Frank O'Hare is a singer songwriter from Glasgow who has been in the music business for over 40 years, in this interview Frank talks about his days as a musician struggling to make the big time in the 70s and 80s with bands such as The Venigmas, The One O'clock Gang and H2O, he also talks about his recent solo album Heal and his plans to get a band together to play his new material live.

Interview from March 2019.

. Where were you brought up ?

I was brought up round the corner from where we are sitting in Moodiesburn way back in 1961, I lived here for 19 years until I left to chase the streets paved with gold and fame in London with a band called The Venigmas, so yeh, born in Moodiesburn and I'm back her living in it again.

. What are your first memories of wanting to become a musician ?

Around about age 11, all that glam music came in, Slade, Sweet, T Rex, all of that music burst onto the scene probably about 1971ish and I just fell for it big time, I got so excited about it I couldn't believe it even at the time Gary Glitter before his nonsense came out, the whole thing was so exciting I fell in love with it but it was more than I just liked it, it sunk right in and I would play a tennis racket in front of Top of the Pops....I very quickly asked for a guitar from my parents, yeah it was because of Mark Bolan, Noddy Holder and all those Glam Rock bands it just exited me, it was a no brainer for me I couldn't believe the passion I had for it.

. So when from that point did you get into your first band ?

I had a year or two of learning first but I think by the time I was about 13 I was singing in a duo with a guy called Tommy Berry from Moodiesburn and we would go into local talent contests and all of that so it wasn't a band, my first band that would have played onstage was a Folk band with 4 girls from school I would be about 15 by this time and we would play the Miners Clubs but then Punk Rock came along in 76, I'm playing in a Folk band and getting turned on by the Sex pistols, The Damned and The Clash so I thought, I want a slice of that,  I really loved the records and again it was a bit like the Glam Rock thing it really was infectious the whole Punk Rock scene, so I got an electric guitar and I started to play along realizing I could do it because it was only about 3 or 4 chords, eventually I went along to McCormacks in Bath street and saw an advert on the board  "Guitarist wanted for New Wave Band" and it was for a band called Skroo, I met Ian Donaldson outside McCormacks a couple of days later and we jumped on a bus over to the southside for an audition in the Manager's living room and after being able to play In The City, a couple of Damned songs and Pretty Vacant, I passed the audition and within 3 weeks we were actually playing gigs like the Amphora and The Dial Inn, it was unbelievably fast because Graeme Shand our Manager was just a pushy person you know, he seduced all these pubs into the idea of a kind of novelty New Wave band called Skroo.

. How did you go from Skroo to joining The Venigmas ?

Shortly after Skroo split, Ian Donaldson went on to form H2O and I started a band called ‘Strasse’, we were kind of you know like John Fox's Ultravox, synths were beginning to come in and we had a singer who played a Moog and I was writing futuristic songs called like 1984, Robot Era and Citizens Of Fashion, it was kind of futuristic New Wave, synthy kind of edgy you know like the early Human League, we were bang on style wise and we got lots of support gigs, we played up and down Scotland and the Venigmas came and poached me, how that came about was we were playing a gig in a hip place in Glasgow Called The Mars Bar and after the gig Martin Hanlin and Owen Paul came up to me after the gig and said we've just signed a deal with Biba Records in London but we want you in as the guitarist and I said I'll think about it and they said we will probably be moving to London so I went and spoke to my best friend Michael Campbell who was  in my band Strasse and I said he comes with me if you want me to join so they had to get rid of their bass player Joe Donnelly who went on to join The Silencers, I actually met Joe last week at a gig and we hugged because I always felt really guilty about that but I didn't want to move down to London without my best mate, interestingly Michael is still down there he met a girl and he's married and he's a London boy now, I had to go and beg Michael's parents to let him go to London because he was intelligent and about to go to University and his Dad said you're responsible for fucking up my Son’s career but I think Michael's glad that he moved because he's still down there.

 (The Venigmas Line up - Owen Paul - Vocals, Guitar, Frank O'Hare - Guitar, Michael Campbell - Bass, Martin Hanlin - Drums)

. You mentioned The Mars Bar what was that place like ?

