Q June 1999 - All About Eve

Formed in 1985, All About Eve rapidly outgrew their Goth-rock beginnings after the acoustic ballad Martha's Harbour reached Number 10 in 1988. Despite two successive Top 10 albums (1987's All About Eve and 1988's Scarlet & other Stories), their melodic folf-rock never spelled long-term success and the group split in 1993. Where are they now? asks Claire Pring from Bradford.

Julianne Regan (vocals): "From the outside, we looked like a merry band of troubadours but the truth was that the band were very up and down," admits Regan. "The others would be in one room writing and I'd be in another, watching Neighbors."

The root of the problem was the power struggle between her and guitarist and songwriting partner Tim Bricheno, who left in 1990, to be replaced by Marty Wilson-Piper. "After that we had a new lease of life. We thought we could take on the world. Unfortunately, we couldn't." Acid house had changed consumer tastes. "At that time if you didn't groove you were dead. One minute you're at the top table with Freddie Mercury at the Phonogram Christmas do, the next you're out."

Although picked up by MCA, the bands were dropped again after two albums, 1991's Touched By Jesus and 1992's Ultraviolet [Actually just Ultraviolet - Matt]. They split the following year. 1n 1994 Regan was introduced to a post-Suede Bernard Butler and the pair wrote an album together. Sadly, four days into recording sessions, they fell out and the project was cancelled. "We were both control freaks and neither of us was gonna give in."

Undeterred, Regan formed mice with Tom McTighe (later in Britpop act Powder) and used AAE's Mark Price, Andy Cousin and Marty Wilson-Piper as a studio band. Unfortunately, their record company Permanent went bankrupt just months after their album Because I Can was released in 1995. "It was the final kick in the teeth," offers Regan. "After that I'd has enough of the record industry." Although she's spent the last year working in marketing, Regan is still writing with a Belgian band called Jules Et Jim. "It's more like the Pet Shop Boys than All About Eve. We're making an album but at the moment its still a case of don't give up the day job."

Mark Price (drums): "I was a pretend Goth," says Price. "When I joined I had very short hair but by the end I looked like Richard Beckinsale." Now Regan's brother-in-law, he remembers AAE as being "a bit serious", so subsequently enjoyed himself with The Cure and Right Said Fred ("really cool people") before joining Del Amitri two years ago. "The Dels are more laddish." says Price, who also worked on the Fever Pitch soundtrack. "I remember the Eves as a bit miserable."

Tim Bricheno (guitar) : In 1990, Bricheno joined uber-Goths The Sisters of Mercy, playing on the 1990's Vision Thing album. He then formed the vaguely industrial CNN, who became XC-NN after protests from the US new channel. After little success, Bricheno established Tin Star with XC-NN's Dave Tomlinson. Their debut album, Thrill Kisser, was released on V2 in February.

Marty Wilson-Piper (guitar): Only a part-time member of AAE, Pipoer is now a mainstay of Australian Byrds devotees The Church, whose 1988 album, Starfish, enjoyed minor success in America. A post-AAE song-writing spell with Regan came to nothing. The Church re;lease their 15th album this year.

Andy Cousin (bass ): "Thins got too big too quick," says Cousin. "We all went crazy and ended up believing we were in Alice In Wonderland. But AAE never really split up, we just drifted apart. Julianne remains my best friend." Immediately after AAE, Cousin recorded with Marty Wilson-Piper and Mark Price under the name Seeing Stars then joined The Mission, playing on 1995's Neverland album. He recently signed to Madonna's label Maverick as part of new band The Lucy Nation. "It's a cool vibe thing. A mixture of song, groove, passion and soul."