A PASSION for the local music scene in Bournemouth in the early 1980s has prompted Gavin Underhill to rekindle his memories on a new website.

Coffin-Dodger Renegades collates information on a range of bands active from 1980-85, including the likes of Danze Frakcha, Sketch and Blue Nile (recently mistaken for the Glaswegian indie pop merchants of the same name in the Echo’s Rock of Ages column) in which Gavin played.

The site includes music from many of the bands harvested from the cassette tapes that routinely changed hands at the back of gigs.

“I blagged tapes whenever I could of other projects from friends and acquaintances I made on the local scene,” he says.

“To some my hobby seemed a bit odd at the time, but in retrospect I’m pleased I made the effort – I actually do like most of the tracks featured to some degree, and enjoyed listening to them again while transferring to digital format.”

Now living in Manchester, Gavin also rounds up a lot of information on band members and the studios in which the tracks were recorded – mainly Misty in Norwich Avenue, Arny’s Shack at Penn Hill and Studio 95 in Boscombe.

Some of the tracks were recorded live at venues like Upstairs At Eric’s, The Academy and Midnight Express.

It’s far from extensive – by Gavin’s own admission he omits anything by scene leaders Tours, whose Language School single was given massive radio play by John Peel and subsequently released on Richard Branson’s Virgin label, as well as their offshoots such as Cosmetics and Biz Internationale.

“They were fronted by another ex-Tour and local legend Ronnie Mayor, whose ‘We’re Not Worthy’ status meant I never had the bottle to ask for a tape!” says Gavin.

There’s also a section on the fondly-remembered Coaster magazine, which covered Bournemouth’s music scene and underground in grand style from April 1981 to October 1984.