LiVid...

One of the first major writing projects I ever worked on was the script for a comic that my friend Steve was going to illustrate. Only the script turned into a bit of a monster spanning three 'books' that were each epic in themselves, plus I didn't know anything about page layout and panel breakdowns so it was pretty indecipherable. I think I was about 14 or 15 when this was going on.

Anyway, after that I started to focus more on writing short stories and a novel I never finished before moving into script-writing. Meanwhile, Steve focused more on music and started a band called LiVid in which he played guitar. It was around this time that I abandoned Stoke-on-Trent for Norwich and though we stayed in touch it was a good few years before I got to see Livid play live. By that time they were so accomplished musically and so full of energy onstage it wasn't like seeing a mate's band play - they were real, genuine rock stars.

I did manage to stay up to date with their ups and downs, achievements and setbacks over the years and am still amazed that they managed to persevere and stay together for so long. And now it's finally paid off - their first full-length album is released tomorrow and you can get it here, and here. I recommend you check them out, if only to support music that's been crafted through hard work and experience rather than churned out overnight and played through a pretty face. Their website is here.