MANIC MOSH METAL #15 - February 2022
None of the announcements / flyers or entries on this page or elsewhere on this website are paid for
Neither does Manic Mosh or Manic Mosh Metal feature paid advertisements
None of the announcements / flyers or entries on this page or elsewhere on this website are paid for
Neither does Manic Mosh or Manic Mosh Metal feature paid advertisements
last updated 10 March 2022
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SPITFIRE – 2022 “Denial To Fall”
label: No Remorse records (https://www.noremorse.gr/)
web: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028121117590
This is the very same Spitfire that debuted in 1987 with the “First Attack” album that settled the band in Greek Metal history. Their newest work, “Denial To Fall” pretty much dates back to the 90's Metal sound for most of the time, be it in a variety of appearances style-wise. The disc spins off with some melodic Heavy Metal, bordering PowerMetal on “Stand Or Fall” that also has some Symphonic elements running underneath. Next one up, the moderately fast paced Headbanger “Wasted” sounds something like Maiden on a Power Metal trip whilst the title-track couples classic Euro Hard Rock with U.S styled A.O.R / Mainstream Rock in an Accept-meets-Dokken sort of fashion! Then there's some chunky, U.S styled PowerMetalers and a seemingly Metallica inspired track, “Many Lies” that sports a similar sound, concept and even vocalage. Overall, the vocal tone of frontman Tassos is quite distinctive, delivering a beefy sound with a raised roar. The greater part of the material moves in a moderately / mid-tempo with the occasional accelerated part and faster tracks in the shape of “Wasted”and “Back To Zero”. Musicianship throughout is textbook with some cool guitar actions, peaking on “Stand And Fight” and the pounding Power Metaler “Ready To Attack”. Solid.
Paul van der Burght
label: No Remorse records (https://www.noremorse.gr/)
web: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028121117590
This is the very same Spitfire that debuted in 1987 with the “First Attack” album that settled the band in Greek Metal history. Their newest work, “Denial To Fall” pretty much dates back to the 90's Metal sound for most of the time, be it in a variety of appearances style-wise. The disc spins off with some melodic Heavy Metal, bordering PowerMetal on “Stand Or Fall” that also has some Symphonic elements running underneath. Next one up, the moderately fast paced Headbanger “Wasted” sounds something like Maiden on a Power Metal trip whilst the title-track couples classic Euro Hard Rock with U.S styled A.O.R / Mainstream Rock in an Accept-meets-Dokken sort of fashion! Then there's some chunky, U.S styled PowerMetalers and a seemingly Metallica inspired track, “Many Lies” that sports a similar sound, concept and even vocalage. Overall, the vocal tone of frontman Tassos is quite distinctive, delivering a beefy sound with a raised roar. The greater part of the material moves in a moderately / mid-tempo with the occasional accelerated part and faster tracks in the shape of “Wasted”and “Back To Zero”. Musicianship throughout is textbook with some cool guitar actions, peaking on “Stand And Fight” and the pounding Power Metaler “Ready To Attack”. Solid.
Paul van der Burght
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KILLCITY – 2021 “Another F'n Love Song”
label: private
web: https://www.facebook.com/KillcityEC
Equador based 5-piece KillCity previously released the 2020 “Last Man Standing” E.P, delivering a convincing melange of melodic Hard Rock / Metal with traces of A.O.R and light format Power Metal. Their new single, acting as a sneak peak for the follow-up full-length album “Civilized To Death”, does not differ much from the sounds displayed on the E.P, addressing to some classic melodic Metal, European style, that rolls on a driven up-tempo beat, laced with mobility drummage, twhin guitar hooks and crisp, mid to upper range vocals. Knowing the fact that these guys are from Equador, it comes as a surprise to find their music somehow surrounded by this Scandinavian-like feel and sound, as also was the case on the E.P. Referencing to the track “When The Show Is Over”, showing certain similarities to Europe. It all goes to show that Killcity have the potential and quality to take things further. Solid.
Paul van der Burght
label: private
web: https://www.facebook.com/KillcityEC
Equador based 5-piece KillCity previously released the 2020 “Last Man Standing” E.P, delivering a convincing melange of melodic Hard Rock / Metal with traces of A.O.R and light format Power Metal. Their new single, acting as a sneak peak for the follow-up full-length album “Civilized To Death”, does not differ much from the sounds displayed on the E.P, addressing to some classic melodic Metal, European style, that rolls on a driven up-tempo beat, laced with mobility drummage, twhin guitar hooks and crisp, mid to upper range vocals. Knowing the fact that these guys are from Equador, it comes as a surprise to find their music somehow surrounded by this Scandinavian-like feel and sound, as also was the case on the E.P. Referencing to the track “When The Show Is Over”, showing certain similarities to Europe. It all goes to show that Killcity have the potential and quality to take things further. Solid.
