A true lost treasure from the tail end of psychedelia and the dawn of progressive rock, hidden for over 50 years on reel-to-reel tapes and a lone 7” acetate.

‘Spare Time’ kicks off as a sublime, laid-back garage psych anthem, with D.R. Hooker-style vocals, before diving into a trippy, melodic journey of dreamy vocals, swirling organs, and unhinged, distorted guitars. Highlights include a searing live cover of ‘Better By You, Better Than Me’ and a magical surprise in the final track. Only 227 copies were pressed, each in a fully laminated sleeve featuring original 1963 artwork for The Moon of Gomrath. Gomrath’s sound was a heady mix of dreamy psychedelia and quiet rebellion, wrapped in low-fi mystery. Every note felt like a lost artifact, dug up from some forgotten corner of the underground, with the ghosts of The Doors and early Pink Floyd whispering from the speakers.

“It was all about records”

Let’s rewind a bit—before Gomrath even existed. Where did you grow up, and what kind of places did you hang out in back then? Were you the type to loiter in record shops or sneak into the local bars to catch a late-night set?

Adrian Long: We grew up in New Malden – the heart of suburban normality. The local record store, Ketts, was actually an electrical retailer that also sold records. Hanging around waiting for the latest releases wasn’t really an option unless you wanted to buy a fridge!

We went to school in Wimbledon, and the main social scene was in and around the various watering holes in the vicinity: The Hand in Hand, Crooked Billet, The Rose and Crown, and King of Denmark. For music venues, you had to go further afield—The Toby Jug in Tolworth, the Golden Lion in Fulham, and the Nashville on the North End Road. Our musical engagement just missed the heyday of blues and progressive gigs at these venues.

For us, it was all about records. Early bands for Roy Wiles and me were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and, for Roy, The Shadows. From 1967 on, things started to get interesting when groups like Cream, Caravan, Jethro Tull, The Doors, Traffic, Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin began to appear on the scene. No one could afford to buy every record, so when one person bought a new album, we would all pile round for an intense listen-fest, pouring over every aspect of the new album. For Martin, any new guitar riffs and techniques were especially exciting. ‘Disraeli Gears’ was one of the first influential albums he remembers.

So, records, coffee, alcohol, smoking, experimental drug-taking, and obsessing about the length of your hair (our school had strict rules) were all part of the context in which our nascent interest in creating music emerged.

The guitar was top dog at the time. Everyone was learning the guitar. Martin idolized Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Gallagher, and Green, among others, and started to develop his own amalgam of a style, but predominantly bluesy. All Gomrath songs started out guitar-based, with the sound that included the Vox Continental organ only appearing late in the life of the band.

We were slightly detached from the Wimbledon crew, who had their own bands and performers, so we got together with friends who lived nearby with similar interests, particularly Roy Wiles, who played guitar and keyboards (a harmonium, which is like a church organ with pedals to inflate the bellows). When playing us a new song, he would end up puffed out from all the pedaling!

Although there were a few experimental bands in the late sixties, Gomrath was really the first coherent attempt to bring something together that combined Roy and me as songwriting talent and Martin as a noisy brat with a guitar. Roy had a friend, Clive Rutledge, who was a drummer in his previous band (Low Flying Sheep), and another friend from school, Paul Martin, who became our charismatic lead singer.

Most of the work was done in bedrooms and sitting rooms as we started to build a set of original material and a few covers that we thought we might inflict on the public. Lots of rehearsals. It was important to us that we were coordinated and tight, that we all finished a song at the same time. We started experimenting with harmony vocals, dynamic range, and odd time signatures. We were a bit geeky about the technical side of the music.

What was the scene like when you were starting out? Was there a specific band or gig that flipped the switch for you, made you think, Yeah, this is what I want to do?

Martin Long: We were at school, and the local “scene” was very much the Wimbledon scene – specifically the music scene (and girls!) around Kings College School, Wimbledon College, Wimbledon High School, and Ricards Lodge. Listening to records, discovering new music through the John Peel show, sitting around drinking coffee, smoking, playing acoustic guitars – playing and singing together. The Band’s ‘The Weight’ and Country Joe and the Fish’s ‘Fish Cheer’ are songs Adrian remembers being played. A number of bands were formed from this group of school friends, with people trying out on drums or bass or lead guitar – a time of developing roles and experimenting.

