February 1997, Butlins, Bognor Regis

Nick and 30 or so friends were getting steadily pissed at Butlins' Festival of the 70's. 3 days, 2 stages, and a ragtag mixture of one hit wonders, tribute bands and the remnants of successful name bands, some of whom did their band name credit, and some who really should have given up long ago.

By sunday evening The Rubettes and Doctor Feelgood had stood out as being bands of the weekend, until...

11pm Sunday

The stage lights went down, smoke filled the air and the PA pumped out the start of Teenage Rampage - "We want Sweet, We want Sweet". Brian Connolly was not a well man. He was helped to the microphone stand which he used for support throughout the show, but what a show! Brian Connolly's Sweet were tight, powerful and hugely entertaining. The crowd were on their feet and couldn't give a damn if Brian forgot the words. We were in the company of a real 70's legend. This is what glam rock is all about. Fuelled by adrenaline and beer, even Black Lace closing the weekend got us dancing on the tables, doing the actions to Superman. Sorry Butlins!

Spring 1997

Having given some thought to the Butins experience, NIck came up with the idea of forming a band that could recreate the atmosphere of the glam era and condense it into a 2 hour show. Bored of the bands that churned out blues and rock standards in pubs every weekend he felt there was an opportunity to give audiences something new. Well, old, but new.

Calling around his musician friends he started to put together what would become Sweet FA. Songs and musicians came and went, until the first lineup and set was complete.

September 1997

Sweet FA were Mick (aka Mic Stand) on vocals and keyboards, Nick (aka Nikki Staxx) and on Neil (aka Neil B. Formee) on guitars, Rikki on bass and Spencer on drums. Their first show was at Tonbridge Fire Station in Kent.

Spencer soon left after Bananas and Custardgate (don't ask!) to be replaced by Graham (aka Grey Beard).

Nick, Mick and Graham had been playing together on and off since 1982 so their mutual understanding increased the quality immensely.

1998 on

Slowly Sweet FA began to find venues prepared to take a risk with an unknown band that wasn't trotting out the usual diet of blues and rock standards. The audiences were universally astonished to find that the 5 scruffy musicians soundchecking to a bog standard song then disappeared to be replaced by 5 glam rockers in platforms, makeup, wigs and ridiculous clothes, who then blasted into Hellraiser by the Sweet. Their normal Friday night diet of run of the mill rock had been replaced by a full on glam rock show. And they loved it.

Sweet FA built a big fan base in the South East playing some 50 odd gigs a year.

Bassist came and went - Rikki left to be replaced by Jimmy Tea (or Jimbo Jett), who in turn was replaced by Syzee Cointreau.

Neil left and Nick continued as the sole guitarist.

Graham left at the same time as Neil, to be replaced by Craig and then Will Power.

And so Sweet FA continued until Nick left in 2011 to start a new adventure in France. Their last gig was a going away party at Nick's local, the Bull Inn, Three Leg Cross in East Sussex.

And so Sweet FA's story came to an end - or did it?