current_members associated_acts years_active article_title past_members background genre origin name
tim fisher jon bankes sprackling geoff sprackling peter matuchniak simon strevens steve janysium evolve iv still the noun 1980 & ndash ; 1985 mach one
 steve whalley martin polley dave polley group_or_band neo-progressive rock england mach one
mach one

mach one are a british neo-progressive rock band , founded in 1980 by a group of students attending burlington danes high school in west london .
after a series of studio demos , school gigs and lineup changes , the band attracted the attention of keith goodwin -lrb- notable as publicist for yes , rod argent , black sabbath , in the 1970s , and marillion in the 1980s -rrb- who represented them through 1983-85 .
during this time mach one embarked on a series of live shows at pubs and clubs around london , and universities across england , while releasing two albums `` six of one '' and `` lost for words '' that featured prominently in underground progressive rock fanzines -lrb- such as the genesis fanzine called `` afterglow '' -rrb- and specialist progressive rock catalogues .
however , in the more mainstream press they received mixed reviews for their second album , including a humorous 1-star review by mary anne hobbs in sounds -lrb- a british music paper -rrb- , although their live show was given a positive write-up in the same paper a few weeks thereafter by journalist gareth thompson .
in 1984 they established a residency at the cafe emil in kensington , london , one of the few places where they regularly sold out .
any success beyond this eluded them , and when pinnacle records , their main distribution company , declared bankruptcy the band decided to call it a day .
however , the band did reform briefly in 1985 as a smaller three-piece to record material for a new concept album titled `` could this have been our prehistory '' .
although this has yet to be released officially , they did play the whole album live in its entirety at a few gigs in london but there was no plans to continue beyond that .
later that summer they were asked to play a last minute support gig at london 's famous marquee club but it was the last time they were ever to play live .
