The Beginning

Contraband was initially formed early 2000. The initial set-up comprised Craig Hollywood and Gavin Forrester on guitar and Sarah jayne McGlashan on vocals. They played three songs in a local Boxing Day Jam Session in the 'Fountain Tavern'. This was a bit of a hit and miss affair but good fun. That night they asked Barry Reece, then the bass player for another band, if he would play with them and see what happened. They had also arranged to meet Peter Coyle at the same time as he had played drums with Sarah's sister previously. This resulted in a session in Red Eye Studio's in Clydebank where they jammed out a few covers and basically checked each other out. Also attending this session were Bernie O'Hare and Peter Doherty. Bernie later joined the band full time. The next few weeks were spent jamming and getting to know each other, during this time a few of the bands favourite tunes were written based on jams that were being kicked around. This has remained one of the favourite song writing processes within the band.

Finding a vibe

It didn't take long before the five members at that time (Craig, Gavin, Sarah, Barry and Peter) started to feel a definite buzz about what they were doing and decided to concentrate on working original tunes. They found common ground in the music they appreciated; the classic sounds of 'the Doors', 'Bob Marley', 'Fleetwood Mac', 'Jimi Hendrix' and other perennial favourites, tasty funk like 'Jamiroqui', 'Lemon Jelly' and 'G-Lovin' Special Sauce', also included in this eclectic mix of influences were Gomez, Faithless, the Spooks and Moloko. Deriving a coherent sound from this background was never going to be easy but somehow Contraband came up with something. A few local 'Jam Sessions' provided an early chance for them to 'air their wares' and get a response from the public. These went down well and provided the encouragement to keep plugging away. When one of the members of the band (Gavin) landed a job in Europe it was decided to rope in another guitarist for lead duties. This was when Bernie joined the band full time and he has provided blistering electric guitar ever since! When Gavin returned from his travels it was decided that the band should become a six piece, as this would free up Gavin for various other duties such as keyboard and percussion.


Development

After several months of jamming they began to play in various 'Jam Sessions around their hometown of Dumbartonshire. The vibe went down well with the younger generation of punters at events promoted by Be@tts inc., a local studio showcasing young, unsigned bands. The older crowds that other 'Jam Sessions' attracted were also appreciative but not as enthusiastic as those at the Be@tts inc. gigs. In August 2001 Contraband entered into 'Unsigned & Unsealed', a battle of the bands competition arranged by West Dumbartonshire Council and Be@tts Inc. Six bands were chosen for the final from all the entries received and the stage was set. Contraband were the last band to play and started their set with a heavy, percussive, tribal beat as an introduction to 'Options', their first original song. As the set progressed the crowd were working up into a frenzy, crowd surfing and chants surging through the marquee. At the end of the set the crowd went wild, cheering and clapping. First place prize was in the bag! This was a definite confirmation that they were doing something right.

Recent History

Recently Contraband has supported 'the Ducks', in the Clyde Bar, Helensburgh. This was their first 'gig' outside of a 'Jam Session' and came as a result of a chance conversation between Gavin's brother and the singer from 'Mama Rag', the other band that were supporting that night. The whole thing was arranged at the last minute and involved writing the set list on the night.

Future

The plan at the moment is to keep working on original material and tightening the set. Contraband is looking for gigs from around May 2002 onwards. They will consider any gigs around Scotland and the UK. We have over an hours worth of quality original material and prefer to play to an audience geared towards hearing new bands. The pub circuit in Dumbartonshire relies heavily on the 'Brown Eyed Girl' type set of established favourites and there are few places where people can go to hear newer material. As a result there are not many options available locally. Contraband is about to commence recording a professional quality demo for distribution.