Yes we played in the Mars Bar with Skroo and Strasse at the same time as Simple Minds, Modern Man,  bands that went on to be Hipsway and all of that, loads of musicians that played there went on to get recording deals obviously Simple Minds went on to be massive, there was quite a strong kind of healthy competition going on.

. It must have been great down in London hanging around the New Romantic scene ?

We moved down to London and the idea was that we then we would sign a bigger record deal because at that time bands like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were about, we were all ambitious and went on to do things like Owen Paul became a kind of Pop star Martin Hanlin later ended up in The Silencers and we bought into the whole fashion of the day, we were a kind of fashionable looking bunch of guys we would dress up and wear eyeliner even to rehearsals (Frank laughs)  we were hanging out where all of the New Romantics were drinking in Covent Garden the whole thing was brilliant because the new wave scene just exploded we were going to see Ultravox after Midge Ure joined and the early Spandau Ballet and Visage we would be hanging around the 2 big clubs at the time Heaven and Blitz, sometimes you wouldn't get into the club if you weren't cool enough, so the more eyeliner you had on or the frillier your shirt the better chance you had of getting in, it was electric it was a bit like the kind of Punk scene in Glasgow that was down at The Mars Bar in Glasgow one of these places where the musicians hang out.

. What happened musically when you moved to London ?

It was brilliant living in London I was fulfilling all of my dreams I was a wee 15 year old at St Pat's school reading the NME and  Sounds about gigs at the 100 Club, The Marquee, Covent Garden and before you know it I'm playing in them, I was 19 when we moved down and first of all we moved in with our Manager, then we saved up enough money to get our own flat, we played the Marquee about 2 or 3 times and supported bands like Haircut 100 and Wang Chung and other bands that went on to be famous, all of these bands by the way like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet they made it lightning quick, we were watching them in these big clubs and within 3 months they were playing The Hammersmith Odeon, that's how fast it all happened, I think that is when the realization for The Venigmas started to kick in, you know, realizing it wasn't going to happen, that The Venigmas weren't going to cut through, it was the radio One DJ Peter Powell who financially backed our single he was a kind of silent manager of the band and he was responsible for us getting some great gigs but the music wasn't strong enough, Peter Powell would play us on his show on Radio One but he couldn't convince the other DJs to play our single because it wasn't a good enough song, I had written the B side of that single called Souls On Fire and as you will read online not to big myself up but it is the B side that is a bit more melodic but listen to Srangelove, it's not a big enough production but that was all we could come up with at the time.

The Venigmas unfortunately had personality clashes, for me the classic musical differences, too much democracy at times as well, you know you would bring a song in and before you know it, it has 3 different movements in it because everybody wanted in on the song and that's brilliant if it works but it just made a song lose it's connection and growth you know organically, it just felt like bits were lopped on from nowhere, disjointed and not melodic enough it frustrated the hell out of me so musically I had no place to express myself and then there was the fall outs and personality clashes it got too much, I was a guy in the Venigmas who had 50 song ideas, I was bursting with creativity and I couldn't express it through them so I left, I spent about 3 more months playing with other musicians in London but it just never clicked so I came back to Glasgow.

. What did do you to when you came back to Glasgow ?

 I jammed with John Keenan, Shug Brankin and Ross Campbell they went on to start a band called Wyoming and they got a record deal, I stood in for a band called Sunset Gun they went on to sign for CBS but I was just standing in, it was great for experience so I did gigs with Sunset Gun up and down the University circuit by now this would be about 1982/83. I would say for about the next 2 years I tried to find a band where I really fitted musically, I still had the energy and attitude but in the meantime I had to make a living so I stood in for other bands.

. So was it around this time you joined The One O'clock Gang ?

Again the Manager of The One O'clock Gang came and spoke to me after a gig and it was Kenny Hyslop (The Zones, The Skids, Slik) and Laurie Cuffe writing songs and they needed someone to add a bit of colour to it on guitar and this is interesting because I said I've got a mate who plays bass but it's a synth bass, (Frank laughs, there's a pattern here), I've just realized that I'm really good at getting other people jobs, I said can I bring my mate Stevie Doyle and myself and Stevie passed the audition so we started rehearsals in a studio under the Garage (Mayfair)   in Sauchiehall Street, my life revolved around the Garage with The One O'clock Gang and H2O for about 4 years consecutively so from about 1984 to 1988 I was in The One O'clock Gang and H2O.

