Obituaries

STEVE TREATMENT OBITUARY IN THE GUARDIAN, September 26th 2015 by Christine Isherwood

My friend Steve Treatment, who has died aged 57 of pneumonia, was a glam-rock DIY post-punk songwriter and musician, inspired by Marc Bolan and T Rex, who never saw commercial success in his lifetime but whose work was undergoing something of a revival at the point of his death.
Steve was a talented songwriter and flamboyant dresser. When I first met him in 1976, he had blond curly hair and wore a white boilersuit and masses of makeup. The punk scene was in full bloom. Steve was writing songs prodigiously, attending many gigs and attracting attention. Befriended by Derek Jarman, he found himself with a role in Jarman’s film Jubilee, cutting off his long locks as Amyl Nitrite, a character played by the actor Jordan, danced around a fire.

Born in Derby to Derek Finney, a police officer, and his wife, Dorothy, Steven, the middle child, was obsessed with music from an early age and took piano lessons. School was not for him and he was eager to leave as soon as possible and move to London.
In 1978 Steve released his first record, 5A-Sided 45, on Rather Records, a label formed by the band Swell Maps. The Maps were the backing band on the recording and I sang vocals. Upon release, the record was warmly received by the music press and all five tracks were played by John Peel on his show.
A group of us – Steve, Nikki Sudden from Swell Maps, and I – would busk on the streets of London, singing Treatment songs. We all worked in shops selling souvenirs of London, but the focus was firmly on music. Steve had other jobs from time to time, one in an amusement arcade in Piccadilly, but the world of work was not one he fitted into and the only place he was at home was in music.
Steve took the DIY ethos of punk to heart, releasing two more records himself in the late 1970s, Heaven Knows and Chosen to Go. In the 80s Steve formed a band called the Ticket Inspectors, which released cassette recordings.
In 2003, Topplers Records in Scotland started releasing a steady stream of Steve’s new and previously unreleased music. In recent years he amassed a solid body of fans and interest in his music continues to grow.
This year two retrospectives were released: the first by Messthetics, a US-based label, the second by Topplers. When I spoke to Steve before the records’ release, he was full of plans to tour this material.


Steve is survived by Dorothy and his brother, Paul. His sister, Kathy, died last year.

The text below was written by Paul Finney, Steve's elder brother, and was read at the funeral service by Sally Ward (Sally Tams).

Steven John Finney came into this world in the front bedroom of the Boulton Lane Police House on December 6th 1957. The middle child of Derek and Dorothy, with an older brother Paul and a younger sister Kathryn. 

He enjoyed music from an early age, playing '78s on his parent's radiogram, getting small tingling shocks whenever the metal parts were touched. His favourite 78 was 'Mary's Boy Child' by Harry Belafonte. 

Once a new red Dansette record player was bought he competed with his brother to build a record collection of all the latest sounds, often both buying the same record. 

He had an interest in reading music which his Aunty Joyce helped him with. When he was given a piano at the age of 12 he took lessons. However he didn't like the formality of it or the classical tunes. He wanted to play pop music. So, his piano teacher made a deal with him; if he could learn to play the 'Blue Danube', then she would teach him to play Yellow Submarine. 

He drove his family mad, pounding away on the piano in the front room. Every time he went wrong he would go back to the beginning until he got it right, even taking the skin off his fingers. The Blue Danube has never been the same to the family since! 

Like any young lad he would get into plenty of mischief with his pals, including Mark... most of which his parents were oblivious to. He was very much looking forward to leaving school and when he found out he had to stay on for an extra year he panicked, withdrew all his savings from the Post Office and ran away from home with a school pal. After a week his distraught parents got a postcard from Hull to say he was alright. 

In those days a police officer's pay was very poor and his father had to take out a bank loan so he and a colleague could go and search for him. He was found working on a fairground in Bridlington. The look on his face when his dad appeared must have had to be seen to be believed! A mixture of shock and relief. 

He came home and served his extra year at school begrudgingly, and on leaving he took up a job in Dixon's Record Shop„...but he still had itchy feet. 

He'd had an obsession with London ever since, at the age of 11, his mum had taken him on a trip to the city. When he saw the hippies in Trafalgar Square with their colourful clothes, beads and bells he was hooked. He bought a hippy bell and drove everyone mad by ringing it all the time. He still had that bell on his fireplace up until his death. 

At the age of 17 he moved to London where he rented a room from a nice couple in Acton. When they sold up he moved into a small attic bedsit in Ladbrooke Grove for some years until the Council housed him in temporary accommodation in a luxury apartment in Queensgate, which had formerly been a Foreign Embassy. Following that he got his basement flat in Talgarth Road. 

Steven had not been in London long when he started to hang around outside Marc Bolan's office in New Bond Street and met the star many times. He was even invited to watch Marc in the recording studios making an album. 

It was outside Marc's office that Steven met like-minded T.Rex fans who would become lifelong friends and some of whom join us here today. He got a job in the Oxford Street HMV store which he would keep until he took time off to follow the T.Rex tour. 

When punk took off Steven was at the forefront of it. He even got a part as an extra in Derek Jarman's film Jubilee, cutting off his long curly hair around a bonfire, burning books. He received £5 for his troubles. 

When Marc Bolan died tragically it spurred Steven and friends to do something themselves. With their help Steven recorded some songs he had written and Steve Treatment was born. He busked around London to earn extra cash, but would not do paying gigs until 1988 with the band Ticket Inspectors. 

Steven continued to write and record songs on his cassette in his flat. Once he was put in touch with the NoMen and their record label in Scotland, Steve Treatment took on a new lease of life. He would send his tapes to them and they would add extra instruments to his music and put his songs onto vinyl and cd. 

 

Steven was so pleased when recently his early singles were put together on a compilation. Chuck Warner also put out some of his music on his label in America. 

Steven's world was music and you could not have a conversation with him without him going off on a tangent or singing some song half-related to what you were talking about... which could make phone calls very frustrating. 

He hedged his bets when it came to religion. He had a picture of Christ and a statue of Krishna in his kitchen, whilst in his lounge was a statue of Buddha and books on several other religions. 

Steven lived in an alternative musical universe and found our world difficult and boring. Wherever he is, we know there will be plenty of music. He will be missed by his family and many friends. 

He died in the city he loved and in the home he felt safe in. Who could ask for more? Boogie on Steven. Thank you Paul for writing such a beautiful tribute to your brother. 

Steven died at his home in London. For his family there is now a deep sense of peace. Steven will be forever remembered as a creative musician, a man who embraced glam rock .... and perhaps more importantly as a decent man with a gentle and loving soul. 

People have said such lovely things about Steven and I know they must bring great comfort to his family. Comments include: `Steve always stood out from the crowd.. ...he was always noticed' 'with love and respect to him and his memory.' 'good to know so many people loved him.' 

This final Facebook comment would perhaps sum up Steven perfectly.... Perhaps it is just as he might wish to be remembered. It says: 

'Steve was a true original - a man who could convey every element of the human spirit in a 3 minute pop song and whose character shone through in everything he did. Love and respect.'