Paul van der Burght
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RADIO VIVA – HardRock Night
https://radio-viva.nl/over/hardrocknight.html Airing from Holland every Sunday from 19:00 – 22:00 (C.E.T) and getting the best and loudest music to you through the net. New releases, obscure acts, requests, chats and a listeners top 5 are all brought to you by presenters Michel and Roos. To tune in, click the link above and then click the player icon. |
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THIRTY FATES – 2021 “Circus Black”
label: Rockshots records
web: https://www.facebook.com/ThirtyFatesOfficial
Quality act that basically is a re-grouping of previous bands its three members were active in, the first of which – Metal Invaders – goes all the way back to 1988, whilst follow-up band Black Fate (debuting in 1991 with a 4-track demo tape) is still active, alongside other projects. With certain tracks lifted from previous work, it comes as no surprise that the album goes through various twists and turns in concept and approach, ranging from Progressive edged melodic Metal and U.S Metal esque workouts on the verge of Power Metal - “The Pretender”, “Be Free” (featuring Tim 'Ripper' Owens), “Depression” - to more atmospheric laden workouts (“Sign Of Rebellion”) and dramatic Power balladry (“The Edge Of Destiny”, “Because We Fly”). There is quite a lot of detail running through the music and production with multiple vocal layers, drum fillers and balanced synths usage. Music is dressed with some nice guitar work and solid vocals that move somewhere in between (Dickinson) Maiden and (David Wayne) Metal Church whilst the Progressive edge of the music brings in the occasional hint of Queensryche. Songs are mostly moderately to mid-tempo driven and balanced in nature, but the concept as a whole could have done with one or two accelerated tracks for added spark. In all, a deserving album put together by quality musicians.
Paul van der Burght
label: Rockshots records
web: https://www.facebook.com/ThirtyFatesOfficial
Quality act that basically is a re-grouping of previous bands its three members were active in, the first of which – Metal Invaders – goes all the way back to 1988, whilst follow-up band Black Fate (debuting in 1991 with a 4-track demo tape) is still active, alongside other projects. With certain tracks lifted from previous work, it comes as no surprise that the album goes through various twists and turns in concept and approach, ranging from Progressive edged melodic Metal and U.S Metal esque workouts on the verge of Power Metal - “The Pretender”, “Be Free” (featuring Tim 'Ripper' Owens), “Depression” - to more atmospheric laden workouts (“Sign Of Rebellion”) and dramatic Power balladry (“The Edge Of Destiny”, “Because We Fly”). There is quite a lot of detail running through the music and production with multiple vocal layers, drum fillers and balanced synths usage. Music is dressed with some nice guitar work and solid vocals that move somewhere in between (Dickinson) Maiden and (David Wayne) Metal Church whilst the Progressive edge of the music brings in the occasional hint of Queensryche. Songs are mostly moderately to mid-tempo driven and balanced in nature, but the concept as a whole could have done with one or two accelerated tracks for added spark. In all, a deserving album put together by quality musicians.
Paul van der Burght
DEAD SERIOUS – 2021 “It's a Nice Day” (1991 re-issue)
label: Sounds Of Hell records (https://www.helldiest.com/)
web: https://www.facebook.com/DeadSeriousBelgium
One-off release by this Belgian Thrash act that could have fooled anyone back in '91 when this album was first released, as it has the U.S Thrash sound all over it. The bobbing Bay Area Thrasher “Donald And Daisy” shows this at best with its snappy, talk type vocalage, galloping mid-tempo, snare drummed accelerations, backing shouts and buzzing guitars. The main body of most tracks sport a similar drive, alongside full-throttle speedsters such as the Flotsam & Jetsam esque SpeedMetaler “Daddy Goes To Disneyland” and the staccato rhythm riffed “Beerdrinkers” that has the Flotsam thing re-appearing with an additional blend of Metallica. More hints of Metallica come surfacing on the moderately paced, 'Harvester Of Sorrow' alike “What The Duck”, and the accelerated part of “It's A Nice Day”. In Addition, there's random traces of Anthrax (most evidently on “Stagedive To Heaven”) and Annihilator (“Beerdrinkers”, “Red Renault Five”). The band also followed the 90's trends, merging Thrash with Funk Rap Metal (with matching vocal style) as evidenced on the Faith No More sounding “The Look”. Although the band had a humorous twist to their concept and lyrical content, their music is serious business and business is good! Proper.
Paul van der Burght
label: Sounds Of Hell records (https://www.helldiest.com/)
web: https://www.facebook.com/DeadSeriousBelgium
One-off release by this Belgian Thrash act that could have fooled anyone back in '91 when this album was first released, as it has the U.S Thrash sound all over it. The bobbing Bay Area Thrasher “Donald And Daisy” shows this at best with its snappy, talk type vocalage, galloping mid-tempo, snare drummed accelerations, backing shouts and buzzing guitars. The main body of most tracks sport a similar drive, alongside full-throttle speedsters such as the Flotsam & Jetsam esque SpeedMetaler “Daddy Goes To Disneyland” and the staccato rhythm riffed “Beerdrinkers” that has the Flotsam thing re-appearing with an additional blend of Metallica. More hints of Metallica come surfacing on the moderately paced, 'Harvester Of Sorrow' alike “What The Duck”, and the accelerated part of “It's A Nice Day”. In Addition, there's random traces of Anthrax (most evidently on “Stagedive To Heaven”) and Annihilator (“Beerdrinkers”, “Red Renault Five”). The band also followed the 90's trends, merging Thrash with Funk Rap Metal (with matching vocal style) as evidenced on the Faith No More sounding “The Look”. Although the band had a humorous twist to their concept and lyrical content, their music is serious business and business is good! Proper.
