Andy Selway
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Andy Selway is the drummer for KMFDM, a German industrial band.
He spent his early years in Luton, England, but moved to Kirton near Felixstowe in Suffolk where he remained until his early 20s. From a musical family, he is the eldest of three brothers, the other two being proficient bass players (Danny) and brass players (Ricky) respectively.
He started playing in bands at school, the first being a covers band called 'Visions of '85', consisting of Andy on Drums, Steven "Barney" Barningham on vocals, Danny Selway on Bass, Richard "Boff" Smith (later Loveridge) on Keyboards and Andy Melton on Rhythm Guitar. They survived for one performance at a school disco, doing a cover of 'New Years Day' by U2. Uniquely, the vocalist had quit the band 10 minutes before the performance, and so the singer with another band stood in at the last minute. History forgets his name. At 17 he was snapped up by Suffolk's premier heavy metal band 'Earl' and recorded a few demos with them before their premature demise.
He was soon off to the lights of London, where he drummed for Man-Ix-Ex, who later changed their name to All Loved Up. They were a heavy metal / hair metal combo who had more enthusiasm than success. Again, a couple of demos seems to have been the total output.
When this band split, he went on to join 'Big Boy Tomato'. Big Boy Tomato enjoyed a fair amount of success in North and West London, and their 'New Wave of New Wave' sound saw them supporting bands like UK Subs and Stiff Little Fingers.
The Tomatoes managed a couple of e.ps, including the wonderfully titled 'Acton Baby' and the four track CD 'Hormones and Hangovers', and a live video which can sometimes still be found when trawling round the nether regions of the internet.
The Tomatoes split in the early 90s, and a splinter group emerged. Sugar Snatch (as they came to be known - there were disputes over their original name, Candy Snatch) took inspiration for their songs from cartoons, namely Asterix and Animaniacs. One album, "Mad Cows and Englishmen" was released amidst much touring of the UK and Europe, often playing the supporting slot to Toy Dolls.
Seeming going nowhere, the band split, though two of the 'Snatches went on to form 'The Yo-Yos', a punkabilly band formed by Danny McCormack after the 1997 split of The Wildhearts. Although signed and promoted heavily, the band never really took off, and they too split after recording a debut album.
Bladz later drummed on the Silver Ginger 5 album 'Black Leather Mojo' - which gained a 5K review in Kerrang! magazine at the time.
All this while, Andy had been working with Raymond Watts (also known as PIG) and toured Japan with the band. Realising that he wasn't going to get the gigs he needed if he stayed in London, he moved out to America where his working partnership with Watts led to his inclusion in the lineup of KMFDM.