. When did The One O'clock Gang get signed ?

It all happened very quickly, so within about 4 weeks The One O'clock gang got signed to Arista Records and it was on the back of us having done some shit hot demos and Kenny Hyssop's kind of pushy drums it was quite a forceful sound so that was an adventure for a couple of years.

. How many singles did you release and where were they recorded ?

We had an album and 3 singles, before the album came out they released the demo version of Carry Me which you can tell is a demo then we went into production for the album, we also went on tour, we toured with the New Model Army and we also went out ourselves and played the University circuit and because the record company would put us up in hotels and stuff you could choose to do a gig and lose money to get your name out there so we would play gigs in Aberdeen and Dundee and the Hotel's would be paid for and we got a wage every week, I would say the highlight of our performances was Kelvingrove in 1985 we were just off of a 3 week tour and we were on fire, we were on a roll, the great thing for me was that it was our first proper album being made with a budget in Richard Branson's studio in Oxfordshire called The Manor where people like Phil Collins would go to record, it had a famous drum room you know the drums on In The Air Tonight that famous drum intro, people would go there just to record drums, The Skids, Public Image, XTC all recorded in The Manor so it was the proper rockstar treatment, it was full of cooks and maids and it had a swimming pool, the idea was relax and then go in and work hard so that really was a once in a lifetime magical experience. Unfortunately our Producer was a coke head for me he always accepted second best because his head was wasted, I didn't challenge it at the time because I was too young and you have to look up to these guys because he had produced songs like Whiskey In The Jar for Thin Lizzie but he didn't really challenge us enough he had a "that'll do" attitude. After that they sent us to Air Studios in Oxford street and next door to us would be Tears For Fears, The Police where mixing an album there at the time, big big money you know I think back in the day it was bout £1000 a day to rent it out, the record company were still throwing money at us they still believed that we were going to be the Scottish version of Big Country or U2 they wanted us up at that level, so they sacked the producer Nick Tauber because they came in and noticed he was out of his head and they brought in 2 guys from New York and those guys lifted it a bit but it was too late.

. How did The One O'clock Gang go down as a Live band ?

We went down well with Uni crowds and when we went out of Glasgow and Scotland they liked the raw Scottish celtic thing and we really played that up but we weren't that well liked in Scotland I don't know why.

. What happened to the singles and the album ?

The last single was called Close Your Eyes and it bombed probably got to about 86 in the charts which is not good enough for a record company who are throwing thousands at you so the record company threw us out on one more tour as an attempt to push and promote the album then we had the inevitable, "Arista Records would like to invite you to a meeting" and we knew on the way, we knew because somebody from the office told our Manager and it was "Eh! well guys it's not happening, sorry with a months notice we're pulling the contract", there weren't enough anthems and we just didn't have what other bands that were making it had and it wasn't going to happen.

A funny story is that we had a meeting and found out our Manager had fucked us over and hadn't paid tax and our rehearsal room got raided by the tax man, we turned up and there wasn't an instrument left in the rehearsal room, they had taken it to an auction and sold it all fortunately for me I  had taken my guitar home the night before. Luckily the tax thing had nothing to do with us it was not a legal drama for us it was down the the manager and the accountants. So we where skint and on the broo and we had a meeting and I said guys I'm not up for re-doing this personally it has come to an end for me.

. And you then went on to join H2O ?

