The Fall of the Fainthearts

Track One: The Beginning of The Revival

Kian Cash (ex-record producer for Antarctic Records): Axel was a real rockstar. There was no doubt about that. The guy had an attitude but his vocals were incredible, there was real heart to it. Every song had the kind of passion that grabs hold of you and doesn't let you go for days on end until you finally buy that record, just so you can hear it played over again.

Bentley (drummer): Axel was a great performer.

Florence (owner of The Underground): He's... got something special, you could say.

Vince (bassist): Is the whole documentary going to be about Axel, or?

Dahlia (lead guitarist): I don't like to admit it but... I don't think we would've got to where we did without him.

Axel: They said all that about me?

Axel was just 21 when London Revival released their first independent record with Faintheart Records. His father, Tim Faintheart, was the aristocratic CEO of this and many other dominating labels of the 80s. We reached out, but Tim has declined to comment at this time.

Kian Cash: Their first record completely bombed. I mean, if anything, that record made it harder for the band to make any waves because they were stuck in an old sound that just wasn't working out for them. I think Axel had a lot of pent up aggression at the world, at his family - it really translated into the music and people just weren't digging it.

Look, you've got to have a unique sound to stand out, but you've also got to appeal to the people who are putting money in your pockets. You can't just write music for yourself and expect the world to land at your feet. You've got to be relatable, avoid the depressing crap. London Revival didn't do that.

Bentley: Axel had some pretty interesting ideas about where to take our music. It sounded like shit, to be completely honest. But he was a force to be reckoned with and the chicks kinda dig the whole anarchy thing so, we let it slide for a while.

Vince: We were riding around the city on pedal bikes, dishing out records out to whoever would take them, in the end. Eventually we realised that it was just not gonna shift as it was, so we went back to square one and started playing really small gigs just to get our foot back in the door.

Florence: I was working at my Pop's bar at the time. It's called The Underground. Back then it was just a small little dingy building but we worked to make the atmosphere as warm and inviting for customers as possible. We hung festoon lights with orange bulbs and got bands to sign posters, had them framed on the wall. Half of them we couldn't remember, but the walls were like snapshots into the past of all the music that had played here before, so we couldn't bring ourselves to part with them.

Pops was a huge music fan and wanted to give some spotlight to the smaller, more local indie bands. Every night we had two slots; one at eight and one at ten. After the Haig brothers got scouted at a gig in The Underground, we had bands pretty much lined up out the door every night for a spot on the roster. The stage was small and a little bit rickety, but after Will and Matt Haig had set foot on it, every band within a thirty mile radius wanted their shot. London Revival was one of them.

Axel: The Underground paid pennies but the crowd made up for it. The air just felt electric. From wall to wall it was full to the brim with audiophiles and lovers of good music. Everyone and their mother wanted a chance at seeing the next 'Haig Brothers' before the ticket price skyrocketed, so they could say they were there since the beginning. It was free, good music and a whole lot of booze. What wasn't to love?

Vince: Because the Haig brothers were scouted, we were all hooked on the idea that it was going to happen for us. The Underground was our chance. Or, we had a way better chance gigging there than anything else we were wasting our time doing.