Determined to focus on original material the quintet wrote and rehearsed for almost eighteen months as, primarily, they learnt how to be in a band, even though they had already played their first nationally advertised gig.

Eventually Tony left to join Tidal Mind and was replaced by Rich’s flatmate, Nic Kerridge a perpetually happy history student from Berkshire with contrary loves of Pearl Jam (good) and Robert Fripp (very, very bad).

The rehearsal venues veered from a small and frighteningly cold barn in a field near Theydon Bois (ever seen someone play the bass with gloves on? They have…) to Alienistic and finally, Ant Farm studios in High Beach. The only stylistic rule was that the stuff they played just had to… well… rock. Metal, punk, pop and grunge were not to be discriminated against. If it had a guitar it was all good and while Linus rehearsed, Rich and Nic gained some good stage experience by playing acoustic versions of some of the band’s songs around bars in the Greenwich area. In February 2002 the band recorded a seven-track demo at Rogue studios in Rotherhithe, south London that was to be the catalyst for making Linus go public for the second time.

On May 11th 2002 Linus made their proper live debut at the Dublin Castle in Camden supporting rap-metal demi-gods Project X. This was planned as the first of many for the band, even though it would be Nic’s only gig, as following graduation he left London to start Flight School in Coventry.

The summer of 2002 proved to be a frustrating period for the new quartet. Just as Rich moved back home full-time after finishing university, Toby had to leave. As a long-time member of the Territorial Army, he had always felt the need to live in holes and cover himself in mud and when Her Majesty asked to go to Bosnia with the TA to train as a dog handler who were Linus to say no? And how can you when the person in question could garrotte you with a drumstick?