Music

Songs you’ve forgotten you remember

BY EDDIE ALLNUTT

Frampton, Small Faces, Steely Dan, Wings, ACDC, Stereophonics and Joni Mitchell and that’s before the first set – and my first pint – had finished. “Songs you’ve forgotten you remember.” The Lee Fern Band coined this phrase many melodies ago and it has since been their motto to describe their improvised song selection. With this three-piece covers band, you won’t find a setlist gaffer-taped to the foldbacks, and just like the crowd, they don’t know what’s next until one of them powers into the opening riff, beat or bass line. It might be a number from the archives – their stockpile is hundreds – or live for the first time, rehearsals included.

LFB consists of Lee Fern (lead vocals and bass), Chris Pierson (drums and vocals) and Andrew ‘Smiley’ Shellock (guitar and vocals). This year marks 20 years for the band, which first started as Kodiak with Fern, Pierson and different guitarists coming and going for three years until Shellock joined, which formed the right mix.

Fern, who almost has a four-octave range, can scream like Bon Scott and croon like Sinatra.

Pierson says, “We still have the mission statement to have fun, and they’re not obscure covers, but they’re not necessarily thrashed to death either. It’s definitely our point of difference to have a repertoire that’s not standard cover band.” Fern reiterates: “You get tired of hearing the same songs over and over, and the staff do too. I’m quite proud that we haven’t played Wagon Wheel yet.” With a cheeky smirk, Pierson adds, “And you’ll get asked to leave if you request it. It’s part of our reverence, not a serious threat.” The guys speak highly of each other’s musicianship. Pierson whispers, “He’s a great bass player, just the feel and the tone; never in a hurry to get to the end of the song,” and Fern says, “Smiley’s got magic fingers; the way he can assimilate keyboard parts on guitar. There’s a huge scope of stuff he can cover.”

Outside the band they are also mates. Fern says, “The band has outlasted our marriages, times two.”

“There’s enough love in the band to cut each other enough slack if things go wobbly,” Pierson adds.

It’s worth noting that Pierson has toured with the Dance Exponents and has made a living from music. “From 15, I was very fortunate to get a gig in a band, straight into three nights a week, you know, bringing home more money than my dad but ironically having to borrow his suit and car to do the gig!” Fern, who almost has a four-octave range, can scream like Bon Scott and croon like Sinatra. He says, “Your voice gets match fit. If we did two nights on the trot it would be better on the second.” He also adds: “I grew up, playing in the 70s, with a five or six-piece

76 Photo: Dominique White

Above: Band members, from left: Chris Pierson, Lee Fern and Andrew Shellock

band and that’s why I’ve got a loud voice. The only way you could hear yourself – scream your lungs out.” Pierson says about Fern’s voice, “We hit our groove and in the chorus I watch him, and he’s about to hit that note, and I think, go on then, bloody give it to them!”

A mixed music bag When asked about live music in the region, the lads reminisce. They give anecdotes about bands and musicians such as Marc Steyn, Rupert Winter, Trudi Wilson and the late Susie Fray of the Johnnys. Fern talks about the decline of live music: “Twenty-five years ago I can remember queuing on a Tuesday night to get into Fletcher’s or Apache as it was then, which is now Bamboo Tiger, to see a band.” While Shellock has jazz-fusion and bluegrass influences – you might even catch him doing some chicken-pickin’ noodling between songs – Fern is punk; Stiff Little Fingers, Graham Maby, The Jam and he never gets tired of listening to the Stranglers’ Rattus Norvegicus.

Pierson says, “My influences were power trios, especially the Police. I heard ‘Roxanne’ when I was nine. I’m thinking, there’s something odd about this rhythm, it’s back to front, I’ll have a crack at the drums.” Schlepping their gear is all part of it and they’ve gigged at some doozy venues over the years such as Government House and a biker pad.

Who knows what this band on the run will play at their next gig, in this land of confusion?