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Advanced Ticket Credit Card Line: 0117 929 9008
The Fleece
12 St. Thomas Street
Bristol
BS1 6JJ
0117 945 0996
The Fleece is an 18+ venue.
THE SECRET POLICE
Fri 23rd May
THE SECRET POLICE have been together since June 1996. Formed after two brothers Michael and Cameron Findlay put an advert in a local newspaper saying…... ”.. desperately seeking Sting ..”
biography – band formed june 1996…
Mike and Cam had been touring UK venues as part of a three piece outfit called ‘Bold as Love’ – playing the songs of the legendary Jimi Hendrix. Mike played guitar and took the vocals, with Cam playing drums. The gigs were hot, sweaty and blisteringly loud – the way that Jimi liked to play – audiences used to comment on just how accurate the band sounded. Mike and Cam loved the work and were kept fairly busy, but still wanted to be out gigging more frequently.
jimi hendrix leads the way…
In a chance conversation, one particular booking agent asked the brothers if they knew of a band capable of performing a good Police set, complaining that no-one was doing justice to the material. Mike and Cam had seen The Police on tour during their halcyon days and were big fans. Having become accomplished with the Hendrix material they saw an opportunity to broaden their horizons, start another three piece and play another style of music that they loved. They knew several bass players, they knew a singer who could hit the right notes – but they wanted to remain true the original Police line up. They needed to find a singing bass player – hence the newspaper advert.
can you play police..?
The advert was spotted by the manager of another Gloucestershire band who knew a bass player that could sing, and whose singing voice sounded like Sting. A meeting & audition was duly arranged – in the back room of a small music pub in Stroud. Mike & Cam agreed with this potential bass player, John Green, that they would all independently learn 3 tracks for the audition – Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and So Lonely. The meeting started with Roxanne and we played through all three songs a couple of times. After an hour, Mike went through to the main bar to buy another round where the regulars asked him if he had managed to get The Police to reform in the back room…!? Clearly the new band was sounding like it should sound…......!
so what do we call ourselves..?
A name was shamelessly stolen from Sting’s 1979 guesting at the Amnesty International concert ’ The Secret Policemen’s Ball ’ where he played with Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck (among others) and The Secret Police were born.
and away we go…
There was immediate chemistry between Mike & Cam and John – often so important in original bands that hit the big time but all too often missing from working bands. These three would become instant friends and fuse into a solid unit very quickly, John was also a big Police fan and knew the material well. Prior to The Secret Police – Mike, John & Cam had been playing in other bands for years and years. In various original and cover bands they have all independently experienced some of the highs and lows that the music industry has to offer. These experiences created the universal desire to make The Secret Police a band for enjoyment, so that they could play stuff they really loved and have fun doing it – with no grandiose pretentions, inflated egos or high-minded attitudes . This band performs because they enjoy it – and this is picked up by audiences so that everyone has a ball.
all over the world…
In the last few years the band have played all over the UK in large and small venues and to audiences of up to several thousand, from Devon & Cornwall to South Shields, near to Sting’s hometown in Wallsend. We have been to Scotland many times and to Wales and Northern Ireland. The Secret Police have also toured five times in the Republic of Ireland, spent time in sunny Spain, had trips to Holland, Dubai and Oman. In Belgium the band supported The Stranglers at an open air festival with an audience of close on 12,000, re-visiting the country the following season to headline at another festival. We have had television appearances and many radio broadcasts and interview sessions. One thing the band are particularly proud of is their endorsement by the official Sting and Police Fan Club, Outlandos. The band have had close contact with club members and have played at club gatherings including a special show at Dingwalls in London – coinciding with Stings appearance at The Albert Hall – which was attended by Police fan clubs from all over Europe, USA and Japan.
Tickets £8adv