YouTube Videos
DARK Mark I
From a recently re-discovered 22 minute Ciné Film taken during August & September 1969 of DARK's first incarnation:
Steve Giles: Guitar/Vocals
Bruce Duncan: Bass/Vocals
Charlie Hiams: Drums
Filmed in the notorious 'Cellar' under 'Giles Photography' on the Wellingborough Road in Northampton.
This film is only silent footage but I have added the track 'Bad Taste' which I remastered for this video.
Unfortunately no audio of DARK Mark I remains, so 'Bad Taste' is the best I can do, being of DARK Mark II with Martin Moloney on Keyboards.
This track was recorded in 1970 by Alan Bowley at SIS Recording Studios where we were to record 'Dark Round The Edges' 2 years later.
I recently had a few old Family cine films transferred to video.
Having no idea what was on some of them, I was amazed to find this epic piece of film, that I had completely forgotten about, of DARK Mark 4 featuring the late Carl Bush on Bass Guitar.
Filmed in the "infamous" Cellar by Andrew Gineikis, it was silent footage, although it is possible I did make a tape recording at the time - I originally thought that is probably long gone now.
Some time after that, Clive gave me a video that I had made many years previously of the same ciné film but this time with a different soundtrack. It was so out of sync that I decided it must have been something we recorded separately.
However - on closer inspection, I realised - and remembered - that it WAS the ACTUAL AUDIO recorded at the same time the film was made. I transferred it to video myself and had tried to keep it in sync by adjusting the speed of the projector as I did the transfer, without a whole lot of success.
So I had the film scanned to Hi-Def files to produce this video, cleaned up the audio as far as possible and then synced it to the video as best I could.
We recorded Dark Round The Edges not long after we supported Status Quo at Wellingborough's Rock Club - which was, I think, May 6th 1972.
We did that gig as a three piece, myself, Ron & Clive.
In the audience was Martin Weaver who was to join us shortly after, to rehearse the six songs I had written for the album.
A clip from the Dark Archives. Recording 'All The Loving I Need' - first track on our 'Anonymous Days' album.
We recorded the album in 1995 at Far Heath Studios near Guilsborough and we still only had access to analogue video recording, hence the quality of this 3rd generation copy.
The album was financed by the proceeds from licensing the rights to repress 'Round The Edges' in various formats in the early-mid '90s.
See Far Heath Studios now
DARK during Anonymous Days recording sessions at Far Heath Recording Studios.
Upon searching through some old video tapes - found this!
I had made a video previously of the 'All The Loving I Need' track, but had completely forgotten about this - a video I made for my mum!
3rd generation analogue video - so more apologies for the quality. I've done my best with it & tweaked the sound as well.
A rendition from our 1997 Northampton Beer Festival gig.
Here Dark play Killin' My Friends - Martin's composition from the Anonymous Days album.
DARK performing The Cat live on stage at The Picturedrome, Northampton for their 'Memories In Pink' gig.
The 'Memories In Pink' event was on September 30th, 2011 and was organised to raise funds for Paddington Ward at Northampton General Hospital in memory of Steve's daughter, Carly, who died on February 26th, 2011.
From our final 'Racehorse' gig - by popular demand -
'ZERO TIME'.
Last track from our 'Dark Round The Edges' album and last performance by our 'legendary' DRTE line-up.
Look out for the near disaster, just as the track gets going - and Ron, practicing his audition for 'Strictly'!
Featuring 'Wicked Lady's' Martin Weaver with his famous effects!
Also featuring, at the end, my daughter, Kim - Carly's twin sister!
Steve at work reproducing his original artwork for the forthcoming vinyl re-issue of Dark Round The Edges, which is a faithful recreation of the original.
Quality is improved and extra information added to the included Booklet.It will also be re-issued on CD and available for download and is due for release June/July 2013.
DARK have dedicated the first track, Darkside, to Carl Bush, their bass guitarist before Ron, who was in the band when Steve composed the song and had a input in the arrangement.