Adrian and his friend John Nagele were keen to get involved and started to develop a psychedelic light show using an old-style slide projector, glass slides, acetone, and colored ink. You mixed the ink and the acetone together and dripped it onto a slide. Put another slide on top and put it in the slide projector. The acetone bubbled and boiled, projecting a moving, bursting bubble lightshow onto the stage. This worked well in the bedroom and small spaces but didn’t scale too well, Adrian recalls—only one gig with a band called Ostrabolulous at Wimbledon College, so the job as a light show technician never really took off! It was also a health and safety hazard, as acetone, having a low boiling point, was highly flammable!

Out of this loose group of friends, a band called the Cynic Violation was formed, who, at least one time, rehearsed at Adrian and Martin’s house (their parents were pretty tolerant about the noise). It was this event, and in particular witnessing their lead guitarist, Jim Payne, blasting away with a fuzz box at Purple Haze and Foxy Lady, that inspired Martin to get his first electric guitar and begin to emulate his idols.

Was Gomrath your first stab at a band, or were there other attempts buried in your past—those teenage garage bands that never quite made it out of the basement? Tell me about them. What were those early band names?

Prior to Gomrath, Roy played in a band called Low Flying Sheep. Roy Wiles played guitar, Phil played bass, and Clive Rutledge was on drums. Martin had a short-lived band with some of his school friends called Five Finger Pickup, but it didn’t last long because they lived too far away from each other. The guys in Gomrath were all local, so either we’d be at Roy’s or he’d be at ours. It made it fun and sustainable.

How did Gomrath finally come together? Was it a slow burn of jamming with friends, or did it feel like some sort of cosmic alignment when you all first played together?

Up until the age of 11, Roy, Adrian, Martin, and other children in the road used to play together. Roy’s inventiveness was already apparent, building a “fighter” aeroplane in his garden shed with a vacuum cleaner as an engine. We played on soapbox carts and built an adventure playground in the Longs’ garden. It was a treat to go to Roy’s house, as he had an air rifle, which made it more exciting and exotic since these were banned from the Longs’ house! After the age of 11, Roy went to Raynes Park Grammar, and Adrian and Martin went to Kings College School, and we lost touch.
However, a chance meeting, probably around 1970, led to Adrian and Roy discovering a mutual interest in music. Adrian recalls going to see a Low Flying Sheep practice session in the local scout hall in Green Lane. Adrian doesn’t recall if Low Flying Sheep split up naturally or if the formation of Gomrath caused the split. However, unable to find a role in the bands forming around the Wimbledon scene, the formation of Gomrath was the entrée that Martin and Adrian needed to the world of creating and making music in a group.

Roy started playing bass, and Roy & Clive had worked together, so we had a solid unit, and we started to practice at a local scout hut. Less of a cosmic alignment, more of a practical arrangement and mutual interest in creating music and appreciation of each other’s skills. Roy introduced Paul Martin, a friend from Raynes Park Grammar School, as a vocalist. None of us had given much thought to the role of vocalist and frontman. However, it was a role that Paul relished, and he played the role of lead vocalist and frontman/performer with talent and gusto!

We started learning a catalogue of “standards” to play at dances—’Summertime Blues,’ ‘Gimme Some Lovin’,’ ‘Money,’ ‘She’s a Woman,’ ‘You Can’t Do That,’ ‘Love Me Two Times,’ and even ‘Purple Haze.’ Roy and Adrian spent a lot of time playing acoustic guitars, bouncing ideas around, and gradually starting to write our own songs. Roy always had a sideways, humorous take on lyrics—some of this came from listening to the Goon Show and Round the Horn.

In addition to forming the band, the relationship with Roy introduced Adrian and Martin to a New Malden music scene (and girls!), and our social scene expanded to include new friends in New Malden who would later form new bands with us and who eventually mingled and merged with the Wimbledon music scene.

“There was definitely a desire to hint at something mysterious”

The concept around Gomrath has this mysterious allure. Was there a vision, a kind of sound or atmosphere you were chasing back then, or did it just naturally unfold into this blend of late psychedelia and the edge of progressive rock?

Band names are always hotly disputed, especially when there is no one leader, though neither Adrian nor Martin recall how the name of the band was arrived at, though we had both read the novel by Alan Garner. However, there was definitely a desire to hint at something mysterious and a little dark with the choice of the name, recalls Adrian.

