The late 70s and 1980s saw multiple musical genres: rock, r&b, soul, disco, reggae, and funk with new styles of punk, post-punk, dance pop, new wave, two-tone, second wave ska, new romantic, and synth-pop.
Punk definitely set the tone for a ‘let’s form a band and get on stage even if we can’t play our instruments that well’ vibe. SEEING RED’s genesis definitely had its roots in that philosophy with an early flirtation with new romantic orientated bands, music and fashion giving way to post-punk / new wave / synth-pop iterations.
1981 saw the formation of a band called The Red Square Crowd. This featured three future Seeing Red band members Graham, Dave, and Gary with two other friends, Robin and Steve R (aka Jacko). RSC set out to write and perform original material but spent most of 1981 rehearsing in a packing shed planning world dominance whilst Bucks Fizz were winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Although 1982 saw RSC gigging half a dozen times, the band never really took off, and by 1983, Robin and Steve R had departed. The band reconfigured, replacing the packing shed with a dark, dingy, cobwebbed rehearsal room at the Charotterie, a live drummer with a drum machine and adding Graham’s brother Steve to the line-up on a newly purchased DX7. RSC became “Afrika Korps” with the band opting for a more post-punk synth based sound.
Musical influences included The Scars, Josef K, The Cure and The Clash (Graham), Depeche Mode, Sparks, the Human League and Yello (Gary), Joy Division, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads and The Cure (Dave), The Clash, The Skids, Depeche Mode and The Cure (Steve), but there were many other influences like Simple Minds, Japan, Blancmange, New Order, The The, Heaven 17, Bauhaus, A Certain Ratio, Echo and the Bunnymen and Paul Haig.
Afrika Korps suffered a little from not playing live that often preferring to make each gig an event and introduce new material. Graham, Gary, and Dave were all contributing new songs. A girl singer (Georgie) was added, but by early 1984, this experiment was abandoned and the band reverted back to a 4 piece. The band name quickly changed to Seeing Red, a nod back to RSC, and thus Afrika Korps were demobbed.
Band rehearsals went on a pace, and at some point, a decision was made to record a double A- sided vinyl single (Ice / Weekahead) with Steve Free at Big Ideas Recording Studio. Recording took place in March 1985, and the single was released a couple of months later.
Seeing Red broke up in September 1986. Gary left to form his own band, Movie Stars. Graham, Steve, and Dave formed the short-lived The Crosbie Brothers with Claire H. Steve moved to London in 1988. Graham and Dave formed The Johndoes in 1992, releasing the album Reveal Yourself in 1993. Graham moved to New Zealand in 1993.
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