Sample And Hold were a Belfast band who formed in 1980 and embraced the new technology with their use of synthesizers. The original line up was Barry Powell, Keith McVeigh, Richard Wakely, Gordon Hood, and Keith White.

Sample And Hold released two self penned singles on Reekus and their own Akdov label and also appeared on Blue Rhythm’s “Express And Explore” compilation cassette.Image above shows Sample And Hold Live at The Pound, Belfast

The line up of Barry Powell (vocals), Gordon Hood (guitar), Keith McVeigh (Keyboards & synths), Richard Wakely (bass) and John McDowell (drums) were responsible for recording the first single. Personnel changes saw the band expand to a six-piece when Philip O’Callaghan (ex Two Shots, later of Blah Blah Blah and Dye), Trevor Wray (ex Ask Mother) and Nigel Galashan were recruited after the departure of Richard Wakely and John McDowell. This new line-up recorded the next single. A video was produced to promote that single “Monopoly Games” and it was shown on local youth programme “Wisecrack”. The band recorded radio sessions for RTE and Downtown Radio and had tracks played on Radio1 by Peter Powell. They toured Ireland in their own right and as support to such acts as Hazel O’Connor, The Comsat Angels, Echo And The Bunnymen and Simple Minds.

Between line-up changes, Jeff Beattie (ex Victim drummer) had a brief stint with the band on his return from England. As did Owen Howell (ex Stage B drummer) before he joined Big Self. Howard Ingram (ex Tearjerkers) played bass for a gig or two.
 
Vocalist Barry Powell went on to work for the BBC before being killed in a car crash in July 1984. The band’s manager, Peter Todd was stabbed and seriously injured in what was believed to have been a random sectarian attack during the band’s last gig at the Orpheus Bar in Belfast, in July 1983. When Sample And Hold split, several members teamed up with ex Tearjerker Paul Maxwell and formed The Bazooki Brothers.

Prior to Sample and Hold, back in 1977 Keith McVeigh was in the short lived band Zone Ends. Along with Keith were Seamus Cassidy, Ray Boal and future Andriods Andrew (Aza) Middleton and Joe Moody (Zero). Keith and school friend Ray had answered Aza's ad in (I think) Rocky Mungo's. We had 3 or 4 practices in Methody covering such songs as Sweet Jane and Johnney B Goode before they promptly split. In the 80s and 90s McVeigh played in a selection of bands including Peacefrog with Davy McLarnon (ex Shock Treatment) and later featured in a reformed Shock Treatment 21. He currently writes and plays jazz.