About the band
The early days...
A coming together of minds with a shared love of 80s music and culture, The Vernon Principle are an outstanding and memorable covers band.
Upon forming the original members initially agreed on the working title, "Chasing Utopia" which sort of summed up what we were attempting. We were certainly chasing our utopian dream of playing those 80s tracks we knew so well and loved so much and still do to this day!
The band started their first practice in October 2017 and consisted of Blake on keyboards, Barry on vocals, Jez on Guitars, Ian on Drums and Graham on Bass. The band name was then changed to "The Vernon Principle".
The VP played their first gig in June 2019, but sadly and somewhat quickly this line-up ended. Blake and Barry agreed to continue and quickly sought new musicians.
Why, "The Vernon Principle"?
We are often asked where we got our unusual name and the answer is more obvious than it may initially appear. We wanted something that represented 80s culture at a time when we were all young!
We are fans of the John Hughes movie "The Breakfast Club" and, after toying with the idea of naming ourselves after the character Principal Vernon (played by the late Paul Gleason), we decided to flip the name - and so The Vernon Principle was born.
Credit goes to our original singer, Barry!
It all came together nicely, in the end!
Tom was the first new band member to replace Graham on Bass with Martin following not long after, replacing Ian on drums.
On the surface it seemed like things were on-track, with just a new guitarist needed to complete the line-up. Unfortunately, Barry's tenure was only temporary as he was moving away and could no longer continue.
All was not lost though as Martin had a guitarist in mind, who happened to have a singer in mind. Dave joined on Guitars along with Andy on vocals to complete the line-up, and the rest is now VP history!
As we stand today...
It soon became clear the new line-up had something really special. We all had long and colourful music histories that locked us together, allowing us to quickly build a compelling set.
To improve our production and polish the band invested in a professional digital sound system, lights and advertising materials. We were all ready to go, until the Covid pandemic hit the globe!
Covid delayed the band’s opener, but we practiced as much as we were allowed, and the “Fab Five” of Andy, Blake, Dave, Martin & Tom played to the public for the very first time in September 2021. Further gigs quickly followed and the band are now in demand – having bookings up to 18 months in advance.
The Vernon Principle are fully established in the local music scene and mainstays at parties, weddings, corporate events and festivals.
Why not see what the fuss is about and book us for your event?