THE HISTORY OF SPLINTER

SPLINTER ORIGINALLY BEGAN AROUND 2000 - 2001 WITH DEK AND RIK (THE BAND'S FIRST GUITARIST). THEY WERE BOTH FROM FIFE AND HAD BEEN FRIENDS FOR YEARS THROUGH THE PUNK SCENE AROUND FIFE AND DUNDEE. THEY HAD ALSO PLAYED IN A FEW BANDS TOGETHER ACROSS THE YEARS, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL STINTS WITH OTHER BANDS (NOTABLY DEK'S TIME WITH OI POLLOI AND RIK'S TIME WITH MAXIMUM PENETRATION). AS NEITHER HAD BEEN IN A BAND FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, THEY STARTED JAMMING TOGETHER (WITH THE IDEA OF GETTING ANOTHER BAND GOING). THEY SPENT THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS TRYING OUT VARIOUS SINGERS AND BASS PLAYERS, BUT THE BAND WASN'T FULLY ESTABLISHED 'TIL AROUND APRIL 2004. IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME THAT BEN AND EUAN JOINED THE BAND AND DEK CAME UP WITH THE NAME SPLINTER.

BEN HAD MOVED TO GLASGOW FROM SYDNEY (WHERE HE HAD SUNG IN A COUPLE OF PUNK BANDS) AND HAD POSTED AN AD IN LOCAL RECORD STORE CARNABY RECORDS LOOKING TO JOIN A BAND. DEK AND RIK CONTACTED BEN AND SOON THEY WERE JAMMING TOGETHER, MEANWHILE CONTINUING TO SEARCH FOR A BASS PLAYER BY POSTING ADS IN MUSIC SHOPS. IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE EUAN CONTACTED DEK IN REPLY TO THE AD.

EUAN HAD PLAYED IN A HARD ROCK BAND FOR A FEW YEARS WITH SOME HIGH SCHOOL MATES AND SO, BEING INTO HEAVY MUSIC LIKE PUNK AND METAL, HE WAS RIGHT INTO THE STYLE OF MUSIC SPLINTER WERE PLAYING. THE BAND WAS FINALLY FORMED AND IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG BEFORE SPLINTER STARTED PLAYING SHOWS.

SPLINTER'S FIRST SHOW WAS ON THE 1ST OF MAY 2004 (AT THE STRAWBERRY FIELDS CLUB IN GLASGOW) WITH CLASSIC '77 PUNK BAND THE ZIPS (WHO HAD RE-FORMED A FEW YEARS EARLIER). A FEW MORE SHOWS WERE PLAYED OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, BUT IT DIDN'T LAST LONG. RIK (BEING THE ONLY PERSON IN THE BAND NOT BASED IN GLASGOW) GOT A BIT FED UP TRAVELLING FROM FIFE FOR EVERY GIG / REHEARSAL, SO HE DECIDED TO LEAVE AND JOIN A BAND WITH A FEW OF HIS MATES AROUND THE FIFE / DUNDEE AREA. DEK HAD ALSO BEEN TRYING TO GET THE BAND GOING FOR A FEW YEARS BY NOW, SO EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT BEST TO SPLIT UP (AT LEAST FOR A WHILE).

AFTER A YEAR OR SO, THE DESIRE AROSE TO GET THE BAND GOING AGAIN. DEK, BEN AND EUAN GOT BACK TOGETHER WITH JAMIE ON GUITAR. DEK HAD BEEN JAMMING WITH JAMIE A BIT OVER THE PREVIOUS FEW MONTHS, SO JAMIE AGREED TO PLAY GUITAR WITH SPLINTER FOR A WHILE (UNTIL A PERMANENT GUITARIST WAS FOUND). AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS REHEARSING, SPLINTER PLAYED THEIR FIRST SHOW BACK (ON THE 9TH OF JULY 2005 AT THE SOUNDHAUS IN GLASGOW). AFTER RECORDING THE "GOT A FEELING" EP WITH THE BAND, JAMIE DECIDED TO GO AND STUDY IN SWEDEN FOR A WHILE. HE PLAYED HIS LAST SPLINTER SHOW ON THE 18TH OF SEPTEMBER 2005. AS THERE WAS PLENTY OF NOTICE THAT JAMIE WAS LEAVING, A NEW GUITARIST WAS ALREADY LINED UP.

SANCHO STARTED JAMMING WITH SPLINTER AROUND LATE SEPTEMBER 2005 (AFTER PLAYING IN PENCILHEAD FOR A FEW YEARS). AS PENCILHEAD HAD BECOME QUITE CASUAL (ONLY DOING THE ODD REHEARSAL / SHOW), SANCHO HAD NO OTHER PERMANENT PROJECTS GOING AND DECIDED TO JOIN SPLINTER. IT WASN'T TOO LONG BEFORE THE BAND STARTED BOOKING SHOWS AGAIN (IN NOVEMBER 2005). THIS REMAINS THE CURRENT SPLINTER LINE-UP TO DATE, CHECK OUT THE GIGS PAGE FOR FUTURE SPLINTER SHOWS.

SPLINTER WOULD LIKE TO THANK:

PEOPLE:
ROB, JAMIE, SHIRLEY, CLAIRE, JAMES BOLENBAUGH & DAVID BRODIE @ AUTONOMI PRODUCTIONS LTD, PAUL McARTHUR,  JOE DIAMOND & THE BELFAST PUNKS, JANA ZUPANCHICH, FRASER @ SPITTING TEETH RECORDS, ZAGREB RUDE, MILJAN BOSANCHICH, LICHO @ RIROCK, FISTRA, CHOP, OANA, DUNJA @ R.A.F.A.L., OUR FRIENDS & FAMILIES, NICK & HEATHER AND THE GLASGOW HOOLIGAN CREW.