A couple of week later I was walking up Sauchiehall street and Ian Donaldson shouted me over and said "I heard ye's split up Frank and had all your gear nicked"!!, later on I found out that the gear was taken to Kirkintilloch town hall and sold for pennies. So this would be very early 1986, H2O had split up and Ian Donaldson and Ross Alcock were still writing and rehearsing next door to where The One O'clock Gang were rehearsing in the rooms under The Garage in Sauchiehall street. Ian said that he really liked what we were playing with The Gang , "we were listening and we loved your style" so I auditioned and played along with their song Blue Diamond, I was on fire at that time as a musician, I liked the energy of that song and they allowed me some input musically like the guitar run on the song going into the chorus so we just started to take each song and build it from guitar and keyboards and then.....( Frank pauses ) fuck! I think I got somebody else a job again (Laughs!) there's a pattern emerging!! I think these C*$#s owe me money!!  So I said there is only one rhythm section and that is Davie Edgar (drums) and George Dunnachie (bass), I got on the phone to Davie Edgar and I said I know H2O are pop stars and you're a rock head but we need you and George, They didn't hesitate because I promised it would be more rockie, George and Davie definitely did not want to play the pop stuff they were into playing progressive rock not Dream To Sleep and all the early gear forget all the pop shite so it was that kind of deal, all of us in fact wanted to play the new songs and develop the new H2O including Ian and Ross although obviously live the crowd would always want the old songs played.

. So how did Blue Diamond do in the charts ?

Blue Diamond got to number 67 in the charts it was on an independent  record deal that we had with Legend Records, we had made a demo of the album and the record label said "As soon as Blue Diamond gets into the charts boys we will put you in the studio"....Everybody was convinced Blue Diamond was going to be a hit, we had made a great video for it and it was a great sounding record, we also had a great performance on the Meltdown TV show that really showcased our sound which was exciting and vibrant, you will still get that on YouTube.

. And what was the story behind the album ?

We were so excited about the album because we had great songs like Touch Heaven, Shame, If The World, Hit Corporation it was going to be a great album the demos were good and we knew if we took them to a studio and really worked them it would be really good, we had all of the material waiting but Blue Diamond stalled at 67 in the charts because Radio One wouldn't play it, all of the other stations played it  and then typical record company, "We can't afford to keep these guys any longer" and they had signed Elky Brooks to to help her back up again and that's where their money went and they told us goodbye, they gave Ian a last chance and he brought out a single under the name Ian Donaldson so H2O were over in terms of Legend Records.

So when Blue Diamond never happened and the record company dropped the band by this time I had had enough, I knew the album wasn't going to get made and it was beginning to feel a bit empty for me, I felt I had peaked and I didn't want to go round that, join a band, get a record deal thing again I was beginning to wonder what else I wanted to do with my life, I also by then had met the woman who would be the Mother of my 4 children so I had lots of talks with her, my family and friends and I thought I should call it a day with music and started think about settling down.

. So you would have been a full time musician at this point and had never thought of what you would do as a career outside of music ?

Well one wee final fling, after H2O Davie Edgar and myself made a demo under a band called Maxwells Wheels and we sent it to CBS and they loved it, they sent us £5000 to go in and do more 3 songs in a studio, unfortunately the 3 songs we did were not good enough for CBS to sign us but they loved this one song called Maxwells Wheels but it wasn't enough for them, after that, I then at that time decided to say that's enough and I stopped playing in original music bands and just started writing my own songs. I was beginning to develop the idea of a Carer as a career and started working with drug addicts and teaching guitar as a volunteer that was the beginning of my career as a counsellor, by 1989 I had a full time job working with alcoholics.

. Was it around this time you started the band Carnaby Street ?

By 1991 my first son was born and I moved out to Rogerfield in Easterhouse and George Dunnachie came to see me and around 91/92, we started out with a drum machine as Carnaby Street, that's when I started the journey as a front man, Carnaby Street was food money for my kids we would play 3 maybe 4 times a month, then after a while we got a drummer and started playing every Saturday and Sunday, the most important thing for me was that you would still be playing because you know, it's use it or lose it with the guitar so it kept my hand in. Our drummer Titch was going through his own personal problems and couldn't manage to make it to gigs so we got Des Osborne in and Des could also sing so there was now 3 part harmonies and a real chemistry in the band  so the level of the band went up when Des came in and then later on we got Drew Philips in on keyboards and that meant we could get bigger gigs, we had more fun, we could do different material because now we had keyboards so Carnaby Street has been quite an adventure. As well as playing with Carnaby Street I took a year out from being a counselor because I needed a break from it so me and Drew formed a band called  Two for One and we played weddings and it was really good money we would be going home with 7 to £800 each and during this time I was beginning to write songs with the idea of a solo album.

