HOME PAGE Meet the Band
10 O'clock Curfew formed in 2005 with the intention of playing music that we enjoyed, having fun, and hopefully sharing this fun with our audiences.

While we continue to become more professional in our performance, we never lose sight of our original objectives of fun and enjoyment.

For a band of only five members, we have a surprising collection of instruments between us. These include electric and acoustic guitars, bouzouki, mandolin, alto & tenor sax, keyboard, bass and what seems like an ever increasing number of drums, timpani and percussion, behind which our drummer is slowly disappearing!

We have four vocalists in the band, with the advantage of a great lead female singer, who adds a touch of class to what would otherwise be “four blokes in a shed”!

We use different combinations of instruments and vocals to great effect to play a wide variety of music that will have something to suite everyone's taste.


All photography Copyright © 2004-2013 10 O'clock Curfew


- the stylish one

Kate is the stylish member of the band. Adding a touch of class to what would otherwise be “four blokes in a shed”!

But Kate is also the mysterious one. She gives away very little of her past exploits.

Sometimes she eludes to a past career in the music industry by absent mindedly dropping names of big record company bosses or show biz producers in casual conversation.

She also seems to be wary of photographers, which is a sure sign of ex-celebrity status in my book!

But now after a long break from the spotlight, she is back! Persuaded back into the world of music, glamour and public performance by the crowds of demanding fans...
   ….well, three of us talked her into singing with 10 O'clock Curfew, and three's a crowd, isn't it?


- the organised one.

In Doug's earlier years, when he was at college, he played in a short-lived rock band called "Snigrot"!

But with a name like "Snigrot", even an enthusiastic heavy metal rock band were never destined to go far.

But they did play a few casual gigs here and there. Mainly at friends' parties just for free beer.

That was until one day when they hit big time. Doug had managed to con a friend of his into booking Snigrot for a gig at Cardiff University. The only problem was that it was for the Folk Club.

Undeterred by this minor detail, and billed as the latest sensational "folk/rock band" to come from the Midlands, they managed to play a passable first set of acoustic blues and folk which went down fairly well.

Then at the start of the second set, Doug announced: "Well, you've had the folk, now here's the rock!", and launched into a set of rock music covers!

They escape unscathed, but they were only paid half of the fee!
(may have been a different story if they'd played a folk set at the Rock Club!)


  - the laid back one.

Already a fledgling bassist around the age of 4, Tim would play the bass line to Nancy Sinatra's "These boots are made for walking" by slowly unwinding the string on his small plastic guitar.

Tim was happy playing bass and for many years his thoughts never strayed from this instrument.

In fact Tim had never even seen a real saxophone until one Saturday when he was walking past a music shop in Bury St. Edmunds. There it was, gleaming seductively in the late afternoon sun. 

He was transfixed.

“Oh to hold it! To possess it!.      ….To play it!….”

Holding it was easy enough.
Possessing was fairly straightforward., (after signing the credit agreement!.)
Playing.... well this did take a little longer, and annoyed the hell out of the neighbours in the process.
 
But once he learnt that the trick was to “blow in one end and move your fingers up and down the outside”, he was away!

Fortunately the bass guitar and tenor sax got along well together. So well in fact that a short while ago came the patter of tiny pads... yes, an alto sax!


- the enthusiastic one.

Jon's playing days came close to a painfully abrupt end in what became known as "The Unfortunate Organ Incident".

Jon had started his musical journey as a child playing the piano in the front room. That was until his dad sold it to the local pub for £10!

Undeterred, he spent his teenage years playing a friend's electric keyboard until he started work and finally bought one of his own.

Then came what seemed like his big break. He joined some new work colleagues in an prog rock band called "The Flying Turds". (I jest not!)

The band was coming together nicely with regular practices at a parent's house. Then for some reason, Jon though he would "experiment" by plugging his organ into a guitar amplifier. There was a small explosion and the whole lot went up in smoke and flames!

"The Flying Turds" hit the proverbial fan and that was the end of that!

Fortunately, with the benefit of age and wisdom, Jon is now much more selective about where he plugs in his organ!


 - the tall quiet one.

Tim launched his drumming career with his first public gig at the tender age of seventeen. 

He was part of a heavy metal band called ‘Woolly Mammoth’. An excellent name for a heavy metal band! Conjures up images of large hairy bikers! (…Not that all bikers are big. Or hairy for that matter! I once new one with no... sorry I digress!)

The gig was in a typical biker's pub, full of long haired, real ale swilling, leather wearing, heavy metal fans. The room was dimly lit. A haze of slightly sweet smelling smoke hanging in the air…

And then through the gloom, in stark contrast to the sea of black leather and oily denim, emerged two brightly coloured, matching M&S cashmere jumpers…. Tim’s proud mum and dad, waving and pointing!

Since then, Tim insists on having loads of extra cymbals on his drum kit to hide behind! ...just in case!