

This band continued in a simlar vein, with Steve on lead vocals, for about a year or so until Tim left to work in the USA at which point we called it a day.

"One Night Stand" was lucky in that it always had a really good rhythm section. Originally with Tim Maitland on bass and his brother Chris, who went on to be the drummer for "Porcupine Tree" (although he has since left the band). Richard Beasley (Chris's replacement) went on to play in Gary Numan's "Tubeway Army" and now teaches drums at Drumtech in London.