During 1978 Dave Smith played bass for a local MOR group, Misty Web. He then poached their lead singer, Neil Currier, and along with the ex-Rasputin guitarist Steve Fowler and ex-Toad drummer Polo, formed the Broadside Outcasts. They performed at least one gig with an added saxophonist (I did the mixing for them at that gig) at the Woolpack pub in Muspole Street (date unknown). I also recorded one of their rehearsals onto cassette.
The band's name was then changed to Silent Noise after one of Dave's songs. In April 1979 they cut one self-financed record (1000 copies): I've Been Hurt (So Many Times Before) c/w Heart to Heart on the Easy Records label. It achieved two air-plays on Radio 1 (John Peel, of course) and they also mimed to it at one of John Peel's gigs at the UEA. I believe Radio Norfolk also played it at least once in 1980 on the Wally Webb Show which, at the time, had become the local outlet for hopeful groups. Webb also played Nightclubbing which, finances permitting, would have been the second single. However, lack of funds resulted in it never being pressed onto vinyl at the time.
Silent Noise played a few gigs though I do not have any record of the dates. I certainly attended one in Acle sometime in February 1979 (notable because of the accident on the journey back which resulted in a broken collar bone for Dave Smith) and another at a nightclub near Anglia Square (Pennies?). I also made some 4-track recordings of the band during 1979. In 2002 I was contacted by Steve who runs the www.lowdownkids.com web site - he wanted to put out a Silent Noise LP - yes, real vinyl! - and this is now available from his site.
Dave Smith's next group was The Trouble With Girls. I believe it existed around 1981/82 and consisted of Dave Smith, Polo, Steve Fowler and Lucy Bales (now Lucy Smith) on keyboards. There may have been another guitarist. As far as I can recall the band did not play any gigs.
More recently Dave has formed More Trouble With Girls and some of their music can be heard on PeopleSound.