. You brought out your solo album Heal in 2016 tell us about that ?

The Album is called Heal on CD or The Boy With The Golden Dream on ITunes and it was recorded in Carlton Studios in Glasgow, Danny Mitchell produced the album he co wrote "If I was" with Midge Ure, he was was co-writer and producer for Midge Ure's first couple of solo albums,  Danny was in a Glasgow band called The Messengers in the 80s and yes he done a great job on the album it has a good energy, the album got lots of independent radio play, a lot of the radio stations chose to play the song Rock 'N' Roll but I had to send them a remixed copy of the song with the swear word taken out because I got into trouble with radio Oban as they played the full on "Fuckin" version and they got la few complaints. Because I work a lot during the day it can get in the way of me promoting my album so I have stopped Carnaby Street this year in an attempt to put energy into my songs and promote myself, I have recently hooked up again with Ross Alcock from H2O who has built a studio in his garden and he is going to remix one of my songs called The Boy With The Golden Dream so we are possibly going to do some stuff together, at the back of my mind I have already got Ross as a keyboard player for when I go out and play my songs with a live band so I just need to start getting together with him more and start putting the idea of a live set together and I also want to record my new songs.

. A good thing about your album is that all of the songs are very different did you deliberately set out to do that, they all completely different styles even down to the guitar sounds ?

You're right about that but then again I was always picky, I was always doing the guys from H2O's head in because when we were recording I would say so leave that gap guys because I wanted to spend a bit more time to make a guitar solo sound a bit more special and raise it a level, eventually they would say stuff this and go to the pub and I would sit down and really get at it, I've kept that attitude in the solo album, if you look at the song Rock 'N' Roll there were 3 solos that didn't make it onto the final recording because I knew they weren't right and eventually one night I got it, as a guitarist there is no way I'm putting second best on, so I am prepared to keep that level and take it into the next album and raise it a bit and challenge myself.

 (Frank's current album is available on ITunes, Amazon and Spotify and it's called The Boy With The Golden Dream)

. So there is going to be another album ?

In terms of the next album I'll see how I get on with Ross, he will help me to arrange the songs, bass player and drummer wise I am thinking maybe Jim Logue and John McNaught from Itchycoo Park but yes the songs are written for the new album.

. Which leads me nicely into, How did you get involved with Itchycoo Park ?

Well their guitarist left and I was always an admirer of their 60s vibe with the 3 part harmonies, vocally they are a strong band and I always went to see them, so Les left them and George Dunnachie put me up for it, I didn't know if there would be a click but you know within 2 rehearsals it was obvious I could do it and they are really nice guys and that really helps so I play about one gig every 4 months, I got to go to America with them last year to do the Beatles thing  it was a really good experience but I  want to concentrate on original music just now, I could do covers for the rest of my life but I am not doing that it's a trap, you can get into a comfort zone playing covers but it's an instant gratification thing because you are playing songs people know when they are drunk and you are giving them what they want but it eventually becomes that you are playing what you don't want and I have really noticed that recently.

. Did you have any favourite  venues  in  Glasgow ?

The Amphora was my favourite because it was carpeted and it soaked up the sound and it was a big room it was laid out in a great way and the atmosphere for a band was fantastic, I enjoyed many a gig as a punter there as well, my favourite London gig was The Half Moon in Putney, that was the venue that all of the up and coming bands like Spandau, Ultravox and U2 played before they made it and we wouldn't just play gigs we would go a watch other bands because that was our life we didn't want to miss out, we had to keep up with what the punters were reacting to, you know, try and learn, it was a great time.

. You work now as Therapist where did you train and where do you work ?

I work in a drug rehab down in the borders, I am an addiction counsellors and I also a psychotherapist and a life coach, I went to Leeds University to do my addiction diploma and I went down to Emerson College for my counselling diploma and I studied in London to be a life coach so I have worked really hard on building up my skills and my knowledge so a lot of the material I have written has come from all of the life experience working with people helping them to change or to heal some real bad psychological wounds or traumas, so I would say that the things that I sing about I couldn't have known about as a guy in his 20s, I have experienced and lived a bit of life now as a father, professionally I have grown a lot, I've travelled and I'm curious about life so I have loads that I can sing and write about.