There was no overriding vision really, but there were lots of influences—bands that we liked, sounds that were inspiring. We were all influenced by the Beatles initially, but as time moved on, inspiration tended to come from the underground and progressive direction. Having said that, we were all very different and had our own drivers. Martin wanted to emulate Clapton, Hendrix, Page, and Green; Adrian liked Caravan, the Doors, Traffic, and Jethro Tull; Roy had a broad range of influences, including the Shadows, Soft Machine, and Jack Bruce as an iconic bass player; and Clive was keen on the kind of off-beat drumming techniques of people like John Bonham.

We weren’t trying to create any kind of psychedelic atmosphere—we felt we were a rock band—but we cared about crafting interesting and different compositions, and as one listens now, you can see that progressive rock was where we were heading.

What was awakening was a fountain of creativity as we sought to take our influences and craft a sound that was Gomrath—even trying to be slightly classical with a song called Rococo that contained an instrumental round before Noel Long came up with the arrangement of ‘The Hebrides.’

What was the recording process like for those tracks that are now out via Bright Carving? I heard these songs slept on old reel-to-reels and a lone acetate for decades. What were those sessions like—chaotic, experimental, or strangely focused?

We were definitely into recording in a big way. All but two of the tracks on the Bright Carvings release were done in makeshift home studios set up either at our house (when our parents were on holiday) or at our friend Ron Colverson’s house. These could become significant enterprises, with one room (the sitting room) being the studio, with all the instruments set up, mics, drum “booth,” etc. An adjacent room (often Adrian’s bedroom) would be the control room, with a great big loom of cables running between the two. Multiple reel-to-reel tape recorders were used, either two-track Sony machines or, at one point (the height of sophistication), a 4-track TEAC. We had reverb units and tape machines for tape-echo emulation. We would have the curtains drawn and egg boxes stuck to panels to contain the noise for the benefit of the neighbours.

We generally recorded stuff that we had rehearsed to play at gigs. There were one or two jam sessions which were fun. There wasn’t much scope for overdubs, so recordings tended to be like live.
Spare Time (track 1) and The Hebrides were both recorded at Eden Studios in Kingston. Noel Long (Adrian & Martin’s dad) was a music teacher at King’s College School, and he ran a musical appreciation class for the students to listen to classical music. He proposed that we record a rock version of Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides. He extracted some of the themes from it, wrote an arrangement, and created some lyrics. This was part of his attempt to try and bring young people into the fold and listen to classical music more sympathetically. We recorded our version of ‘The Hebrides,’ and, because there was still studio time available, we also recorded a version of ‘Spare Time.’ ‘The Hebrides’/’Spare Time’ A/B side was cut onto an acetate disc, which, along with reel-to-reel tapes from our home studio recordings, were handed over to Bright Carvings for the production of the ‘Gomrath’ LP.

As well as funding the studio time, Noel Long actually purchased a Vox Continental organ to achieve some of the atmospheric phrases required in ‘The Hebrides.’ This was great for us, as we couldn’t possibly have afforded it at the time.

‘Spare Time’ feels like a garage psych anthem that somehow dodged the spotlight for years. Did you guys know you had something special with that track, or was it just another jam in the studio?

‘Spare Time (Slight Reprieve),’ the last track on the ‘Gomrath’ LP, is actually the original version, and it is how we played it live. When we recorded ‘Spare Time’ at Eden Studios, we had new gear to play around with—the Vox Continental organ was a new acquisition, and the guitar amp supplied by the studio was a small Fender combo with a sweet overdriven sound. The track 1 version was re-imagined on the fly in the studio to make the best use of these sounds and instruments; the energy and excitement of discovering this new way to play Spare Time projects from this recording.

When you listen to those tracks now, after all these years, does any particular song hit you differently? Does it bring back a specific memory, a moment in the studio, or a night on stage?

The clearest memory is recording in the studio, as it was all new and exciting. The renewed interest in these songs has been a bit of an unexpected turn of events. In our minds, they were nice memories of a long, long time ago—done and dusted, move on.

‘Spare Time’ seems to have captured the imagination, and with the help of Bright Carvings, has conjured up a story of a kind of latent energy committed to tape 50 years ago, now unleashed and bursting forth into 2024.

Speaking of ‘Better By You Better Than Me,’ that live cover burns with this raw, unhinged energy. What inspired you to take on that track, and do you remember the night you recorded it?

