first London gigs

They held their first London gigs in support of the EP, under the advice of George and The Pooh Sticks lead singer Hue Williams. After warm-up gigs in Cardiff and Birmingham , the London performance took place at the Samuel Beckett pub in Stoke Newington on 13 November 1993 alongside Anrehfn and Margi Clarke . Further Welsh radio and television appearances followed, as did an interview for NME . When George arrived for the interview, Matthews asked if he’d be interested in becoming the band’s manager. He politely declined, saying that he did not have the experience. On 19 and 20 February 1994, the band’s follow-up EP, Hooked was recorded in Llandwrog , Gwynedd , and produced by Ken Nelson who they had met on Radio Wales. A performance was set up at The Falcon, Camden the Splash Club in London where several music executives were to be present. The band drove down from Cardiff in a Ford Transit with their equipment and then spent the afternoon drinking. Just prior to going out on stage, they began taking cocaine , the result of which was a terrible performance later lamented by Roberts. The trip became a sobering experience, as they made no money from it and were only paid £50 for a gig at Kingston University a day later. Matthews later recalled that they’d needed to borrow money from a fan to pay the toll on the Severn Bridge on the way back to Cardiff.