Paul van der Burght
SAVE THE WORLD – 2021 “I”
label: Frontiers records
web: https://savetheworldband.com/
U.S based project band that opted to release 2 albums at once. Whether this is a smart move marketing wise is one thing, but sure thing is both albums deliver! Save The Word have not limited themselves to one specific sound or direction, sourcing the goods from A.O.R, U.S Radio Rock and modern Arena Rock. The band does not even shy away some 'mellowed' Alternative Rock early 00's in the styles of Avril Lavigne, hinting at the up-tempo “Circus Maximus”, the moderately paced “This Little Pill” and in particular, the Alternative Rock balladry of “In Pieces”. The band even takes it a level further concept wise, incorporating shades of industrial Pop a la Sisters Of Mercy on “Princes And Thieves”, with traces of The Beatles at the other end of the spectrum which finds its expression down Cecilia Weiss. Save The World dare to take cnances and manage to pull it off in style, backed with pitch-perfect, crisp upper mid-range vocals and a most competent instrumentation. Solid
Paul van der Burght
label: Frontiers records
web: https://savetheworldband.com/
U.S based project band that opted to release 2 albums at once. Whether this is a smart move marketing wise is one thing, but sure thing is both albums deliver! Save The Word have not limited themselves to one specific sound or direction, sourcing the goods from A.O.R, U.S Radio Rock and modern Arena Rock. The band does not even shy away some 'mellowed' Alternative Rock early 00's in the styles of Avril Lavigne, hinting at the up-tempo “Circus Maximus”, the moderately paced “This Little Pill” and in particular, the Alternative Rock balladry of “In Pieces”. The band even takes it a level further concept wise, incorporating shades of industrial Pop a la Sisters Of Mercy on “Princes And Thieves”, with traces of The Beatles at the other end of the spectrum which finds its expression down Cecilia Weiss. Save The World dare to take cnances and manage to pull it off in style, backed with pitch-perfect, crisp upper mid-range vocals and a most competent instrumentation. Solid
Paul van der Burght
SAVE THE WORLD – 2021 “II”
label: Frontiers records
web: https://savetheworldband.com/
Part II of the synchronized album release and although different in style and approach, equally bursting with quality arrangements and musicianship. In comparison, “II” is a bot heavier than “I”, mainly due to the heavier guitar hooks, most evidently on the slight progressive edged “Defenders of The Faith”, coupling U.S Hard Rock with a blend of Dokken. Once again, there is a fair chunk of U.S Radio Rock present on the disc, including the slightly Bad English tinged “Miss Muse”, the Mainstream “Automation”, the mid-paced “Illuminati”, the catchy up-tempo Rocker “Who's That Girl”, “the Rock balladry of “Longer” and the more Poppy sounding “Bones” and the semi-acoustic driven “Daphne Blue”. A step down memory lane in style, comes in the shape of the Boston 70's styled (Hard) Rocker “Man On An Island” showing strong similarities to Boston's “Feelin' Satisfied” in vocal delivery, guitar sound, vibe, tempo and sound. Highlight of the disc has got to be broad sounding and structurally 'climaxing' “When Amanda Hits The Stage” that has the vocals topping the scales in range well beyond impressive. In all, a very enjoyable disc well worth checking out.
Paul van der Burght
label: Frontiers records
web: https://savetheworldband.com/
Part II of the synchronized album release and although different in style and approach, equally bursting with quality arrangements and musicianship. In comparison, “II” is a bot heavier than “I”, mainly due to the heavier guitar hooks, most evidently on the slight progressive edged “Defenders of The Faith”, coupling U.S Hard Rock with a blend of Dokken. Once again, there is a fair chunk of U.S Radio Rock present on the disc, including the slightly Bad English tinged “Miss Muse”, the Mainstream “Automation”, the mid-paced “Illuminati”, the catchy up-tempo Rocker “Who's That Girl”, “the Rock balladry of “Longer” and the more Poppy sounding “Bones” and the semi-acoustic driven “Daphne Blue”. A step down memory lane in style, comes in the shape of the Boston 70's styled (Hard) Rocker “Man On An Island” showing strong similarities to Boston's “Feelin' Satisfied” in vocal delivery, guitar sound, vibe, tempo and sound. Highlight of the disc has got to be broad sounding and structurally 'climaxing' “When Amanda Hits The Stage” that has the vocals topping the scales in range well beyond impressive. In all, a very enjoyable disc well worth checking out.
Paul van der Burght
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TOPAZ
This is the story of three bands that are all connected and first came into the scene in 1980 by the name of TOPAZ. Being an all original band from the very start, a whole repertoire of songs was penned, some of which which were captured as a demo tape that never got out there. In 1982, Topaz was no longer and out of the ashes came BOBO. Another demo was produced and shopped around, resulting in some serious interest from the big players, but nothing came out of this. A follow-up demo triggered another wave of major-label interest but a deal was never inked due to unfortunate circumstances and the absence of a manager and gigs in the London area. Not being able to take things a level up, singer Vic went on to join Tokyo Blade which marked the end of BOBO. It was there and then that original TOPAZ and BOBO guitarist Tim Walker started a new band, Harlequyn, that recorded a few demo tapes and a cassette album, venturing on a completely different musical concept that showed serious potential but did not fit into one particular category, making it difficult for interested labels to market. When, for the very same reasons, Harlequyn came to end, the band re-grouped as Architect, followed by a string of other bands that Walker started or was involved in. This is the classic scenario of a band that was tipped the next best thing but somehow always just missed out. Guitarist Tim Walker talks us through the history of the bands and his current projects.
