Seymour was a member of various local bands, starting with The Glory Boys in 1979, then The Romantics in the next year, and Scratch Record Scratch. In 1981 he became the bassist in Plays with Marionettes, which had formed in 1980 with Robin Casinader on drums, piano and Hammond organ, Edward Clayton-Jones on guitar and vocals (ex-Fabulous Marquises), and Hugo Race on lead vocals and guitar. The group performed an "aggravating style of jazzy no-wave noise" and broke up in February 1984. Their recordings include one side of a shared single, "Witchen Kopf" (1982), and "Hellbelly" which appeared on a various artists' compilation, "This is Hot" (1984). Seymour, Casinader, Clayton-Jones and Brian McMahon (keyboards) formed a group called The Horla, but it had disbanded by the end of 1984. Soon after Casinader and Clayton-Jones formed the Wreckery.