. You recently visited Sun Studios and Gracelands in Memphis what was that like ?

I stood on the spot where Elvis sang and recorded in 1956 and it was magical, it was literally like a church feeling, I mean like being in the church of rock and roll or something it felt spiritual, I've got music going through my blood and my veins and I am in a place that fired that up, Gracelands again was magical it was a wee bit smaller than you would imagine and the rooms have been kept the same way as Elvis had them, you just get the feeling of being close to Elvis, you get an understanding of him by being there, you also get the isolation he must have felt with it being such an enclosed place. I have taken on a kind of obsession with Elvis over the past few years and I really appreciate his music big time including the early Vegas years when he was putting these amazing sounds together, his energy in the first 3 years in Vegas and the sounds he was creating were incredible I think he set high a standard there, I like his early recordings and I like some of his later stuff before he became like a caricature near the end.

. Apart from Elvis who are your influences ?

As we spoke about earlier the Glam Rock bands Slade, Sweet and T Rex from the 70s were a big influence then I went on to have an absolute love for Dr Feelgood and Wilco Johnson, Bill Nelson with Be-Bop Deluxe which I have been a lifelong fan were a big influence, anybody that knows Bill Nelson's stuff will hear echoes of some of his style in my own playing, I also got off on bands like the Pretenders their guitarist James Honeyman-Scott he was inspiring, he was a kind of mix of rock and roll and inventiveness, I loved Lou Read and The Velvet Underground.

The Glasgow Apollo at its height matched in with me being a mad music fan when I was about 15, 16, 17 years old, the gigs were fast and furious at the Apollo there were great bands coming all the time, I was there probably about 2 or 3 times a month I would go and see anybody, The Boomtown Rats, Elton John, The Police, I couldn't get in to see Bowie or Blondie so I just stood at the door and listened, other influences were The Edge from U2 and Andy Summers from The police I was beginning to lean heavily on guitarists not in a kind of rocky way I'm not a heavy metal man even although I can enjoy a bit of AC/DC at times.

. If You could have a pint with any artist dead or alive who would it be ?

Paul McCartney, I've always admired him, I mean tell me about your stories in Hamburg, I used to sit up to 3 in the morning learning the guitar to The White Album I would sit for hours learning it I also got to appreciate their music through Itchycoo Park because I had to learn some of The Beatles songs I'm totally in awe of their music.

. What are you listening to at the moment ?

Apart from Bach's  Brandenburg Concerto which is on just now, I getting into a bit of Country music at the moment so I'm listening to Tim McGraw, and I'm kind of regurgitating music just now like David Bowie's Reality because I love the guitar in Bowie's albums, the guitar on his albums are always unusual, I still listen to The Police just because the energy inspires me, I'm not really exploring the latest artists but I'll listen to Duran Duran's latest albums like All You Need Is Now, there is a band that isn't just bringing out all of their old stuff they still bring out new albums so I still get off on that new development thing they do, I still listen to The Stones because I love Keef and through YouTube I have just rediscovered Jimi Hendrix so I'm kind of doing a mad backwards and forwards thing, I didn't actually look at or study Hendrix until about 5 years ago so I have been watching videos and documentaries about the making of his albums, I get to hear some modern music through my Son, I recently I went to a Logic concert, Logic is Rapper and some of his songs have some great melodies and feel to them so through my Sons I hear what they are listening to.

. What advice would you give to a young musician starting out today ?

Yeah, definitely do gigs, play live music in front of a crowd but if you are any good or your band is any good get a Mentor who is much older and wiser to guide you because they will help you to avoid 300 mistakes that you don't need to make which apart from anything is is time wasting, I wish I had had a 20 plus year older than me Mentor when I moved to London who would have been directing me through experience, Get one, get a Mentor and they will save you from going in the wrong direction and save you months and months barking up the wrong tree, that would be my strong advice.

 Thankyou to Frank .