This song was recorded live at the King’s College School Pop concert in 1971. Whoever made the recording decided to create a vinyl LP, which was released. A limited number of copies were made, most went to the participants. Jon Groocock at Bright Carvings heard this recording somehow, and this is what started the ball rolling for the creation of the ‘Gomrath’ LP.

At the concert, we think this song was an extra, as we were down to play four original songs, and this was the encore. Why choose that song? We really liked the Spooky Tooth version, but when we played it, we naturally made it heavier and faster and added a couple of guitar solos so Martin could show off, making it the storming set finisher.

I want to dig into the technical side. Were you meticulous about the gear you used, or was it more about the vibe of the moment?

We were poor, so we didn’t have a lot of choice when it came to equipment. Put it like this: we had the best gear we could afford at the time, and it undoubtedly contributed to the overall sonic output and sound quality.

Let’s talk acetate—what was the story behind pressing that 7-inch back in ’71? Was it a DIY endeavor, or did you have ambitions to shop it around to labels at the time?

That endeavor was off the back of the desire to create a rock version of ‘The Hebrides,’ and that was the whole purpose of the exercise funded by Adrian and Martin’s father. The version of ‘Spare Time,’ which we loved, was a really nice extra to have. This was recorded in June 1971, and Paul, Martin, and Roy went to Uni in September, so we all knew Gomrath was not going to last after September. It never entered our heads to hawk it around to any record labels at that time.

Did you send any of those early recordings out to labels back in the day, or was it more of a word-of-mouth, underground thing? Any close calls with signing that didn’t quite pan out?

As Gomrath, we were interested in writing new songs, rehearsing to get tight, bolstering the set with some covers, and then playing live if we could get gigs. Although, I suspect that we secretly hoped we would be “discovered,” realistically we weren’t that interested in pushing the music or publishing it in any way. The recordings were for our own enjoyment.

The artwork for the release, painted in 1963, has this ethereal, almost otherworldly vibe to it. Was that the original plan, or did you ever consider different artwork before landing on this one?

The name Gomrath was derived from a novel called The Moon of Gomrath. It was a suitably Tolkien-esque fantasy tale of ancient sorcery, wizards, elves, and the forces of good and evil. The artwork for the Gomrath album was based on the cover artwork from the original publication of the book. Jon Groocock from Bright Carvings had the inspired idea to contact the publishers and get permission to use the image.

Gearheads want to know—what were you playing through back then? Amps, pedals, guitars…

Our gear evolved over time. I mentioned the Vox Continental Organ that was purchased for us. Martin’s first guitar amp was something called a Linear 30, a sort of kit that came without a cover, just valves in a metal chassis. One time, Martin got an electric shock when he touched the metal, so he made a wooden box for it. It was loud, it distorted nicely, and was fine at the time. At some point, Martin upgraded to a Hiwatt 100 amp head, which was very loud. Martin used a Wilson semi-acoustic, a really lovely guitar with a slick action. We had a WEM PA, and all the speaker cabinets were homemade. This was an effective way to save money.

We had a friend from the New Malden scene, Ron Colverson, who was starting a business building quality electric guitars. Both Roy and Martin succumbed, as they were beautiful instruments. Roy’s bass was dubbed the Swordfish due to its distinctive shape. Martin chose a flat-top maple Les Paul with DiMarzio PAF humbuckers, a classy guitar.

Where was the album recorded? Was it a proper studio or more of a makeshift setup, crammed into someone’s living room?

Two tracks were recorded in Eden Studios Kingston. All the other tracks were recorded in Ron’s front room or Adrian and Martin’s sitting room. Home recording was new and an exciting challenge to see what we could get out of the equipment—which at its most sophisticated was a TEAC 4-track but was often two-track Sony reel-to-reel recorders.

Fast forward to now—how did Bright Carving get their hands on those dusty reels and acetate? What was it like seeing your music come back to life, and what kind of emotions did that stir up for you?

The KCS Vinyl of the School Concert has been of interest to the record-collecting community for some time. Austin Matthews, a journalist and collector, came across one of the tracks by the band called “Alice” and was seeking to find out more about the band when someone sent him an mp3 of “Better By You” from the KCS concert. He began to research the listed band members of Gomrath. It took Austin 10 years to locate and get a response from Adrian Long! Luckily, Adrian had digitized the copies of the recordings Gomrath made. Austin heard them, liked them, and passed them on to Jon at Bright Carvings.

It was amazing to us that anyone was in the least bit interested in these old tracks. They were, however, genuinely interested, and we were very flattered.

