Pool Of Sound - The Id

The Id

Gary Hodgson went to Riversdale College in Liverpool with Paul Humphreys and there they met Steve Hollas. Andy McCluskey was doing a 1 year foundation course at Wallasey Art College where he met Julia Kneale. Andy also brought in an additional member in the form of old school friend John Floyd.
'Dalek I Love You', 'Equinox' and 'Pegasus' were Wirral-based outfits that provided a perfect area for various musicians to grow and develop and it was through bands like these, as well as the bizarrely named 'Hitlerz Underpantz', that the formation of  'The Id' came about.

The core line-up of  'The Id' emerged with John Floyd, Andy McCluskey and Julia Kneale on vocals, Mal Holmes on drums, Gary Hodgson on guitar, Neil Shenton on guitar, Paul Humphreys on keyboards and Steve Hollas on bass guitar. This loose line-up would often find themselves rehearsing above a fish shop or, if they were lucky and had enough money, rehearsing at Greasby Library.

Steve Hollas recalls the early days of 'The Id' live performances, "In the beginning, rather then play the pub circuit, we'd hire out church halls and sell tickets. You never really knew how many people would show up, but we usually managed to fill the place. I think word got around and we became quite popular!"
Gary recalls; " 'The Id' were very popular and the gigs were always full. The Wirral band scene had two main bands 'Pegasus' and 'The Id'. We played Eric's nightclub in Liverpool in the new wave era when all the top punk and new wave bands played – that was a vibe."
In fact, it was Eric's owner Roger Eagle who suggested that the band get some of their own material recorded. This encouragement helped to hone Andy and Paul's songwriting skills and the influence of artists such as 'Kraftwerk' and Brian Eno were very evident, even though they were quickly developing their own sound.

As 'The Id' developed, its line-up also went through a period of change: Neil Shenton had left and joined a new Liverpool band 'The Man From UNCLE' (an outfit that Mally also drummed for whilst still in 'The Id') and Julia Kneale and John Floyd also left.
The new Mk II version of 'The Id' now featured Andy, Paul, Mally, Gary and Steve. Taking Roger Eagle's idea of recording some demos seriously, the band clubbed together the necessary £25 and in 1978 they booked in a session at Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery. Three songs were recorded; 'The Misunderstanding', 'Electricity' and 'Julia’s Song'.

However 'The Id' were starting to fall apart as arguments ranging from the songwriting to the 50p rent for the library took their toll. Andy decided to quit the band and pursued a new direction with 'Dalek I Love You'. Although Andy’s time with them was brief, their use of backing tapes and synthesisers had a definite influence on the future band 'OMD'.
Gary Hodgson went on to work at RAF Sealand (that inspired the song on 'Architecture And Morality') for several years before he switched to assist 'OMD' as part of their road crew, especially in the maintenance of the Fairlight CMI. These days he's built a reputation as a freelance programmer for the likes of 'Oasis', George Michael and Chris Rea amongst others.
Steve Hollas, meanwhile, left college and, as his parents wanted, got a 'proper job'.
Mal Holmes, Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey emerged from the remains of  'The Id' and took with them a number of raw songs that were reworked and honed until they became the 'OMD' classics we know today.
So despite the short-lived dreams of 'The Id', their legacy lives on.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/07/pool-of-sound-orchestral-manoeurvres-in.html