"A fourth-rate New Order": The mystery of Tim Farron's band

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[Later. A reader has sent me a picture of Tim and his band.

Even later. Listen to the band!]

Matt Dathan, the Independent's online poliitlcal reporter, tells us

Tim Farron is the leading contender to replace Nick Clegg as the new front of the Liberal Democrats but yesterday he revealed he fronted a rock band in the 1980s. 

It could have been a very different rise to fame for one of the few remaining Lib Dem MPs if his three-piece had not been written off “as a fourth rate New Order” three decades ago. 

And he has left would-be fans in the dark over the true identity of the band, refusing to reveal the name of the band but teasing fans by simply saying: "you can find it on YouTube".

I am not sure research is Mr Dathan's strong suit, as Tim gave the names of his band in an interview with Total Politics back in 2012 or thereabouts:

"I was once nearly a pop star,” Farron says. 

Really, I ask, breathing deeply. 

“Well, I say nearly. My band got offered a recording session with Island Records. In the blur of all the stuff, we didn’t do it…” 

What was the band called? “We had a variety of names. We were called Fred the Girl, for some reason. We were trying to be obscure. There were no girls in our band. We were also called The Voyeurs… We thought it sounded good until we worked out what it meant.”

I'm not sure this quite adds up: if a band was really serious then the possibility of recording with a major label like Island would be everything they had ever dreamt of.

But if Tim is not having us on, and if you are better at searching Youtube than I am, you may be able to find a video of him fronting Fred the Girl or The Voyeurs.