'99 started with an instant success. Having heard a demo of It Could Be You, entrepreneur Martyn Jones wrote to Gavin seeking permission to use the recording on a forthcoming sell-through compilation album he was producing called Project Number 9. More than willing to gain any kind of positive exposure, the band agreed. So often before the band had been approached by so called 'record companies' trying to make a fast buck out of unsigned bands by offering them slots on compilations for a 'small' (not so small) fee and this was a refreshing change (you can download a sample of the song from Project Number 9's website at: www.projectno9.force9.co.uk). Finally Rich bought himself a badly overdue new amplifier casting aside some sound problems that had dogged the group for months. The first gig of the year was a return to the University of Hertfordshire on 16 January. Simon: "It felt like we were a new band, there was a feeling of complete unity between us." The concert was filmed for a documentary to be screened later in the year featuring live performances and an interview with Richard. Plans were also laid to record a third cassette album, likely to be entitled Violent Faces, together with a CD to be released in the summer.

The next couple of months saw the band hold back somewhat on the live side of things as recording took priority. With an increasing gap between their previous album and their current sound it was felt that a new collection was badly overdue so recordings began in earnest over several locations including the Farm Factory complex in Welwyn Garden City and Simon's home studios. Nonetheless time was found for the occasional live slot including a date at the jazzy club Benny's in Bayswater in April. Attention was mounted as the press got wind of this now rare chance to see the band. Jenny Hancock of Universe magazine wrote: "If you haven't seen this band yet, I advise a look in as soon as possible before you have to pay £30 for a ticket!"

Saturday, 29 May was the target date set aside to release the Violent Faces album, not least because this was the date the band were due to make a special live appearance at the University of Hertfordshire's Summer Ball and was seen as an ideal opportunity to launch the new collection. Sessions became stretched and frantic. Gavin: "By the end of recording the album we were absolutely exhausted! Me and Simon had been recording and mixing for about five solid weeks up to the release date with most sessions ending up in the wee small hours. But in a way, the frantic way in which we finished the project really helped get across the sound of urgency that we were trying to achieve...so it worked out rather well!" The recordings were clearly the most adventurous the band had ever undertaken with instrumentation pushed further to the fore than on any other Secrets recording: keyboards, samples, backwards mixing...it was all here. All that remained was a good response...

In truth, what was received was a rather more mixed reaction. Whilst the launch concert was an undenyable success with the band going down a storm and selling a very large number of copies on the night, the new sound was one which was not liked by all. Victoria Laurence, reviewing the album in Pop Pourri wrote: "The dark and moody lyrics did little to enrapture. The Secrets sounded like a band high on nervous energy and very little else."

The article continued on to knock the album and the band on just about every level from Simon's vocal style and Neil's bass playing abilities through to the general tightness or the band. In all it was quite the harshest write up the band had ever received. Still, the band were in defiant mood. Neil (on Violent Faces):

"I was dead proud of it. I think it turned out well but I saw places it could go that at the time I couldn't express. Still, It was the first album I'd had an influence on and you could tell...ie: the bad bits! I thought it got an unfair response in the paper, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones...I just don't like the bitch. She slagged me off in the review and then didn't even have the sense to use a photograph that included all FOUR of us...obviously dumb and blonde!"

In an interview for this website, Pete Curtis asked Gavin if he was afraid that The Secrets were alienating fans with the new sound:

"Basically you can't please all the people all the time. I think that when people hear something that's a bit more aggressive, some of them will respond to it and others won't like it, it's just the way it goes. There's a certain amount of integrity at stake: whenever you put a song out you should always be able to say that this really is what you're about. There's no point just peddling out 'we are a guitar pop band, we are going to play guitar pop because that's what works'...ultimately you've got to please yourself I think because I'm not doing this for anyone else. I care very very much about the other three as well so as long as they're getting enjoyment out of it and definitely as long as I'm getting enjoyment out of it then that's the starting point...and hopefully other people will 'dig it' too!!"

...and dig it they did for despite the bad press, the album sold very well (and continues to do so) at gigs and though the site. Simon: "it's quite a landmark album for us. From despair to aggression ending with a catastrophic finale. Where do we go from here?!!"

With the recording and releasing of the album behind them the band took an enforced break. By July, Neil had completed his degree course with flying colours and moved back home to Reading to think over what he was going to do next. This meant a virtual ceasation of all significant band activity for the time being saving the odd rehearsal here and there. Neil: "It wasn't a split but it felt like one! The summer really was a low point because we couldn't do much and it felt like things were getting stagnant."

However, the devil will find work for idle hands to do and soon things were in the mend. Needing a couple of flatmates for his house, Gavin found two vagrants highly commendable tenants in Neil and Rich (who was also looking for new lodgings) and by August, 102 Princes Avenue in Watford was "resembling something like The Monkees" as Gavin put it. "It was a very fun summer away from the group. We had loads of barbeques, games of cricket in the garden and shitloads to drink."

With the band all in the same place again, full activities could resume. New songs such as the exuberant and punkish Parasite saw a trend towards songwriting as a four piece (traditionally the band's songs had been written essentially by one member and embelleshed by the others). The autumn saw a serious return to live duties in what had otherwise been a quiet year on the gigging side of things. Starting with a return date at Wall Hall headlining the Freshers Fair on 16 October, the band hit the stage rejuvinated and refreshed, turning in a gig as memorable for the band's latest stage attire (all wearing white boiler suits!) as their stonking set. In a reflective mood afterwards, Gavin commented:

"It's been a semi-conscious decision of ours not to play so much live this year. We wanted to try to break the routine of things a bit and I think it's really worked. We seem to put that bit more of an effort into each show now and I think that our standard of performance has generally been much better."

Concerts at venues such as their old haunt The Horn Reborn in St. Albans, the Flag & Firkin in Watford and The Red Eye in Islington all proved to be hugely enjoyable occasions for all concerned. Neil:

"The Red Eye was a real high point of the year because I actually realized how good we can sound!"

But then, suddenly, disaster! In early December, following a late night rehearsal and with another the following day, Gavin and Neil left their equipment in Gavin's car overnight only to find the next morning it's windows smashed in and their gear stolen! "It was literally the first time in all these years of playing drums that I'd left them like that. I know it was asking for it but how unlucky is that?!"

With gigs booked, Gav found himself uninsured against such circumstances and hastily bought himself a new Yamaha drumkit with money he had been saving for a new car. Neil, meanwhile was busy scounging a bass amp from Basement, the band's rehearsal studio in Watford. But fate luckily was on their side for, to everybody's astonishment, a few days later the police found the stolen instruments in a skip outside a local garage...a lesson learnt the hard way but nevertheless the show could go on...

!999 ended as it had begun with the band scoring a surprise success on the Net. With Gavin now able to convert the band's songs into the popular MP3 format, downloadable from the web, the band released Depart, arguably the most popular song on the Violent Faces album for inclusion on British Telecom's Get Out There website (www.getoutthere.bt.com) for new music.

With the track averaging about 10 downloads a day, Depart entered the site's Rock/ Pop/ Indie chart on 11th December at a staggering number 7...climbing the following week to number 5!

2000 >>>