Manic Mosh Metal: The very beginning of your musical career goes back to a band called TOPAZ, when exactly did you get this band together and who else were in the band?
Tim Walker: Topaz started at school in 1980 when we were 16, before we could play instruments. The line-up was Darren Palmer on vocals, me and Alan Dolby on guitars, Charles Southern on bass and Simon Branson on drums. We did one 'gig' in my parents' garage but couldn't really play and only had about 3 songs. Then we recruited Steve Powell on drums and Vic Wright on vocals.
MMM: Apparently, your first gig was in the dining hall of the Carlton-Bolling school youth club in 1981. How did that go down and when was the fist pub / club gig you did with Topaz? Also, did you have any original Topaz songs by then or was that first gig just covers?
TW: The Carlton-Bolling gig was the first real gig and went down well with all our schoolfriends. Vic was still 15 then. Our first pub gig was 'The Blue Bell' in Shipley. That was all our own songs, we never played covers.
MMM: So, how many original songs did you have in total before the band folded?
TW: I think Topaz had a set of about 9 or 10 songs, “Heavens Above”, “Sweet Lady”, “Mist”, “Who Knows The Secret?”, “Knightrider”, “Bloodlust”, “The Way To My Heart”, “Signposts”, “Precious Moments”. That's all I can remember. I think Bobo's “Candlelight” was originally written as a Topaz song.
MMM: In 1982, a demo was recorded with the songs “Mist”, “Heavens Above” and “Sweet Lady”; what happened with that demo?
TW: The demo was a 4-track, recorded by Andy from Vex (their drummer, Steve ended up playing for Madonna). It was never mixed, and never finished, so never used for anything, the quality was terrible anyway, I have a very bad rough mix somewhere I think.
MMM: Not too long after the release of the demo tape, Topaz folded; what was the reason for this?
TW: Topaz split because Charles and Steve wanted to be like Genesis and Yes. Me and Vic wanted to be raw, Blues based Rock like Free or Van Halen (I think the Bobo sound was somewhere between those 2). It was genuine musical differences, but we wanted to stay friends. Alas they haven't spoken to us since then. I have seen Alan Dolby at local gigs though, but he wasn't in any more bands after the split. Charles and Steve just did cover bands from then on. Me and Vic never wanted to do covers.
MMM: In 1982, you started BOBO with singer Vic Wright, was this straight after Topaz split and exactly when was this?
TW: Vic had been in Topaz and his best friend was a great drummer called Quintin Jamieson. According to an old diary, Topaz split on 17th Sept 1982 and Bobo formed immediately after with Quintin. Quintin knew a bassist called Chris Hannan, so we got together quite quickly.
MMM: With Bobo, you recorded the first demo tape in 1982 featuring the songs “Candlelight”, “Hollow Hearted Woman”and “When Toys Awaken”. Was this demo sent out to records labels, and did anything come out of this?
TW: The demos were recorded at Woodlands Studio by Neil Ferguson (Chumbawamba). We were amazed how they sounded. We went to London for a week and touted it round labels. We had some interest from a few - including Peter Hinton at Carrere - who had signed Saxon, but everyone wanted to see us live in London and we could barely get gigs in our home town of Bradford at that time.
Tim Walker: Topaz started at school in 1980 when we were 16, before we could play instruments. The line-up was Darren Palmer on vocals, me and Alan Dolby on guitars, Charles Southern on bass and Simon Branson on drums. We did one 'gig' in my parents' garage but couldn't really play and only had about 3 songs. Then we recruited Steve Powell on drums and Vic Wright on vocals.
MMM: Apparently, your first gig was in the dining hall of the Carlton-Bolling school youth club in 1981. How did that go down and when was the fist pub / club gig you did with Topaz? Also, did you have any original Topaz songs by then or was that first gig just covers?
TW: The Carlton-Bolling gig was the first real gig and went down well with all our schoolfriends. Vic was still 15 then. Our first pub gig was 'The Blue Bell' in Shipley. That was all our own songs, we never played covers.
MMM: So, how many original songs did you have in total before the band folded?
TW: I think Topaz had a set of about 9 or 10 songs, “Heavens Above”, “Sweet Lady”, “Mist”, “Who Knows The Secret?”, “Knightrider”, “Bloodlust”, “The Way To My Heart”, “Signposts”, “Precious Moments”. That's all I can remember. I think Bobo's “Candlelight” was originally written as a Topaz song.
MMM: In 1982, a demo was recorded with the songs “Mist”, “Heavens Above” and “Sweet Lady”; what happened with that demo?
TW: The demo was a 4-track, recorded by Andy from Vex (their drummer, Steve ended up playing for Madonna). It was never mixed, and never finished, so never used for anything, the quality was terrible anyway, I have a very bad rough mix somewhere I think.
MMM: Not too long after the release of the demo tape, Topaz folded; what was the reason for this?
