The Norbiton Surfers

A south-west London trio and a borrowed drummer* who came an went as innocuously as a cartoon steam enwho came an went as innocuously as a cartoon steam engine while singing an everyday song about not being cool and the end of the universe.gine while singing an everyday song about not being cool and the end of the universe.

They thought they sounded like an intelllectual Ramundertones - not realising quite how much the weight of the world that they insisted on carrying on their young shoulders, slowed them down and sapped any youthful energy they still possessed.

Interestingly, a side effect of this was the accidental creation of a whole indie sub-genre; Somehow, whilst not even knowing they were pregnant, The Norbiton Surfers gave birth to "low-fi". Sort of.

If their subject matter and the overriding timbre of their "sound' wasn't depressing enough these surfers had even more to fret about: Norbiton was never likely to be twinned with Santa Monica whilst the only one you could ever truly love was thousands of miles away - physically, spiritually, and mentally.

They might have borrowed a few lines from "California Girls" but the real object of their unrequited love-lust, frustration, and subsequent angst never wore a bikini. He was a 24 stone, creatively moribund paranoid-schizophrenic called Brian. You think you've got problems?

* an unashamed Ted Nugent fanatic, he was just too embarrased to commit to a full association with The Norbs.