Unearthing the GT Sound Genesis: Partly Faithful
A Conversation with Partly Faithful's Ed Tuke
── .✦ Commemorating FYGT's 10th Anniversary
Photos by Neil Anderson // Partly Faithful performing live on various dates in 2011-2012
There's always another side to the stories written into history. Not everyone gets the "privilege" of being included in the final record, no matter how vital their role was to the version that survived. It's easy to cherry-pick what you'd like to share or keep to yourself when you are the main subject. You leave the "writers" to accept the story as it is told, and even when they dig deeper, it always comes back to the selective memory of the subject. They decide if they want to be open or if they've said "enough," leaving the rest of us either satisfied or simply haunted by a curiosity that lingers forever.
However, the main subject is never the sole source of the truth. The people around them - those often sidelined or ignored - are the alternative sources of revelation, offering a far more unique perspective on the horizon.
This is exactly what we're attempting to uncover here: the overlooked sides of the woman this blog is dedicated to. These are the layers (we can guarantee) you'd never find anywhere else unless you're actually in her orbit, whether at the center or just on the periphery. A phase that was deliberately overlapping with her "uncompromising" Savages era: the "no-nonsense" 80s goth Partly Faithful phase. This was her private "sound experiment lab" within the London goth scene. It was here she began perfecting the atmospheric guitar playing that would eventually see her skyrocketing to the highest clouds she once could only dream of, but now sit firmly within her grasp.
From PF's Facebook page // PF members l-r: Gemma Thompson, Chris Blake, Ed Tuke, Belle Star
Gemma's tenure: 2011–2012
Ed Tuke aka Ed Banshee (Vocals)
Chris Brown aka Chris Blake (Bass)
Later members: Anouska Haze (Guitar), Matt Burrows (Live drums)
Partly Faithful EP (2012)
Lazarus Under Glass LP (2013) - Post-tenure release containing original Gemma-era compositions: "Big Bang Medicine", "Skin" and "Scribbles"
partlyfaithful.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/partlyfaithful
Partly Faithful was a London-based post-punk and gothic rock outfit formed in early 2011. Born from a shared love for the 80s sounds of The Sisters of Mercy and Bauhaus, the band was known for its dark and atmospheric layers. They shared stages with the scene's local prominent acts, including The March Violets. Though the band is no longer active, it remains a pivotal "missing link" in the history of Gemma's musical pursuits and high-visionary brainchild, Savages. It served as the creative bridge where she developed her trademark delay-heavy "art-piece" guitar style.
In late 2025, we reached out to the band's former frontman, Ed Tuke, who graciously provided these invaluable insights into the catalyst of the band, his creative dynamic with Gemma, and the songs that served as the "glue" from that era.
From PF's archive via Ed Tuke // Flyer for the band's debut EP launch, featuring their Art-Deco logo by Gemma
Regarding your first meetings (circa PF days), what was your initial impression of Gemma, and what was the defining trait or shared artistic idea that first clicked between you?
ET: Our first meeting actually goes back a bit further than the PF days. I first saw Gemma and Ayse [Hassan] (and probably Matt [Burrows] on drums - he would later play drums for the final 2 years of Partly Faithful after Gemma left) performing with Hindley at a post-punk night in London. I was scouting for events and bands for my York band, The Screaming Banshee Aircrew, to gig with and thought there was something really interesting in Hindley's sound. Eventually we did indeed share the stage with Hindley for "A Funeral Party III" at the Purple Turtle in March 2010. If I recall correctly, Hindley opened with SBA as main support and Luxury Stranger headlining. For some reason Hindley's vocalist Lee Coxon (who later went on to play guitar with Chris Brown - aka Chris Blake from PF - in The Sly Persuaders) wasn't able to make the show and I was doubly impressed that Gemma, Ayse and Matt performed their entire set regardless. Even back in those days she had that beginnings of what became her trademark sound using super-long delays to create atmospheric guitar layers - playing the instrument more like a sound effect, an art piece, than a traditional guitar. Being a huge early Bauhaus fan I really loved that sound, it reminded me quite a lot of very early Daniel Ash and I'd made a mental note to try and work with her in the future. I was also impressed by Ayse's bass style and actually tried to recruit her when I was trying to start a new band after SBA broke up a few months later. Unfortunately, while Ayse (aka Nixie) was initially quite positive about the idea, she decided she was too busy with the band she'd just joined (Neurotic Mass Movement) to commit.
It was later the next year that I bumped into Gemma again at the finale to the Artrocker tour with The Chapman Family and O' Children at XOYO in London on March 23rd, 2011. I arrived too late to catch the opening act, John & Jehn but after the show was over Gemma approached and said hello. She'd actually performed that night with John & Jehn and during our discussion I must have mentioned that I was thinking of starting a new Post-Punk/Goth band in London, we talked a while and said our goodbyes. Eight days later I got an email from Gemma asking about my new project, she'd been really impressed by the O'Children set, in her own words "they pushed all the right buttons you know with the whole Sisters Of Mercy sound going on" and she and her flatmate Chris Brown (then of Dr Vampire, previously Somewhere Outside New York) had been discussing starting something up with an "80s goth no-nonsense sound" and thought we should all team up. We arranged to meet at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen in Shoreditch on Sunday 3rd April and.. that was the genesis of Partly Faithful.