TW: Topaz split because Charles and Steve wanted to be like Genesis and Yes. Me and Vic wanted to be raw, Blues based Rock like Free or Van Halen (I think the Bobo sound was somewhere between those 2). It was genuine musical differences, but we wanted to stay friends. Alas they haven't spoken to us since then. I have seen Alan Dolby at local gigs though, but he wasn't in any more bands after the split. Charles and Steve just did cover bands from then on. Me and Vic never wanted to do covers.
MMM: In 1982, you started BOBO with singer Vic Wright, was this straight after Topaz split and exactly when was this?
TW: Vic had been in Topaz and his best friend was a great drummer called Quintin Jamieson. According to an old diary, Topaz split on 17th Sept 1982 and Bobo formed immediately after with Quintin. Quintin knew a bassist called Chris Hannan, so we got together quite quickly.
MMM: With Bobo, you recorded the first demo tape in 1982 featuring the songs “Candlelight”, “Hollow Hearted Woman”and “When Toys Awaken”. Was this demo sent out to records labels, and did anything come out of this?
TW: The demos were recorded at Woodlands Studio by Neil Ferguson (Chumbawamba). We were amazed how they sounded. We went to London for a week and touted it round labels. We had some interest from a few - including Peter Hinton at Carrere - who had signed Saxon, but everyone wanted to see us live in London and we could barely get gigs in our home town of Bradford at that time.
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photo above left: Topaz demo tape; photo right, Topaz live
MMM: The demo definitely showed 'commercial' potential and the music well fitted in the new, more melodic edged wave of U.K HardRock / Metal so you guys were pretty much around at the right time for things to happen and a song like “Candlelight” - which kind of reminds of Leppard's “Ride Into The Sun”- is proof of that; what happened?
TW: We were very naive but quite cheeky. We had blagged our way into major labels and we knew they liked us. So, then we set out to write more catchy songs and get more gigs, but we were all still very young and nobody had a driving licence so we just gigged locally.
MMM: What have been the inspirational sources of Bobo?
TW: I think Vic's favourite band back then was the Stones. I was a big fan of early Alice Cooper and Free. We had all been into the NWOBHM scene too and loved Marseille in particular. Someone at MCA said we sounded like Aerosmith. We'd never heard any at that time so Vic bought “Toys In The Attic” and we all loved it. Van Halen were a big influence too. Also Hendrix & AC/DC with Bon Scott.
MMM:You guys did frequent gigs in the local area, did you also play with bigger name / established bands at the time and when?
TW: Bobo's second gig was with Grim Reaper. Everyone said they were shocked how good we were. We also played with Baby Tuckoo, Excalibur and Spider. We were good friends with Tuckoo and Excalibur.
MMM: Another demo with the songs “Bright Lights & Insomnia”, “First Things First”, and “Tall Talk & Rocking Horse Tales” was produced; what year was this and did it trigger anything?
TW: The second demo was in '83. We went to London again and got some serious interest from Carlin publishers, also Virgin, MCA and some others. We still had the issue of not playing London gigs. Virgin wanted us to get a producer on board, so we gave a demo to John Verity who was a local 'Rock star' and producer, but he just laughed at us. We then made a video for 'Bright Lights' and 'First Things First' and went to London again. The A&R guy from Carlin was told to sign us, but he didn't and was sacked 6 months later...
MMM: Have you guys ever considered to release anything, like a 7” vinyl on a D.I.Y basis and did you have a manager at the time, as lack of promotion or 'push' seems to have largely limited the band.
TW: We had no manager and no experience. We talked about a 7" single but had no idea how to do it and no money.
In 1984 there were plans to record another demo or even a full-length record, what were the songs to be featured and why did neither of these materialize?
TW: We had a studio session booked for 3 more songs; “Tears For Souvenirs”, “Here Comes My Love” and “Sail Away”. I think it was about a week before the session that Vic got the call he was in Tokyo Blade. Him and Chris had been arguing a lot and Vic thought 'f*ck this' and answered the advert in Melody Maker
TW: We were very naive but quite cheeky. We had blagged our way into major labels and we knew they liked us. So, then we set out to write more catchy songs and get more gigs, but we were all still very young and nobody had a driving licence so we just gigged locally.
MMM: What have been the inspirational sources of Bobo?
TW: I think Vic's favourite band back then was the Stones. I was a big fan of early Alice Cooper and Free. We had all been into the NWOBHM scene too and loved Marseille in particular. Someone at MCA said we sounded like Aerosmith. We'd never heard any at that time so Vic bought “Toys In The Attic” and we all loved it. Van Halen were a big influence too. Also Hendrix & AC/DC with Bon Scott.
MMM:You guys did frequent gigs in the local area, did you also play with bigger name / established bands at the time and when?
TW: Bobo's second gig was with Grim Reaper. Everyone said they were shocked how good we were. We also played with Baby Tuckoo, Excalibur and Spider. We were good friends with Tuckoo and Excalibur.
MMM: Another demo with the songs “Bright Lights & Insomnia”, “First Things First”, and “Tall Talk & Rocking Horse Tales” was produced; what year was this and did it trigger anything?
