Dex Dex Ter

Formed in late 1994 when Basque couple Even and Gage moved to England following the breakup of their Spanish scene band (due to the lead singer going to university.) They placed an advertisment in Melody Maker looking for a singer and guitarist. Belfast-born singer Paul Wilkinson and London guitarist Gerard Kelly answered the advertisment. Band formed as Mk2 with Wilkinson naming himself Paul Roide (pun on [m74165]) before rebranding as Dex Dex Ter with Roide renaming himself Xav and Kelly renaming himself Gjeih. The band was renamed, by Gjeih, after the character from the soap opera Dynasty, Dex Dexter (lover of Alexis Colby) inspired by Duran Duran having taken their name from a character in the film Barbarella. The lineup from the beginning was Xav on vocals, Even on keyboards, Gjeih on guitar, and Gage on bass. In 1994-1995 they recorded an extensive set of demos, of which four tracks were released as two two-track cassettes in mid 1995, one of which reached Kevin Wilde, co-promoter with Paul "HiFi" Nugent, of Club Skinny in Camden - consequently Wilde managed the band and they regularly gigged at Club Skinny, then the core of the Romo movement. Xav appeared on the front cover of a Melody Maker Romo special and the band contributed Creature Feature to a Melody Maker cassette and played the Fiddling While Romo Burns tour. Also during this period the band supported [a2811] at Shepherd's Bush Empire and played the opening night of The Cell nightclub. Signed to Trade 2 but were beset by internal arguments over musical direction, control of the band and other personal issues between Xav and the other three resulting in a split in late 1996. Single [r4868617] was released posthumously in early 1997 - 1995 demo track "Chemistry Of Youth" had been rerecorded as the follow-up with B-sides "Flower Power" and "Supa Bupa". Gage, Even and Gjeih recorded four-track "Ex-Dexters" audition tape for Trade 2 but were rejected. Xav, renamed Xavior, was signed to the label as a solo artist and recorded album Chainsaw Mass Appeal (including yet another version of "Chemistry of Youth") but was dropped late 1998 with the album still unreleased - he continued for some years as a solo artist before forming Paul St Paul And The Apostles 2006-2008. Even and Gage continued to work together as Sparking Toys until 2016, before and after they returned to the Basque country; Even now records alone as ArtEfficient Intelligenz. Gjeih meanwhile, reverting to Gerard Kelly, went on to a career in production and freelance composition under the tradename Stumpy Music.