We scrabbled together around 5 new songs for a set (which would become our first EP, ["Partly Faithful EP"]), Gemma came up with an art-deco logo and then we performed our debut show supporting The March Violets in Leeds two months later. The rest is history :-)
From PF's Facebook page // Press review of the band's debut show supporting The March Violets
How did you observe Gemma's artistic evolution from the gothic rock of Partly Faithful into Savages, and through to the later endeavors of hers that you’ve followed?
ET: There's not really that much of a leap between PF and Savages musically, certainly Gemma's initial guitar sounds with Savages were very similar to what she was doing with us (especially in our live shows) although I notice that changed with their second album. I suppose PF was heading in a less artistic direction and I'd veered onto a Nick Cave/Bad Seeds influenced vibe at the time which probably didn't really suit Gemma, plus we were gigging very heavily but not gaining traction. The much more feminist-orientated Savages suited her better. The biggest difference was that Savages seized the zeitgeist of the time and ran with it to the top, John & Jehn were a formidable marketing machine and were already pretty established and well connected, so when Jehn joined Savages they took off like a rocket and left all the rest of the post-punk London bands in their wake. Savages had been percolating for quite a while before then, I recall Gemma and Ayse were looking for a drummer as early as January 2011, months before PF started and I remember us all being amused at their choice of band name when Gemma told us at a rehearsal in late 2011 (we commented that "Savages" was a lot to live up to... and hadn't there already been a band with that name in the 70s).
There was some overlap between the bands, I recall Savages played their first show in January 2012 and Gemma stuck with PF until a rather disastrous [the] Horrors aftershow gig in May 2012 (PF and Savages also used the same rehearsal studio in New Cross - I remember driving Jehn back from there once because I'd taken the car to pick up Gemma's bass amp for a PF show). At the time Gemma leaving the band was a huge blow to us and we felt a bit left behind, a little written out of history as the Savages back story didn't really include us. However, that was a long time ago and I can't really fault Gemma for embracing the rising star that was Savages, I think Gemma has done really well for herself and I'm pleased she was finally able to achieve the artistic success and financial stability she always wanted. Plus, that first Savages album was a fantastic piece of sparse post-punk.
I must admit I lost track of what was happening with Gemma after the release of the 2nd Savages album. I recall the last time I saw her in person was at a birthday party in South London and things were a bit awkward between us. In the end, PF had a turbulent but equally creative few years with another amazing female guitarist, Anouska Haze, (who had her own signature style) after Gemma left. We went on to record our final album, "Lazarus Under Glass" , which contained a fair few tracks that had originated when Gemma was in the band. That band was blessed with talent.
Can you name one significant artistic lesson or approach you adopted from Gemma, and conversely, what do you feel she may have picked up from your approach?
ET: Well I guess there's something relating to the difference between being an entertainer and an artist there, Gemma always had such an intense stage presence whereas I have always had crowd-pleaser tendencies, but I doubt that's actually a lesson I'll ever really learn. I don't suppose there's much that Gemma would have learnt from me... perhaps a few cautionary lessons here and there ;-)
If you had to describe your bond (in any sense - creative or personal, etc.) with Gemma in just three words, which would you choose?
ET: We were at one time wholly aligned on a creative mission and it was great while it lasted. Sadly, I haven't heard from Gemma for years.
Can you name 3-5 songs (yours or others') that evoke meaningful shared memories or specific moments from your years working with Gemma?
ET: One of Partly Faithful's first tracks, "Aeroplanes", will always remind me of how fun Gemma and Chris could be. We filmed the video for it in my flat with a smoke machine and torches... and rather a lot of alcohol may have been consumed.
"The Worm Within", as the first and only time I managed to persuade Gemma to perform a backing vocal (a spoken part in the middle of the song)
For my third song, I'll nominate "Ruins" by O'Children. Perhaps their darkest song and an instant and unexpected (for them) hit in the goth scene at the time... that track was the glue that brought Gemma and myself together in the first place to try and fuse our experiences and musical tastes into PF. *
A profound thank you to Ed Tuke for his generosity and for taking this trip down memory lane with us. His insights have provided the missing coordinates to a pivotal era of Gemma's journey that might have otherwise remained in the shadows. We wish him nothing but the best in his current and future creative chapters. You can explore Ed's current work and archives at: forgottenbetween.com.
Original interview by Chyntia R. of FYGT
Posted: Jakarta, 29 January 2026 ₊˚
── Happy birthday to the other side of the mirror! 🐚🎂
