Marijne and Paul on stage in Southend (1995)
Sharp dressers Paul and Marijne rock the Camden Dingwalls (1997)
About the Band
Marijne van der Vlugt met guitarist Paul Kennedy whilst studying at film school and knew drummer Rob Wakeman from the house she was living in. They found a bassist and formed a band named The Merry Babes. Marijne sang lead vocals and played keyboards.
Later, Paul introduced an old school friend, Pete Brown to the band and they changed their name to Salad. In a 1995 interview, Paul explained: "...it was very organic, the whole set-up. It's the complete opposite to what some people might think." Marijne added "The problem is, that I just happened to have a job, like most people in bands do when they first start out. The trouble was that I happened to have a job in the public eye (MTV), that's all. People just shouldn't be so narrow-minded."
"Anyway," added Paul, "it hasn't been that much of a problem. I think most people realise we're 4 Real. I'm not gonna carve anything into my arm, but it is the truth."
Their first release hit the street on midsummers day in 1993. The Kent E.P. was a rocking debut which picked up some good reviews from the music press. Diminshed Clothes followed five months later, and in April of '94, Salad released the On a Leash E.P., featuring four amazing songs including one which would go on to donate its name to this website.
Salad's first album, Drink Me hit the streets in 1995 and peaked at number 17 in the album charts, no doubt thanks to the bands relentless touring around the UK and Europe.
In 1996, Salad expanded to a five piece, recruiting Charley Stone to play lead guitar and keyboards on stage, as well as singing backing vocals. Her skills added a new dimension to the band's live sound.