It is a sad fact that both Roy Wiles and Paul Martin have died, and Clive Rutledge has not been able to be contacted. So the only people left to enjoy this discovery are Adrian and Martin Long.

The whole process has been joyous and very affirming. Firstly, it was a complete surprise to find people who genuinely liked the songs that Gomrath had produced. Secondly, we have had to involve friends from the old Wimbledon and New Malden scenes to remind us of events. Posters and gig tickets have come to light, which both Adrian and Martin had completely forgotten about. We shared ‘Spare Time’ with a wider group of friends, and the feedback, to our consternation, was really positive—so we have learned that this track has broader appeal, which we had never considered until it was discovered by Jon and Austin.

Martin and Adrian have made music on and off since 1971 in a variety of bands, and more recently, through the use of digital workstations, we continue to compose and create songs. However, for this album, we have been inspired to organize a launch party and play a selection of tracks live.

Did the process of re-releasing the album feel like a proper resurrection, or more like finally letting go of a chapter you thought was long closed?

It was more of a discovery than a re-release since we had never released any songs in the first place. It has encouraged us to revisit these old songs, which we had forgotten about, and enjoy them—and, in some instances, resurrect them! We also had to seek out any additional material, and when Bright Carvings requested photographs of the band, we had to look up other band members and surviving relatives for any archive material. The whole process has been wonderful but bittersweet, as only two members of the band are about to enjoy this recognition.

Looking back, what was the highlight of your time in the band? Which songs are you most proud of? Where and when was your most memorable gig?

Our most memorable gig was at Ealing Town Hall, supporting Sam Apple Pie, a British blues-rock band who we had at least heard of. This gig was set up by Tony Derrington, who at the time was social secretary at Ealing Tech. To book Sam Apple Pie, Tony had to go backstage at one of their gigs to bypass their management. He shared a joint with them, asked them to promise to play ‘Route 66,’ and booked them! Tony was a good promoter and had booked Gomrath in the past, so for us, this was our biggest gig—supporting a band with a known name in the Town Hall and not a scout hut!

The other highlight of the time with the band was recording ‘The Hebrides’ and ‘Spare Time’ at Eden Studios in Kingston. I mean, a real live recording studio—what’s not to like?

What was the craziest gig you ever did?

We played a gig in a village hall somewhere, and there was only one person in the audience—a friend who kept shouting, “More, more.” Probably one of the craziest gigs we played.

If you could play one more show as Gomrath today, in any venue, with any bands—past or present—on the bill, who would you share the stage with, and what kind of set would you want to play?

All the old members of the band would be there. We would play our normal set, and we would be sharing the stage with an amalgam of our heroes before they made it, like Cream, The Doors, and Caravan.

Is there any unreleased material left?

In our quest for photographs and other collateral, it turned out that there were some additional reel-to-reel tapes hidden in an attic, which contain some additional songs. This material is being analyzed by Bright Carvings to see if any of it is viable for a future release.

What occupied your life after Gomrath, and when did you actually stop playing together? Did anyone play with any other bands?

After Gomrath split up, we moved on to another progressive rock band called FruitbatMcTango, created from the mixing of people from the New Malden and Wimbledon scenes. Fruitbat lasted a year until Adrian went to college in 1972. Roy and Clive played in a band called Swift Whippet, who made a concerted effort to play the London pub circuit. Martin played in a band called Maxwell Stinger, who thought they were going to release a single, ‘Butter Wouldn’t Melt,’ an early production by Trevor Horn before he found his successful style, but it never saw the light of day. Martin and Adrian then played in a band called Stubble, which fed into a mammoth 1980 home recording session that produced enough songs for two albums. These were sent around to record companies, but no response was ever received! In subsequent years, we have had many musical projects, sometimes together, sometimes with other musicians.

What about these days? What occupies your life today?

For about the last 10 to 15 years, we have been consistently writing new material with another friend, Richard Gregory. We get together about three or four times a year, make a weekend of it, write a song from scratch, record it, and post it on SoundCloud. You can listen to some of the tracks here.

Thank you for taking your time. The last word is yours.

Our musical journey that started with Gomrath was relatively unambitious in the sense that we were not pushing our way into the music business. We just really enjoyed it, wanted to play loud and tight, and thought that it was important. It was, in many ways, rather innocent and uncorrupted, which is a nice way to remember it.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Adrian Long and Clive Rutledge recording

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