‘Good Friday 2012. A bloke I’d never met came over to me in The Rusty Bicycle pub and out of the blue said that I had to read ‘Chasing Daylight’. He said his name was Eddie. It was a book and I read it.
‘You’ve got to do what you love and do it now’ is the message. Cut the crap and cut it now.
So I turned my office into a rehearsal room, starting writing songs I’d always wanted to write, put a band together and did some gigs. Chasing Daylight – the band – was born. Thank you Eddie.’
Julian Sharples, Feb 2013
All sound advice. And don’t wear slippers ’til you’re old.
Years later and we still relentlessly do what we love, reassuringly so. The band now has a rehearsal studio near the Rusty Bicycle pub where Julian met Eddie years ago. Ob-la-di-ob-la-da life goes on. More sound advice is be economical with words, so these days we’re just The Daylightz. Same 4 guys same 4 chords. Still find us socially in the Rusty Bicycle pub. Or why not scroll down and find out more?
Doug Davidson
Bass
Played in an early incarnation of Bad Manners and other North London ska/punk bands in the late 1970s. Joined Oxford Roots/Jazz collective Ask Alice where he met Nige.
Nigel Ralf
Drums
Took up the drums after hearing Keith Moon rehearse with The Who through a hole in his garden fence in Goring. Loves the sound of maple drum kits. Been playing in a rhythm section with Doug for over 25 years.
Julian Sharples
Guitar & vocals
Performed ‘Do The Rat’ with The Boomtown Rats in 1978. Wrote and performed shows at Edinburgh Fringe and Cambridge Footlights. Hung out with 10cc before buying and running Strawberry Studio 2. Ran Soho based studios including work with Suggs. Always knew fame beckoned, but never realised it would take so long.
Ben Pinches
Hammond & sax & vocals
On Peter Waterman’s PWL Records in the mid-1980s after releasing singles. Worked as a professional musician, playing with the likes of Tom Jones, Paul Young and Robert Palmer. Appeared on Top of Pops eight times.