Demics, Cedar Lounge

Click image for more photos ...

Our friend Dave O'Halloran (aka What Wave Dave on CHRW) has been sharing on Facebook, with our grateful permission, photos that we had taken of various bands back in the 1980's. Today Dave writes in The Cedar Lounge - Blue Boot group:

"Here's some more excellent Reg Quinton pics from the Cedar Lounge. This time it's the Demics w/original guitarist Rob Brent. Circa 1979/80.

May 1/2024 marks 42 years ago the Cedar closed it's doors for the final time."

Markii Burnaway comments: "Thanks Dave and Reg for promo-ing the Demics ..I believe the Demics should be more nationally even internationally known like Teenage Head, DOA etc. They tend to be little London's best kept secret."

Fred Young says, "Remember the bass player, Ian Staines, from my time at Saunders Secondary" and Kelly Mulvey adds, "I was forever running into Ian in Toronto, he'd always ask 'how is every little thing with you'".

Rob Minderman adds: "Saw them there in 1979, 1980. They put us (Second Thoughts) up in their Toronto house on Baldwin St when we played at The Headspace - Larry's Hideaway in 1980."

There is some good evidence that people were having a heck of a time. The dance floor looks packed and sweaty. And it always was for the Demics. We really loved this band: vocalist Keith Whittaker, guitarist Rob Brent, bassist Iain Atkinson-Staines and drummer James Weatherstone (see Wikipedia). Their EP, "Talk's Cheap" came out in 1979 and the Cedar Lounge was their home. There were PhD. colleagues at school who were keen on the punk movement, others disparaged the 3 chord structure. I loved the attitude, and Keith had it in spades. Keith Whittaker died of cancer in 1996.

I've posted many of these pictures before on Facebook and in this blog. The photos here seem to be all available light, hence the yellow cast. There were some stage lights, but nothing fancy. At the time I recall having a 135mm F2 Soligor lens. I suspect I did not have a good flash at the time.