STORM is a new schools ministry, with a stirring new CD, working with Soul Survivor in Watford. DJ Coopoid talks to the band to find out whether they'll be visiting his old school!

Storm

I spent the first 19 years of my life in Watford, Hertfordshire. With a band like Storm going into schools, it almost makes me wish I was doing my 'O' levels/GCSEs again! Soul Survivor had wanted to set up something like the World Wide Message Tribe in Watford for a while. Beth Redman (nee Vickers, married to worship leader Matt, and formerly of WWMT) was willing to set up a new band, and started sending out application forms and calling old friends. She was eventually joined by Becki Bell and Glen Ross (both from NGM ministry band Re:Fresh) and Claire Smith (from YFC dance band Fractal Edge).

They now have a 10-track album to be proud of on Survivor Records, produced by Matt Redman and mixed by Zarc Porter. Many of the songs were written by Beth and Matt together. Beth recalls the process: "It was bizarre actually, because there's no reason why we should work well together just because we're married. On the first day I we were a bit nervous really, but it was amazing. It was so 'God'! Within one day we wrote three or four of the songs!"

The content of the songs show clearly the band's desire to let young people know about Jesus. Beth continues, "With some of them, like 'People' and 'Taste And See', it's just this whole burning thing of evangelism and 'I've
| got to tell you'. Then there's the song 'Compassion'. I wrote that with Matt as a result of going to Guatemala for three weeks and working with street kids." To my ears, many of the songs show similarities in style to pop sensations All Saints. Beth doesn't seem to mind this comparison. "Loads of kids really love them, so if we sound a bit like them without copying them, we're being relevant. But in six months time if all the kids suddenly start enjoying heavy metal or something, we'll have to change our style, because we're just trying to be relevant, and be where they're at."

One obvious difference to All Saints is the presence of DJ, MC and rapper, Glen Ross. He first got into rapping at his home church in Solihull and started deejaying while in Bristol, working for New Generation Ministries. How does he cope with being the only lad in the band? "At the moment it's not too bad, as I'm doing the music part of it for the stage shows, and the decks for the schools stuff, so I'm more like the sound man. I think we'll get a few more boys on board for the schools stuff though." Glen has been involved in schools ministry for a few years now, and he still enjoys "just telling people about Jesus, that there's hope and a real God who cares and loves everyone. People need to know that."

Storm started at just the right time for Glen and Becki, as Re:Fresh was coming to an end. Becki explains, "I enjoyed Re:Fresh and in the end everyone in the band decided to go separate ways and do different things. Glen and I decided to move back to our hometowns, but just before we left I had a call from Beth offering us a position in storm. We were excited to take it up as a new challenge. I really enjoy the Storm music and I find it quite different from Re:Fresh. It's much more the kind of sound we're all into." And for Becki, that's Janet Jackson, other soul music and a lot of acid jazz. As far as dancing goes, her ideas come from watching Top Of The Pops! I haven't seen it for myself, but their dancing must be good (another attraction for young people), as Claire Smith studied contemporary dance at drama college: "I've always enjoyed singing, dancing and acting. When I left Drama College I realised I wanted to use dance to tell people about Jesus and change people's lives. I then had al really amazing year with Youth For Christ, and I met Becki at Spring Harvest, when she told I me about Storm...l love dancing and being| able to do it for God."

When the name Storm was chosen, there was no meaning to it, it just sounded cool. However, now it has come to stand for Schools Team Outreach Relationships and Mission. "And that's what we're all about," says Beth. "It says it all."

Storm's first experience of working in schools together was actually in South Africa during September. Beth recalls, "It was hilarious. You name it, it went wrong! We turned up and the sound gear didn't, and when it did turn up it didn't work... it was just a bit of a disaster really. Anyhow, it made us all really fired up and determined to get back to Watford and do what we're called to do, which is schools work. We've just got our timetable for the next three months and it's completely crazy, but it just means we'll be meeting loads of kids in Watford, so I'm thrilled."

So does their timetable include my old learning centre, Watford Boys Grammar School? Not this time, but that's probably just as well, being a single-sex school containing over a thousand lads! Maybe Glen should get some more male helpers first to keep things calm? No matter. Storm are doing the kind of thing in Watford that every town needs. Give them your support, or at least, share your packed lunch with them!