domingo, 17 de fevereiro de 2019

Valhalla




Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, Valhalla got some notoriety with the edition of the single "Lightning in the Sky" in 1980, now reissued by Skol Records on CD. We had a chat with Steve Bee about these reissue and about the early days of Valhalla.

Q. - Hello Steve! Tell us a bit about the beginning of Valhalla, how did it all start? How did you get in touch with the other members?
Steve – Hi Paulo, thanks for inviting me to do an interview!
OK, so I was in a couple of bands with Leg Hopkins and Chris Stretton between 1977-1979. Firstly RHS, from 1977 up to early 1979, when the singer (Garry Roost) left to go to drama college.
Then my brother; Tim Bee, joined us on guitar and vocals in early 1979 and we changed the band name to Wildcat and did a few gigs, but there were a lot of musical differences in the band. Leg, Chris and myself were more rock influenced, whereas the guitarist was more into funk!
I think it was late 1979 when Chris, Leg and myself decided we would form a heavier band along the lines of two guitarists, bass, drums and vocals.
We went to see a local band: Aardwolf, play at Stoke Golding Liberal Club and we got chatting to the guitarist; Mark Evans and asked him to join the band we were forming.
We knew Mark knew guitarist Joe Davidson, so asked him to invite Joe to join on rhythm guitar. Joe had never played in a band before, although he was very good.
So by late 1979 / early 1980, the band were formed and started rehearsing at a church hall in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire. Initially we learned a few covers such as Doctor Doctor by UFO and 747 (Strangers In The Night) by Saxon and started writing our own material.
We had quite a few mates who used to come to rehearsals and one of them; Mutt Minard started writing lyrics for us. There was a Norse mythology theme going on and I think that’s where the name Valhalla came from.



Q. - For how long were Valhalla active? And who would you cite as your major influences at the time?
Steve – We weren’t active for very long at all, about a year and a half in total.
Influences? Well Mark was really into Michael Schenker, I admired lots of drummers, for example; Carl Palmer, John Bonham, Phil Collins, Terry Bozzio, Bill Bruford, Alan White, Neil Peart etc. I listened to a lot of progressive rock as well as heavy rock back then.

Q. - Did you play regularly in the UK back then or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?
Steve – We played a few times, probably once every two or three months. We never ‘toured’ and all the gigs we did were pretty local as in, within 25km radius of Hinckley. There were a few venues that had rock bands on, but quite often you had to organise them yourself.

Q. - How was like the Leicestershire metal scene back in the day? Was it a united scene? What were your relations with other local bands?
Steve – We knew some local bands would come to see us at our gigs, as word got round that we were not bad!
We had three different local bands support us at the Regent Club gigs in Hinckley, but I wouldn’t say we hung out with other bands per se, but we knew individual members of other groups who were old mates.



Q. - After the single, did you try to approach a label, to record an LP? Were you close to a record deal?
Steve – Before I answer this question, let me backtrack and tell you how the single came about: at the first Regent Club gig in Hinckley, which we organised ourselves, i.e. printed posters and tickets, booked the venue and sorted everything. We had a local disco to play rock music at the gig in between bands etc. We knew the DJ as he was an old mate, but he didn’t actually own the disco equipment.
That gig at the Regent Club was a massive success, I think we had 350 people in there and the owner of the disco noticed this. Being a would-be local entrepreneur, he asked us if we would like to record a single, which he would finance.
So we got to do the recording at a studio in Windsor, however, the financer was very tight with the money and didn’t want to spend a lot on studio time. The production wasn’t great, but we couldn’t spend more time on it. The 2” master tape was hired for the recording, but got wiped afterwards.
The single was pressed privately and we were going to have a picture sleeve, but that was scrapped as it was going to cost £0.05 per single extra! I think there were only 300 copies pressed, so that’s why it’s so hard to find.
The singles were sold locally at record shops and at gigs. We didn’t really push the record as we were not happy with the production on it.
So in answer to your question, no we didn’t approach a label at that time.