TW: The second demo was in '83. We went to London again and got some serious interest from Carlin publishers, also Virgin, MCA and some others. We still had the issue of not playing London gigs. Virgin wanted us to get a producer on board, so we gave a demo to John Verity who was a local 'Rock star' and producer, but he just laughed at us. We then made a video for 'Bright Lights' and 'First Things First' and went to London again. The A&R guy from Carlin was told to sign us, but he didn't and was sacked 6 months later...
MMM: Have you guys ever considered to release anything, like a 7” vinyl on a D.I.Y basis and did you have a manager at the time, as lack of promotion or 'push' seems to have largely limited the band.
TW: We had no manager and no experience. We talked about a 7" single but had no idea how to do it and no money.
In 1984 there were plans to record another demo or even a full-length record, what were the songs to be featured and why did neither of these materialize?
TW: We had a studio session booked for 3 more songs; “Tears For Souvenirs”, “Here Comes My Love” and “Sail Away”. I think it was about a week before the session that Vic got the call he was in Tokyo Blade. Him and Chris had been arguing a lot and Vic thought 'f*ck this' and answered the advert in Melody Maker
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Photo above left and right: Bobo
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Above and below: Harlequyn
MMM: Shortly after Vic left the band to join Tokyo Blade, Bobo folded; so, where did its other members, including yourself venture off to; was it there and then that you formed Harlequyn?
TW: That was in early Summer '84 I think; the three of us auditioned some singers to carry on as Bobo but nothing came of it. I knew Paul Mother from school and he was a big fan of Bobo. He asked if I wanted to form a new band that was more Psychedelic / Glam influence. He was a big T-Rex fan and we both loved Hendrix etc, so I said I'd give it a go. Chris & Quintin were then snapped up (ironically) by John Verity's keyboard player, Andy (Wells) Tidswell, who had also been in Baby Tuckoo. I don't think their band lasted very long. Chris played in other bands after that. Quintin became a world-class drummer but moved to Australia and never played again – shame. Harlequyn became the new band with Dave 'DD' Wood on drums and Mark 'Sebastian' Yates on bass (later guitarist of Terrorvision).
MMM: Were there any demo-tapes produced as Harlequyn, or was the 1986 “Burn” single the first official release?
TW: We did the first demo 'The Masquerade Is On' at Woodlands, as we did the second demo 'And Still The Breeze Blows On'. Then we did a third demo at Flexible Response Studios (set up by Southern Death Cult). “Experience Revolver! was on that third demo. The A-side “Burn” was recorded at Pete Spencer's (Smokie) studio.
MMM: The musical style of Harlequyn seemed to have gone a different route and even touching upon New Wave whilst still retaining this Hard Rock root, listening to single B-side “Experience Revolver”.
TW: At that time we were surrounded by all the Alternative scene of the North of England; Southern Death Cult (The Cult), Skeletal Family, New Model Army, Dance Society, March Violets, Sisters Of Mercy, Ghost Dance. We were literally rehearsing next door to many of them, so the influences crept in - but we always had our Rock roots. We became a bit of an odd hybrid.
MMM: How many copies of the “Burn” single were there made in total?
TW: “Burn” was just a 1000 pressing but I think we had some extra white labels on top.
MMM: Just out of interest, the 'Burn' logo on the back made me think of Deep Purple's “Burn”, is that a funny coincidence or has Deep Purple been an influence in any shape or form?
TW: Yeah, we loved early Purple and other classic bands like Zeppelin etc. The old school was much more of an influence to us. We didn't like any 'big hair' American bands of the 80's - even though people thought we looked like them.
MMM: It seems there are quite a few versions of the single out there; some with a glossy cover, some with a matt cover, some with lyric sheet, flyer for the LP, info sheet...
TW: The single was essentially a self-release but financed by our manager Andy Farrow (now of Northern Music - Opeth, Paradise Lost etc). Paul got a printer friend to make full colour sleeves for the single so we could save money. It was all a bit DIY so we were printing lyric inserts when we could at the local community print centre.
MMM: It looks like, by that time (1986) you had the recordings for an 11-song album already in place, with an insert to the single announcing this; was this for the “One Incantation” album that supposedly was going to be released on vinyl, and ow many copies were made?
TW: The idea for “One Incantation” was to compile the first three demos as an album. We didn't have the money to do vinyl so it was released as a cassette album only, I think in a short run of about 250 copies.
MMM: In between the single and the debut, Harlequyn also appeared on a 7” compilation, “Thwak” with the song “The Fragrancer”; how did this come about?
TW: The Thwak EP was for Far North Music - which became Northern Music. We also played the Marquee on Wardour Street with those bands two months before it closed. The bar staff closed the bar to watch us. They said it had never happened before in the history of the Marquee club. We also got a great review in Kerrang! from Phil Wilding and Ross Halfin was there taking photos.
MMM: Is it correct that there was another demo tape out in 1989, and what tracks were on there?
TW: The fourth demo was where the songs for side 1 of the album came from. Also the Fragrancer E,P track was from that demo and a song called “Carouse”l - which later appeared on the CD's with 'Bradford's Noise of the Valleys' book.
MMM: Listening to “The Order Of The Golden Dawn”; the New Wave dominance aside, it seems like you guys were pretty much ahead of the whole Indie / Alternative / Grunge boom listening to a song like “Glass Island” which is the sort of thing that The Stone Roses / Janes Addiction would later do. Do you reckon that if this album was released say 2 years later, things would have looked different for the band?
