Crosstalk A/V (1981-1983)

Crosstalk A/V formed in 1981 when Mark Webb (bass, former Dead on Arrival) and Paul Clark (vocals, guitars) joined Tim (drums). This line-up recorded an eponymous three-track demo (Machinery / Bells / Deep Hole). In March 1982, Gillian Walker Joined on keyboards, and a few months later, in July, Tim was replaced by Mike Simkins.

Mark Webb about the forming of the band:

‘I used to be in a band called Dead on Arrival and Paul auditioned for Dead on arrival and was accepted. Then, a week later the band split up, Paul and §I thought we’d continue working together at Cargo Studios. The drummer left and then we found Jill and Mike’ (Breakout, August 1982)

Here’s an excerpt of the interview for Breakout:

‘Who are your main influences? […]

Mike: We all come from different types of backgrounds. I first got interested in the early punk scene.

Mark: So did I. We started off seriously then I was in various Micky Mouse cabaret bands and ‘orrible things like that.

What about the name Crosstalk A/V?

Paul: Well, I was angry one day and I started talking and I was watching Audio Visual and I merged all these things, and formed the name Crosstalk A/V. It seemed the obvious thing.’

As to the Liverpool scene Simkins (who was living in Manchester at the time) adds:

‘The difference between this Liverpool Scene and the Manchester Scene is unbelievable. At the moment theres very little going on in Manchester at all. There are just two gig places that are of any note. Which is. The Gallary [i.e., The Gallery] and The Band on The Wall.’

In November 1982 the band released the first and only single:

The Queue (1982)

- The Queue

- No Earthly Reason

- Dear Peter, As You Are a Nice Person…

The latter song featured the sampled voice of Sarah Green.

From Breakout:

‘Why HER voice?

Mark: Because some of our songs involve pre-recorded tapes. So we tape things from TV or whatever and some time ago there was some kind of scandal. Some kid wrote in to Blue Peter and complained that Peter Duncan, a presenter of the programme, dressed to scruffily. Five thousand kids wrote back saying that he didn’t. Sarah Green read a part of one’s kid’s letter, which went: ‘Dead Peter, because you are a nice person, it doesn’t matter what clothes you wear, it’s what you are inside that counts’, and she said it in such a really profound way, as if she really thought she was getting some great source of insight to human nature. Some great profound thought. […] She was saying this very banal thing in such a way as to imply that it was very profound and deep. It was ludicrous I’d thought we’d use it’

In 1983 Crosstalk A/V released other two demos, the first in January (featuring Room to Breath / Judas Hour / Half Past Nine) and the second in May (The Other People / Judas Hour / Room to Breath / Clock / Pathetic Brain) – the latter containing ‘the last and best recordings’, according to Mark Webb.

By late 1983 Crasstalk A/V was no more: Webb and Walker formed Hi-Tech (with Gary Jones, Gary Cooke and Billy Wright), Clark and Simkins – after a period of Simkins joinin Manchester-based Lavolta Lacota − were later to form Boys From Greese.

crosstalk a/v