The Massasuasia Story

Early in 1988, I was approached by Rachel Picco, the 13-year-old younger sister of my then girlfriend, telling me that she and three of her school friends - Tanya Dixon (13), Debbie Nelson (13) and Louise Harper (13) - who all attended The Arts Education School in Tring, had formed a band and would I be willing to help them get into the music industry.

They named their band 'Massasuasia' (based loosely on 'mass persuasion'), with the four girls having created their own logo and already written a number of catchy pop songs of their own, they were busy practicing their dance choreography.

With the consent of their parents and their school (all of whom I met individually), and who knew my reputation from being the organiser of Live Aid in Hemel in 1985, Massasuasia became my first foray into music management. Remember, this was more than eight years before anybody had even dreamed of the Spice Girls, and the only possible comparison at the time was Bananarama.

Each day after school I would collect the band, and we would spend a couple of hours writing new music. lyrics and practising their dance moves outside my flat on Hammer Lane in Hemel Hempstead.

Attending the exclusive Arts Education school in Tring, all four were already proficient in various forms of dance, including ballet and tap, so adding modern pop choreography was no challenge to any of them.

I took them into the recording studio of a friend of mine and we recorded the songs for the first time on professional equipment, readying them for their first ever live gig at the Arts Centre, Hemel Hempstead in September 1988.

The gig was an enormous success and Massasuasia gained their first publicity with complimentary reviews from the local music press.

Buoyed by the reception received from the performance, a second gig was arranged at the Arts Centre, before I entered the band in the local annual talent competition 'Hemel Hempstead Band Search' to be held in February 1989.

The competition was held at the Pavilion in the centre of the town - a most famous venue which, since it had been completed in 1966, had played host to live acts such as David Bowie, U2, Elton John, Gary Numan, Status Quo, ELO, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Genesis and had been the venue for the 1985 Live Aid in Hemel concert.

Massasuasia - (L-R): Debbie Nelson, Rachel Picco and Tanya Dixon practicing outside my flat in Hammer Lane, Hemel Hempstead, July 1988.

The same view [different front doors] in September 2024.