TW: I never wanted us to sound like anyone else and we had such diverse influences by the time we did 'Golden Dawn' that it really confused some people. The Kerrang! review said we had an identity crisis. The Metal Hammer review called us 'Garage Grunge' in 1989. We just wanted to invent our own sound. Andy Ross at Food Records really loved us and almost signed us (I think we missed the boat because he'd just signed Blur). Looking back now I'd say we were really ahead of the game. 90's bands like Radiohead, Muse & Placebo all succeeded on that big 'Alternative Rock' sound that we were forging in the 80's. The industry couldn't put us in existing pigeon-holes at the time though. We were gigging with Ghost Dance one day, Tygers of Pan Tang the next, Uriah Heep the next, Dr & The Medics the next. We seemed to be in between everything and not quite fitting in anywhere.
MMM: “The Order Of The Golden Dawn” was privately released, how many copies were there made in total?
TW: 'Golden Dawn' was only a 1000 pressing. It did sell really quickly and we considered repressing just before we split. Generally speaking it got great reviews. Many people in the industry were intrigued to see what we would do next. But we were floundering by that time. We really thought we'd become a great live band with an exciting new sound - after being very cheesy and tongue-in-cheek early on. But we were exhausted after years of long tours and trying to convince people we were worthy of signing. We did way too many psychedelic drugs back then too, so we were starting to lose focus. Myself & Paul were building ourselves a studio at that time too, so we decided to take a break and re-think.
MMM: How was the response to the album?
TW: The album had put us on the map and still today is the thing that has left its mark. It was financed by our second manager, Bea Firth. She was great at getting us press and we were really picking up pace at the time we split. I think that happens to a lot of bands - they're at their peak just before they implode.
MMM: So, what happened happened afterwards?
TW: We built our studio in 1990 and I still run it today as Voltage Studios. 'Golden Dawn' was released on Voltage Records and that still continues today through Prosonic / Plastic Head Distribution. After Harlequyn, we re-grouped as a 5-piece called Architect. We did a 12" E.P and a CD album on Voltage. We also gigged with the likes of Big Country & Danielle Dax, but again never signed to a big label. I then started a Trance Techno project called 'Worm' with Carl Arnfield from Xentrix, which then became a Techno/Metal/Rap hybrid. We released 2 albums to great critical acclaim, but again were victims of not fitting into existing genres. I was also in a band called US with Rob Moore from Happiness Ad and Ricky Howard from LOUD. Harlequyn did some reunion shows a few years ago too, and some new recordings of old songs.
MMM: Are you active in any band(s) at the moment?
TW: Currently I'm playing in a new version of 80's Goth/Rock band Ghost Dance. Original vocalist Anne Marie Hurst wanted to do something after leaving Skeletal Family and her side project 'Killing Eve' with Andy Cousen from All About Eve had fizzled out. We recruited Dave Wood and Phil (Sargent) Noble from Harlequyn and Steven Derigg from Original Sin and started playing a Ghost Dance live set just before pandemic lockdowns. Original guitarist Gary Marx declined to be involved but was fine with us doing the project, so we're now writing new material under the Ghost Dance name for a new album and have a single 'Falling Down' out now. More gigs coming in 2022!
TW: That was in early Summer '84 I think; the three of us auditioned some singers to carry on as Bobo but nothing came of it. I knew Paul Mother from school and he was a big fan of Bobo. He asked if I wanted to form a new band that was more Psychedelic / Glam influence. He was a big T-Rex fan and we both loved Hendrix etc, so I said I'd give it a go. Chris & Quintin were then snapped up (ironically) by John Verity's keyboard player, Andy (Wells) Tidswell, who had also been in Baby Tuckoo. I don't think their band lasted very long. Chris played in other bands after that. Quintin became a world-class drummer but moved to Australia and never played again – shame. Harlequyn became the new band with Dave 'DD' Wood on drums and Mark 'Sebastian' Yates on bass (later guitarist of Terrorvision).
MMM: Were there any demo-tapes produced as Harlequyn, or was the 1986 “Burn” single the first official release?
TW: We did the first demo 'The Masquerade Is On' at Woodlands, as we did the second demo 'And Still The Breeze Blows On'. Then we did a third demo at Flexible Response Studios (set up by Southern Death Cult). “Experience Revolver! was on that third demo. The A-side “Burn” was recorded at Pete Spencer's (Smokie) studio.
MMM: The musical style of Harlequyn seemed to have gone a different route and even touching upon New Wave whilst still retaining this Hard Rock root, listening to single B-side “Experience Revolver”.
TW: At that time we were surrounded by all the Alternative scene of the North of England; Southern Death Cult (The Cult), Skeletal Family, New Model Army, Dance Society, March Violets, Sisters Of Mercy, Ghost Dance. We were literally rehearsing next door to many of them, so the influences crept in - but we always had our Rock roots. We became a bit of an odd hybrid.
MMM: How many copies of the “Burn” single were there made in total?
TW: “Burn” was just a 1000 pressing but I think we had some extra white labels on top.
MMM: Just out of interest, the 'Burn' logo on the back made me think of Deep Purple's “Burn”, is that a funny coincidence or has Deep Purple been an influence in any shape or form?
