IN a 2008 mini-documentary Rock I gave you the best years of my life featuring members of four Newcastle bands who were all at one time on the cusp of fame but never quite got there, James Vidler talks about his years with The Goddards.
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“We were on the verge of getting into the small time,” he says with a grin.
But the truth is the band which featured three members of the one family, James, Richard and Bob Vidler, were at one time Newcastle’s best bet – they appeared destined to make it.
The Goddards was founded by James, the youngest of the brothers, and Richard, who played guitar and sang. Bob played bass and John Fitzgerald was on drums.
Their first gig was at the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel in January 1988.
“We were hopeless,” he said.
“Lot’s of people came to that. I don’t recall being in The Goddards and not playing to a full pub.
“I don’t really know why, perhaps there was just a vibe.”
They played a blend of original music and some obscure covers. Things went so well for them in Newcastle they decided to try their luck in Sydney – a shot at making it. There they formed a relationship with Newtown recording studio Troy Horse, which resulted in Richard Vidler entering a business relationship with the studio, spawning the Troy Horse label.
They recorded, they toured and it all looked so promising, but the wear and tear of recording their first EP took its toll. They broke up and the EP was never released.
In the years after The Goddards there were other bands for Vidler, such as Bloodloop Beautiful, but at the end of the day the rock’n’roll lifestyle held little long-term appeal.
As he tells it in the documentary, “I didn’t know what was coming next week. I started to want to know what was coming.”
Vidler displays no disappointment about what could have been. This is probably because at the end of the day it was always about the music, and that is something he never let go of.
He spent time living in London and Sydney before returning to Newcastle in 2006 where he now lives with his partner and family, and where he has a home studio.
“Ever since I was 18 there wasn't a year where I haven't done gigs or been in a band,” Vidler said.
In 2015 he formed The Donkey Browns which plays guitar driven, 80s inspired, indie rock. Think the Pixies meets Tom Petty. The line-up is Blake Doyle on drums, Chris McDermid on guitar, Leif Tisdell on bass with Vidler on guitar and vocals
These days his approach to making music is “a lot more relaxed” and says it is heartening to be back in Newcastle among musicians who have never stopped doing what they love.
Next gig: Stag and Hunter, Mayfield, May 20.
