I chanced upon their five-track demo tape after inheriting a massive box of cassettes bequeathed to me following the death of a dear friend - a collection so full of questionable music that I occasionally wondered if it was post-mortem revenge for the time I accidentally knocked his tooth out. My best guess is this tape originally came courtesy of the late Martin Trehearn back when he was promoting gigs at The Bistro. Having sat on my desk for months, it finally piqued my interest simply because Chasm was a local name I wasn't familiar with.
After 30 years, the tape suffers from a bit of speed-wobble, drifting into a sluggish slow-motion here and there. Standard advice for ancient cassettes is to give them a full fast-forward and rewind cycle before hitting play to loosen the spools, but I couldn't be arsed.
It certainly sounds like a rough demo, featuring all the classic homemade quirks and erratic sound levels that jump wildly from track to track. Despite the uneven production, the band meanders through the lighter side of indie-pop, anchored by Curtis Randles’ smooth vocal delivery. A listed cover of The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever initially roused my curiosity (at least until I actually heard it), but the short, sweet track High Flying proved to be the standout favourite of the lot.
Following his stint in Chasm, vocalist Curtis Randles went on to carve out a successful DJ career spanning over 25 years. Known for his versatility, he held sought-after residencies for high-profile venues and promotional brands including Kanya in Ibiza, Garlands, and Godskitchen, and later hosted the Back To The Beach podcast.
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