Joby Fox pays tribute to Seamie O'Neill, who passed away last night.

BIG Packy, Big Packy McClenigan. That's what we called each other. We were only kids, barely 18 years of age, travelling to London – Sea Lion, Stranraer, overnight bus – to go and meet several record companies that Seamie had set up the meetings with. We were in a band called the Bankrobbers together. Seamie managed to get into the band when he picked up our equipment in the back of a St John's ambulance on the Falls Road.

We used to rehearse, in all places, in the nunnery down the Falls Road. When Seamie heard our drummer – we were auditioning a drummer – I was situated in the room where Seamie was. He could see me, but the rest of the band couldn't see him, and he was signalling to me that the drummer was shit. He was pointing to himself saying, "You need me as a drummer."

Simultaneously, I was watching the drummer go through the audition and trying to keep a straight face at the same time. He's was a fucking brass neck character and I loved him for that. 

So after that, I suggested to the rest of the band, should we give Seamie a shot at this drumming business? Seamie learned how to drum, I think, on a side drum. Anyhow, he got a kit, and we did our next rehearsal with Seamie, and it was just absolutely clear from the first 30 seconds – he was the man. It was a kind of Ringo Starr moment, and the Bank Robbers were born.

He was the force behind what became a great band of its time – challenging the Bank of England over £50 notes, getting into all sorts of controversies, and making some great music, too. We eventually moved to London when we got a record contract with EMI Records: the Beatles, Bowie, Queen, just to mention a few.

Two days into the contract, Seamie left, because we weren't getting a wage, and that's what he was working for. We had an English manager at that stage who just said, "Sign on the dole, boys, and, you know, eventually we'll get youse on a wage." But Seamie was not having it.

To walk away, I thought, wasn't what I thought he should do, because he'd worked so hard to get that far. But he did walk away. There were tears. There were a lot of struggles around the whole thing after what we'd been through – two years of treading the boards up England, Scotland, Wales.

We were on a programme called The Tube, which was the big Jools Holland show of the day. They came to Belfast, and they loved us so much that they flew us over to the end-of-the-series party, and we partied with U2, Big Country, and different people, all sorts of people.

We had the wildest parties. Great, great times spent with Seamie. And this was all before I was 20 years of age.

Seamie went on to do some really interesting things. At one stage, he was the drum tech roadie for Level 42, who were a really, really big band in the '80s. I recall he got me a ticket for the Hammersmith Odeon, and he said: "Look, Joby, I've done the best I could. I got the best seat I could get you. It's not the best, but sure, you're in the gig anyway, and you can come and meet the band afterwards or whatever." Seamie was literally traveling around the world with these guys.

Anyhow, when I got to the Hammersmith Odeon, I got in a wee bit earlier than most people because Seamie met me at the front door. He took me down to my seat, and it was literally the best seat in the house, sitting in front of Mark King, the bass player and singer of Level 42. And with me being a bass player, it was a massive treat.

But he was so kind. When Seamie was showing his kindness, it knew no bounds.

Occasionally, me and him would have fought like cat and dog – but just, like, in a brotherly way – and we would never truly fall out with each other. We were always looking out for each other. That's usually what the source of the arguments was about: that one or the other person wasn’t looking after themselves as much as we thought they should.

I could go on all day, but just to say that he was one of my greatest friends, and we travelled this world together.

He's gone now. I will continue on. I'm looking forward to a long and healthy life. I will be smiling like he always told me: "Keep smiling, Joby Fox."

And I'll do that. And now, I believe I've got a friend – another friend – on the other side, who will be looking out for me, like he always did.

RIP Seamie O'Neill.