Cry Wolf had their beginnings in 1997, when guitarist Gary Farmer teamed up with his brothers Tom and David (on bass and drums respectively) and Alan Johnson on guitar. It was David who came up with the band's moniker, with other alternatives being Red Ten and Big Sky, and their original logo was a howling wolf in profile with tears running from its eyes. It was initially something of a battle to find venues to play (mostly due to the steady reduction in the number of pubs willing to shell out for a music licence). Thankfully some publicans were willing to give them a chance, one of which was The Six Bells in Brentford, at which Cry Wolf are a fixture to this day, traditionally on the last Sunday of the month. It was when Alan Johnson left them in the lurch at short notice that Tom gave guitarist Pars Evrenos a call, and the current line-up became a reality.
	Cry Wolf, l to r: David Farmer, Pars Evrenos, Gary Farmer, Tom Farmer. Guernsey, 1999

In 1995, prior to the formation of Cry Wolf, Gary, Tom and David had worked with guitarist and fellow Brummie Steve Turner on the Blackfoot Sue album which was originally released as Talk Radio. When it was re-released in 1998, as Red On Blue, the band went on the road to promote it, cumulating in a gig at the London Astoria 2. When Gary was unexpectedly indisposed, Pars took to the stage after only a single rehearsal, and, as he said, "There were no deaths". Once again, though, things didn't quite go as planned. Just prior to the gig, while the band were mellowing in a pub not all that far from the venue, a nail bomb was detonated in a pub a mere two blocks away. As Pars related, "I'd never seen so many blue and whites..." With the area swarming with police in the aftermath of the explosion, no-one could get out of, or more importantly, into the West End, resulting in a disappointingly poor turn-out for the gig. Philosophical about it now, Tom recalls it being marvelous to be able to play the Red On Blue songs in such a large venue with that big a sound system, making songs like Small Town sound truly magnificent. Sadly, there were no recordings made of this historic gig. That was the last public performance as Blackfoot Sue, leaving the band to concentrate on gigging as Cry Wolf, playing mostly in and around greater London, but sometimes travelling further afield. On one such occasion in 1998, they were booked to play at a May Day holiday gig up in Lincolnshire. However, things took an unexpected turn due to the vagarities of the British weather - it turned out so sunny and warm that most people, including those who'd already paid for their tickets up front, thought, "Sod it!" and headed for the coast instead!

The promoter, embarassed by the small turn-out, decided to make it up to the band by providing a far more lucrative gig. He set up a trip to the Channel Islands for the 1999 August bank holiday, and made sure absolutely everything was organised before contacting Gary, including the venue, the backline, and even the ferry trip over! That gig was was specifically for The Islanders Motorcycle Club, and was such a roaring success that it was repeated in 2000, the year the bikie gang officially became absorbed into the Bandidos. In fact, Cry Wolf played the gig on the historic night on which the gang gave up their old name and walked out of the venue with their new gang's name emblazoned across their backs. And Cry Wolf are still going strong... to see the latest gig list, just click here !
	Cry Wolf playing Stripes Bar, Brentford F.C., Friday, April 16, 2004 -   more photos