In an exclusive extract from his book, Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures, former Dead Can Dance drummer Peter Ulrich looks back at an almost fateful mishap in the heady days of the band’s early time with 4AD
n 17 October, Brendan, Lisa, and I went to 4AD’s offices in Alma Road, Wandsworth – coincidentally adjacent to the location of my father’s first childhood home in Melody Road – and formally signed the recording contract with Ivo [Watts-Russell, 4AD co-founder]. It was also confirmed that we were to embark on an eight-date tour of Holland supporting fellow 4AD artists the Cocteau Twins starting in two weeks’ time. My old Mischief mucker Peter Hicks had filled in on bass for a couple of rehearsals after Paul’s departure, but we now needed to seriously prepare ourselves for our first tour including the rapid initiation of the new bassist 4AD had found for us – actually via a recommendation of Cocteau guitarist Robin Guthrie – a seventeen-year-old Scottish lad called Scott Rodger…