Categories: Profiles

Band Profile – I’m Being Good

Brighton, UK based IBG were around in one form or the other since 1991 and started out as an idea of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Clare. Clare was running his own label called Graphic Death since the age of 16 and, according to him, IBG was a way for him to try out things that outside of the realm of artists that he already worked with.

Initially, the band included only Clare himself and a drum machine, but eventually he also hired bassist Dave Campbell and drummer Simon Ounsworth. By the early 90s, his label Graphic Death turned from a tiny tape-only DIY label to an actual record label, mutated into Infinite Chug and started releasing material by IBG (as well as fellow brethren, such as Soul-Junk and Small Things).

First release on Clare’s newwas IBG’s 1993 single “Hate Sturdy Buildings”.Broken Guitar website described it as “Pug ugly and hideously deformed.” with “”Suzi Quatro” ” being “slow paced, fuzzed to the hilt” and “tugging very slightly at Caroliner Rainbo’s skirt hem.” while “3 tracks on the flip side” “with varied levels of skree, drum machine cross fire and mumbled vocals confirm IBG have been listening to Lure Luxx, Truman’s Water, Ruins, The Fall and even THEMSELVES.””

More line-up changes ensued and the band added Jason Williams and Tim Hall (both of whom were previously playing in Garner) and Ounsworth left the band due to health problems. The band produced another single called “We Have The Balleen” and embarked on their first UK tour. The band also toured Europe and legendary BBC DJ John Peel invited them to record a radio session.

Due to an underground buzz that the band produced, labels such as Slampt, Che and Lissy approached them with an offer of a record deal. Lissy managed to lure the band into a recording studio and allow them to start working on a new album (which contained some of the Peel Sessions material), but it wasn’t finished due to the fact that Clare severely damaged his hand, while the band was recording the second side of the record.

In early ’95, the band finally finished the album and Clare’s was finally able to record again, but the band faced the legal problems since Lissy were not allowed to use BBC material. During that time, Williams also fell a victim to cancer and the band decided to go on as a trio with Campbell and Clare also forming a new band called Floorjacker.

By the mid 90s the band was going through a multitude of line-up changes and they also contributed plenty of tracks to various compilations, including “Breaking The Plastic Hymen” (Fisheye), “Disco Sucks” (Che Trading) and “Elastic Jet Mission” / “4-Track-4-Track” (both on Slampt).

In 1998, the band produced “Poisonous Life” album and they were preparing for a European tour in the early 2000. However, many tour dates fell through and disillusioned, the band stopped recording for almost a year. They finally managed to return to the record studio in order to release a new album called “Sub Plot”.

According to All Music Guide website “Sub Plot” proved to be a darker affair than their previous records, with Sunday Times journalist Stewart Lee describing the record as being “heavier than the most determined nu-metal band, yet evidencing an intelligent, focused intent.”

Outside of IBG, band members were also involved in numerous side projects – Clare is in Small Things, while other members are/were in Runt, Litmus, Baron Samedi and 100 Pets.

Band Members:

Andrew Clare (100 Pets, Nitro Puppy, Small Things)

David Ewan Campbell (100 Pets, McNorton 4, Small Things)

Jason Williams (Deepkiss 720, Small Things)

Jon Slade (Comet Gain, Huggy Bear, Small Things)

Jussi Brightmore (100 Pets)

Sam Dook (100 Pets, The Go Team!)

Stuart O’Hare

Tim Hall (Hey Colossus)

Tom Barnes (Cat On Form)

Discography:

Terrifying Shirts Cass ( Graphic Death Audio Products, Unknown Year)