After the demise of slapstick punk band The Batteries, Dessie Potter and Colin Fletcher decided to form a new band which would play only original songs. Influenced by albums such as the Scream, Real Life and Sons of Survival the mood of the music also took a darker turn with songs about the occult, axe murderers, self-mutilation and the afterlife being planned. Dessie would write most of the songs but Fletch would contribute some lyrics such as those to “Numbers” and “Self Portrait”.

Fletch persuaded his old school friend Owen Howell, a talented rock drummer, to come along to a practice. Owen worked in Harrisons Record Shop in Belfast at the time and unsurprisingly had the largest record collection around - incorporating the Beatles, the Stones, Wings, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin. It would be fair to say that at this stage Owen was not a big punk rock fan! Nevertheless after a few rehearsals staged at Fletch’s house in the grounds of Orangefield Boys School or in Owen’s Dad’s garage he became a committed member of the band.

First to try out for vocals was Paul Rowan who was later to play a lead role in the Lunatic Fringe, glamsters Ballroom Blitz and more lately (and with Fletch) Stop! Stop! Start Again…” By his own admission Paul found the whole thing a bit too weird for his taste at the time and declined the opportunity to join the band.

The passage of time has dimmed recollections of exactly how Charlie Reilly became the singer with the band but it is thought he was suggested to Dessie and Fletch one night in the Harp Bar by John Gault (an Antrim Road punk). Charlie impressed at a practice at Fletch’s and was accepted immediately by the others. It was Charlie who named the band Stage B with the name coming from the BBC television programme The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Through their contacts with another Belfast band the Androids, Stage B obtained a regular rehearsal spot at the Art and Research Exchange, 22 Lombard Street, Belfast. Stage B stored their gear there and on a number of Saturday afternoons Fletch would round up a posse of punks to ferry the gear the short distance to the Harp Bar in order to set up for a gig that night.

Stage B made their live debut in the downstairs room of the Harp Bar one Saturday afternoon in February 1979 (supported by Centre). The 45 minute set comprised of all original material and included songs such as Recall to Life, Light on the Hillside, Self Portrait, The Viper, Lizzie Borden, Numbers and Continental Girls. The band went down a storm and received calls for an encore. More gigs at the Harp Bar (both upstairs and downstairs) and at the Pound in Oxford Street followed with Stage B using darkness and strobe lighting to maximum effect.

Through his work in the record shop Owen met Noel Rafferty, a young sound engineer at nearby Outlet Studios who also played in a power-pop combo called Strike. Noel later went on to make his mark with London's Mayfair Studios. There he trained under John Hudson to become house engineer, before going freelance. Since then he has furthered an already impressive CV working with artists such as AC/DC, Plant and Page, Debbie Harry etc. Cel Fay (former Irish show band stalwart) from Outlet was intending to establish an off-shoot label called Shock Rock to showcase new bands linked to the Belfast punk and new wave scene. On the 4th of June ‘79, while Fletch was in England watching the Ruts, the rest of the band was offered some free time in the Outlet Studios to prepare them for recording the single. The three band members took full advantage and demoed several tracks including Lizzie Borden, Numbers, the Viper and Self Portrait. Most of these tracks are featured on various bootleg albums including “Bloodstains across Northern Ireland Volume 2”. These four tracks also mysteriously appeared on an unofficial cassette which Dessie was seen flogging copies of to friends and fans in the Harp Bar to raise some badly needed beer money!

Stage B were then booked to support Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure for a gig in the Ulster Hall on 5th September 1979. Regrettably they never got to play as the Banshee’s equipment was stranded on the mainland and the gig ran very late, which sparked off a mini riot outside. Perhaps this was just as well as Fletch and Charlie passed the time drinking rum and blackcurrant all afternoon in the Europa hotel while waiting for the sound check that never came.

They were also selected to feature on the BBC’s Green Rock series, a locally produced television music programme which intended recording gigs from 6 of the “hottest” local acts including Horslips, the Undertones, Starjets, Bronco and Light. Tickets were printed for the Stage B gig due to be filmed at the BBC studio at Balmoral on 1 December 1979 however more bad luck ensued when a BBC technician’s strike put an end to their appearance!

