The Early Years Pt.1 (1998-1999)

Part one of a monthly *cough, cough* history series that looks back at the beginnings of The Band Under Your Bed, how they came into being  - and just how many ex-members there must be out there. This month, we're taking you right back to 1998-99 – in “A Prelude to Terror”…

1998

Zombina and Doc Horror met as kids, while studying at Calderstones Comprehensive School in Liverpool, 1998. A shared love of pop music and bad movies led the teen-age couple to start a band together...
Their first recording, a demo cassette called “No Sleep ‘Til Transylvania” (featuring Zombina on bass and vocals and Doc Horror on guitar and vocals, playing over drumbeats from a Yamaha keyboard) was used to recruit new members for the band, which at the time was called – The Deformed!

Wanna hear The Deformed !?

1999

L-R: Doc, Cesar, Zombina, She-Thing, Shock-Headed Peter

The first and only show as The Deformed took place at an all-day punk-fest at Guinan’s Bar in 1999, with Zombina and Doc Horror alternating on bass and vocals, joined by Shockheaded Peter (guitar), Tiddles & She Thing (backing vocals) and Cesar (drums). They played the only five songs they knew, but it was enough to win over the larger portion of the underage drinkers in attendance, and to convince Zombina and Doc to pursue the band more seriously…

Yep, Marilyn Manson!

From then on, they began to haunt the North West as Zombina and the Skeletones, acquiring more members along the way – and by the end of the year they had recorded the “Love Bites” EP.

Wanna hear some Love Bites!?

By now, the line-up had expanded into; Zombina (vocals), Doc Horror (bass/vocals), Grim Outlook (guitar), Kit Shivers (guitar), Jonny Tokyo (keys), Uncle Bowels (drums), Velma (vocals), She-Thing (vocals) and Tiddles (bass/cello/vocals)… and when it came to re-recording “Frankenlady” for a promo video, they were joined by occasional member, Haj (saxophone)…

…which may seem like an excessive number of members – but it was nothing compared to what was to follow, as Zombina and the Skeletones travelled forward in time... into the YEAR 2000!!!

Clockwise from top: Grim, Doc, Uncle Bowels, Tiddles, Kit, Jonny Tokyo, Zombina & Velma

To be continued…