Woo (band)

Biography

The Ives brothers grew up in Raynes Park, South of London, before moving to Banstead. Their interest in music began after seeing The Beatles on television in the 1960s. At ages 6 and 9, they formed their first band, The Tescades, with two childhood friends; Mark played guitar and Clive used an old drum kit belonging to their grandfather. They performed in their garage for friends.

Their grandfather, a Royal Marines drummer, and their uncle Ivor, a jazz musician, influenced their musical development. Mark played modern jazz and Dixieland jazz gigs with Ivor, who gave him his first clarinet at age 15. Mark began learning guitar and writing songs at 13, and the brothers rehearsed his compositions; Clive used kitchen utensils as percussion. At 17, Mark joined a Royal Air Force band as a clarinetist, while Clive studied art.

They began recording after Mark left the RAF. In 1974, they bought a Roland SH-3A synthesizer and a Teac 4-track tape recorder, meeting several nights a week in a small flat to record. Clive played synthesizer and percussion; Mark played bass guitar, 12-string guitar, saxophone and clarinet. Mark dictated notes and chords to Clive, and the recorder was left running, so comments and background noises became part of the tracks.

Recording at night, they kept volume low to avoid disturbing neighbours who banged on the walls; this forced them to record quiet tracks with soft sounds, using triangles instead of drums, picking guitars, and playing keyboards delicately.