Sadly, Carl died a few years ago from MS.
11:15am April 12th 2013.
The test pressing arrives from Machu Picchu Ltd - M'lady's Records of Portland, Oregon - who have reissued this faithful recreation of the original album.
No Labels or Booklet yet, but it's great to finally get a look at the finished gatefold sleeve.
Set to the 2nd track on the album - Maypole. One of the first - if not the first - song I ever wrote.
It's changed a bit since it's first incarnation, but not a lot since this recording.
Rehearsing our version of The Beatles classic, Eleanor Rigby, with the two new guys, Phil & Rob.
This was actually filmed, believe it or not, with 3 iPhones - 1 x 3Gs & 2 4Gs.
Plus my video camera - the one that I've had all the trouble with.
High volume makes it cut out.
So - I placed it in the 'Underwater Housing' I made to film my garden pond videos, padded out the mic. to deaden the sound and put the lid on.
Stopped it cutting out, at least volume wise. Now it overheats!
Video quality out of water not that good either. (The long shot of the stage.)
Still - it gave me files to work with and I got an acceptable result.
The sound is recorded on my BOSS Digital recorder, using external mics placed either side of the stage to get better stereo separation, which I synced with the video, then edited in the cuts, dissolves & effects.
Thanks to my daughter, Sara, for coming along & bringing her mobile phone collection!
From DARK's latest - and, for the DRTE line-up, probably final (playing-wise) - project, a special Remembrance Day arrangement of 'In The Sky'
The idea for this version came about following one of Dark's meet ups when Clive suggested we do something with my 'In The Sky' composition, to commemorate the Centenary of The Great War, 1914-1918, as the lyrics were penned 44 years ago with that conflict in mind.
It was originally recorded in 1971 the year before Dark's famous 'Round The Edges' album - and before Ron & Martin Weaver joned the band.
At that time Dark were a three piece after Martin Moloney (keyboards) left the band and while the late Carl Bush was still on Bass Guitar.
I have actually mixed some audio of that original recording during part of the first verse.
See the full original version here -
Friday, 19th June, 2015 - AudioWorks Rehearsal Studios:
http://www.audio-works.co.uk
Rehearsing our set for the 'Have Guitars . . . . Will Travel - LIVE' gig at The Picturedrome, Northampton the next day.
(You can hear another band in the adjacent room at the start & in between songs :o)
One or two cock-ups, but all-in-all not too bad - and certainly much better audio than the acoustics allowed at the venue!
Steve Giles: Guitar/Vocals
Clive Thorneycroft: Drums
Phil Walding: 2nd Guitar
Rob Chaundy: Bass
An Interview I did for NNBC 106.9 on the afternoon of Tuesday 31st Jan 2017.
Brother of bass player Ron - Andy Johnson, who was rhythm guitarist for DARK's last 3 gigs with the DRTE line-up, is now a producer for the Radio Station, which can also be heard online at www.nnbc.co.uk
He invited me along to the studio for an interview following the sale of one of our original colour gatefolds for £25,000 earlier in January.
I decided it might be a nice Idea to film the proceedings - and here is the result.
Clive is the only one of us to still own an original - and he's hanging on to it - 🗝️ locked away in a secret, safe place 🤐!!
And before you ask . . . . No! I've NO idea where he keeps it! 😃
Recorded on 22nd November 2016, this video is, probably, the only time it has been played in around 30+ years. The audio is of that actual playing.
Recorded during a Rehearsal at Audio Works in Northampton, as a 3 piece. Back To Our Roots!
Our 2nd guitarist couldn't make it so we decided to just do the Classic line-up. This is the latest version we have recorded. Obviously, we're not doing much right now with the pandemic - but, as things stand, I'm not sure when we will again as I'm one of the 'Clinically, Extremely Vulnerable' people that is having to shield. This video is a slight revamp on the video I posted a couple of years ago.
