In late 1999, after many beers in a local pub Rich Carter, Paj and Jamie accidentally formed Blueprint when they drunkenly agreed to support Rich May’s previous band (Babytrain) at a gig the following January…After all the hazy Christmas and Millenium New Year parties were finally over the lads were brought back to earth when they realised it was only three weeks until the gig and they hadn’t practised, written any songs or even found a bassist! Luckily Rich’s brother Trev Carter (an accomplished guitarist remembered from bands such as the Greenbacks, Marilyn Twice and The Industrial Lemons) was between bands and agreed to play bass.
Trev was always keen to point out that it wasn’t his band and he was just helping out. To this day no one has ever worked out if this is because he didn’t want to intrude on his brothers project or if he just thought the band was terrible and didn’t want to put his name to it.
So the lads knocked together six songs (including Someone Else’s Song, That Summer and Middle of the Week) and quickly practiced for a couple of weeks. To everyone’s surprise they weren’t terrible…..well not really terrible anyway.
They quickly followed up with a number of supports and headlines, gaining as much acclaim for their love of beer and wearing boiler suits with inappropriate messages on as for their music and gigs!
Memorable moments included the Official Blueprint Gorilla handing out free bananas before gigs (before being told to stop for apparently breaking a number of health and safety laws), having over a hundred people singing their songs back at them during a gig and their four foot tall boxing style promoter / compare dancing with the official Blueprint Transvestites.
Forgettable moments included an all day event where the band were left in a pub for nine hours before their set. Lets just say that gig is best forgotten (it certainly was by the band).
Blueprint then took a break at the end of 2000 as Trev moved to Bristol and Rich went to Australia to avoid work for six months…
When Rich Carter returned they reformed late in 2001 with their number one and only fan), Rich May, joining on bass (Trev by this time was involved in other bands, who spent more time rehearsing then drinking).
They wrote a load of new songs (including You Know Who You Are and No Coming Back) and quickly picked up where they had left off – playing some gigs and establishing themselves as just another run of the mill local band, but a run of the mill local band with a monkey!
They spent June 2002 in Strawberry Fields studio (Bicester) working with James Hockley) recording the long awaited album Blueprint’s World. Released the following month to unprecedented demand, it sold out all 12 copies within a few weeks.
Unfortunately at the beginning of 2003 the band split up – no official reason was ever given, although many rumours have been circulating including a Lacrosse incident or the eloping of the Blueprint Gorilla and the four foot compare!
There was one more gig… A Christmas gig in 2009 where Trev joined Blueprint back on stage, but this time as a second guitarist. The Gorilla was there, but the 4ft compare was nowhere to be seen…We try not to talk about that gig!
So anyways after playing only one gig in the last 10 years Blueprint will be back to play one final set of 3 or 4 songs in memory of Trev. We won’t be practising because that just isn’t Blueprints style and if we sounded any good then Trev might not recognise us.
Members
- Rich Carter – Vocals
- Paj – Guitar
- Trev – Guitar/Bass
- Rich May – Bass
- Jamie – Drums
Many thanks to Rich Carter for this history of Blueprint
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