TW: Yeah, we loved early Purple and other classic bands like Zeppelin etc. The old school was much more of an influence to us. We didn't like any 'big hair' American bands of the 80's - even though people thought we looked like them.
MMM: It seems there are quite a few versions of the single out there; some with a glossy cover, some with a matt cover, some with lyric sheet, flyer for the LP, info sheet...
TW: The single was essentially a self-release but financed by our manager Andy Farrow (now of Northern Music - Opeth, Paradise Lost etc). Paul got a printer friend to make full colour sleeves for the single so we could save money. It was all a bit DIY so we were printing lyric inserts when we could at the local community print centre.
MMM: It looks like, by that time (1986) you had the recordings for an 11-song album already in place, with an insert to the single announcing this; was this for the “One Incantation” album that supposedly was going to be released on vinyl, and ow many copies were made?
TW: The idea for “One Incantation” was to compile the first three demos as an album. We didn't have the money to do vinyl so it was released as a cassette album only, I think in a short run of about 250 copies.
MMM: In between the single and the debut, Harlequyn also appeared on a 7” compilation, “Thwak” with the song “The Fragrancer”; how did this come about?
TW: The Thwak EP was for Far North Music - which became Northern Music. We also played the Marquee on Wardour Street with those bands two months before it closed. The bar staff closed the bar to watch us. They said it had never happened before in the history of the Marquee club. We also got a great review in Kerrang! from Phil Wilding and Ross Halfin was there taking photos.
MMM: Is it correct that there was another demo tape out in 1989, and what tracks were on there?
TW: The fourth demo was where the songs for side 1 of the album came from. Also the Fragrancer E,P track was from that demo and a song called “Carouse”l - which later appeared on the CD's with 'Bradford's Noise of the Valleys' book.
MMM: Listening to “The Order Of The Golden Dawn”; the New Wave dominance aside, it seems like you guys were pretty much ahead of the whole Indie / Alternative / Grunge boom listening to a song like “Glass Island” which is the sort of thing that The Stone Roses / Janes Addiction would later do. Do you reckon that if this album was released say 2 years later, things would have looked different for the band?
TW: I never wanted us to sound like anyone else and we had such diverse influences by the time we did 'Golden Dawn' that it really confused some people. The Kerrang! review said we had an identity crisis. The Metal Hammer review called us 'Garage Grunge' in 1989. We just wanted to invent our own sound. Andy Ross at Food Records really loved us and almost signed us (I think we missed the boat because he'd just signed Blur). Looking back now I'd say we were really ahead of the game. 90's bands like Radiohead, Muse & Placebo all succeeded on that big 'Alternative Rock' sound that we were forging in the 80's. The industry couldn't put us in existing pigeon-holes at the time though. We were gigging with Ghost Dance one day, Tygers of Pan Tang the next, Uriah Heep the next, Dr & The Medics the next. We seemed to be in between everything and not quite fitting in anywhere.
MMM: “The Order Of The Golden Dawn” was privately released, how many copies were there made in total?
TW: 'Golden Dawn' was only a 1000 pressing. It did sell really quickly and we considered repressing just before we split. Generally speaking it got great reviews. Many people in the industry were intrigued to see what we would do next. But we were floundering by that time. We really thought we'd become a great live band with an exciting new sound - after being very cheesy and tongue-in-cheek early on. But we were exhausted after years of long tours and trying to convince people we were worthy of signing. We did way too many psychedelic drugs back then too, so we were starting to lose focus. Myself & Paul were building ourselves a studio at that time too, so we decided to take a break and re-think.
MMM: How was the response to the album?
TW: The album had put us on the map and still today is the thing that has left its mark. It was financed by our second manager, Bea Firth. She was great at getting us press and we were really picking up pace at the time we split. I think that happens to a lot of bands - they're at their peak just before they implode.
MMM: So, what happened happened afterwards?
TW: We built our studio in 1990 and I still run it today as Voltage Studios. 'Golden Dawn' was released on Voltage Records and that still continues today through Prosonic / Plastic Head Distribution. After Harlequyn, we re-grouped as a 5-piece called Architect. We did a 12" E.P and a CD album on Voltage. We also gigged with the likes of Big Country & Danielle Dax, but again never signed to a big label. I then started a Trance Techno project called 'Worm' with Carl Arnfield from Xentrix, which then became a Techno/Metal/Rap hybrid. We released 2 albums to great critical acclaim, but again were victims of not fitting into existing genres. I was also in a band called US with Rob Moore from Happiness Ad and Ricky Howard from LOUD. Harlequyn did some reunion shows a few years ago too, and some new recordings of old songs.
MMM: Are you active in any band(s) at the moment?
TW: Currently I'm playing in a new version of 80's Goth/Rock band Ghost Dance. Original vocalist Anne Marie Hurst wanted to do something after leaving Skeletal Family and her side project 'Killing Eve' with Andy Cousen from All About Eve had fizzled out. We recruited Dave Wood and Phil (Sargent) Noble from Harlequyn and Steven Derigg from Original Sin and started playing a Ghost Dance live set just before pandemic lockdowns. Original guitarist Gary Marx declined to be involved but was fine with us doing the project, so we're now writing new material under the Ghost Dance name for a new album and have a single 'Falling Down' out now. More gigs coming in 2022!