To drum up publicity for the ill-fated show the band also spent a Sunday afternoon in the company of Bobbie Hanvey, a renowned local photographer, writer and musician. Bobby took a series of publicity shots in and around Castle Street, Belfast which would later feature in many of the band’s newspaper articles.

The single “Recall to Life” c/w “Light on the Hillside” [SRS 502] was also recorded around this time and became Shock Rock’s second release in January 1980 and received much critical acclaim - one Fanzine described it as the best single by a local band EVER. The track is also available on Shock Rock’s compilation album “Belfast” [SLR 507] also released in 1980.

Shortly after the single was released Stage B played at a punk and new wave festival at Queens University, Belfast. Fletch remembers being treated like shit by the organizers and finding the whole event to be most un-enjoyable. The gig increased his growing sense of disillusionment with the Belfast music scene and he began to regularly miss practices. He left the band in February or March 1980.

With the departure of Fletch, Stage B’s image changed somewhat. Dessie began to favour all in one jump suits in the style of the London Blitz Kids (think PX clothing) while Charlie donned frilly pirate shirts and Owen a geometric wedge haircut similar to Phil Oakey of the Human League.

Stage B continued to play Belfast regularly throughout 1980 mainly at the residency they had secured at Winkers, Dunbar Link (now Yello / Mint). They also appeared at Good Vibrations first Punk and New Wave Festival at the Ulster Hall with New Yorkers the Stimulators, the Outcasts, Starjets and Big Self in August 1980.

On the 16th October 1980 Stage B finally got to support Siouxsie and the Banshees at the Ulster Hall. Dessie recalls that they played with a stand in drummer and bass player; a long term replacement for Fletch was still proving illusive and Owen had fractured his arm about a week before the gig. Dessie recalls that the Banshees used the Belfast gig to preview their new and unfamiliar album (Kaleidoscope) and Stage B took full advantage by blowing Siouxsie off the stage.

On 8 April 1981 the band supported Toyah at the Ulster Hall. This gig was filmed by the BBC for "Rock in the City". It is believed the gig remains in the BBC archives and small clips are available for viewing on YouTube (you can view Recall To Life below). In an interview around this time with a local fanzine ironically including pictures of the original line up Charlie Reilly and (short-lived) new bass player Paul Burns declared Stage B to be (no longer) a punk band. Fletch doubts that Dessie would have approved.

Shortly after the Toyah gig Owen Howell would leave to play with Big Self together with the Trial’s Gordy Blair (ex Rudi) with whom Stage B had formed a short working alliance. Dessie Potter and Charlie Reilly tried to keep the name going but the writing was on the wall.

However as luck would have it, just before Stage B finally split they were interviewed extensively for a New Musical Express (NME) special on the Belfast music scene. Anton Corbijn the renowned rock photographer took some excellent photographs for the feature - a fitting legacy for the band.

Shortly after Stage B went into the Studio to record one more single entitled "The Last Dance" (unreleased) and made their final performance at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast.

Fletch contributed a piece on the band for Sean O’Neill and Guy Trelford’s tome “It Makes You Want to Spit” and with interest in the band rekindled there was talk of a reunion gig with the original band members. Tragically Owen Howell died suddenly in 2005 ending that possibility.

In 2008, Fletch formed “Stop! Stop! Start Again…” with William Maxwell (Immortal Records) and one time Stage B trialist Paul Rowan specifically to re-record Recall to Life for a compilation CD on Ulster punk called Time to Be Proud. Intended as a one-off the band then played at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in 2010 with Charlie Reilly as guest vocalist. They performed two Stage B songs “Recall to Life” and “Light on the Hillside” to rapturous applause.

As to the present and future ; Dessie fronts Dark Wave duo the Stiltwalkers and Fletch plays regularly with Stop! Stop! Start Again…. To mark his 50th birthday this year Fletch intends to release a 50 copy limited edition EP as tribute to Stage B with Stop! Stop! Start Again…spin-offs the Vipers. It is also on the cards that Des Potter, Colin Fletcher and Charlie Reilly will take to the stage together again in September 2012 as Stage B.

While in comparison to other Belfast punk bands Stage B’s recorded legacy is meager they are remembered fondly by their fans as the most original of Belfast’s punk bands.