Q. - Did Valhalla get support in the media from the legendary BBC dj Tommy Vance, or from Neal Kay in the Soundhouse?
Steve – No, as previously mentioned, the record was only sold locally and not pushed. We did get a feature in the local newspaper: ‘The Hinckley Times’, that did a review of the single and I think we got a paragraph in the ‘Leicester Mercury’ and maybe the Nuneaton paper.

Q. - Later on, a three song demo tape were recorded, at "Q-Studios", with a different singer, what do you recall from these recordings?
Steve – Before I answer this question, let me backtrack on how this came about. After the single was released and was selling in the local record shops, one of the owners; Mike Walker, became our manager. We thought he may have a lot of connections in the music business!!?? Anyway, he decided that Leg should move off lead vocals and switch to keyboards (which he played in RHS and Wildcat). Mike Walker then presented us with a lead singer/guitarist named Sid Palmer.
So we then rehearsed as a six-piece band, with Sid learning the old songs and then writing new songs. We were now rehearsing in some stables on a farm in Cadeby, Leicestershire as we had been ‘”evicted” from the church hall due to complaints about noise!
We recorded three demo tracks at Q-Studios in Queniborough, Leicestershire. The studio was in a business unit behind a petrol station. The studio engineer’s father owned the petrol station and business units, so was quite wealthy and basically he financed the studio for his son.
I think our manager financed the studio time, but again it was limited. There are one or two little mistakes on the tracks, but nothing glaring.
These three songs feature Leg on keyboards and backing vocals, with Paul Palmer on lead vocals and some guitar. The songs themselves sound quite different to Lightning In The Sky / These Sunday Nights as Paul Palmer was probably more influenced by David Coverdale, also the lyrics were penned by him as well, I think.



Q. - What do you think that went wrong at that time, so that Valhalla did not have continuity? When did you split exactly and for what reasons?
Steve – Following the recording of the demo-tape, our manager decided to fire Joe, as he said three guitarists is too many. That left the original four of us gutted.
We carried on rehearsing and doing a few gigs, but the original fun atmosphere had gone and there were a lot of disagreements in the band, especially with the singer, so in the end he left and we decided to call it a day.
I think, if we had remained the original five-piece with Leg on vocals and Joe on rhythm, we would have been together for a lot longer.

Q. - Did you keep in touch with the other former members all over the years?
Steve – I keep in touch with all of them occasionally, that’s the beauty of email and Facebook etc. I see Leg and Mark occasionally. Chris lives in Portugal, so I’ve not seen him for a while.

Q. - What other bands did you play after Valhalla? Tell us a bit about it please.
Steve – Mark asked me to join Wikkyd Vikker after Valhalla’s demise, but I turned it down for some reason. I played in a band called FX in Coventry, which was more of a crossover prog band, the lead singer; Steve Mills joined ‘Tubilah Dog’ after.
Then I teamed up with Joe again in the ‘Piranha Brothers Blues Band’ and played with them for about 28 years, although Joe left after about three years because of a hearing problem.



Q. - How does it feel to see the single "lightning in the sky" released once again, this time by Skol Records? Makes you feel that this single has stood the test of time?
Steve – Over the last few years, I have been truly amazed by the dedication of certain people towards NWOBHM. I have been contacted completely out of the blue by NWOBHM fanatics from all over the world asking me “are you the Steve Bee that was in Valhalla?” and I’m thinking “how the hell do they know that?”. But obviously, with the internet, information is more readily available.
So, because of the enthusiasm of NWOBHM by a certain Italian guy named Mario (you know who I mean!), he asked me if I would like to have Lightning In The Sky rereleased as a CD single? So I contacted the others and they agreed. So Mario then put me in touch with Bart Gabriel at Skol Records and we did a deal.
Bart did a great job and it felt quite special to see the single rereleased 36 years after the original single was recorded. What makes it extra special is the fact that we were able to use the original artwork for the CD single that wasn’t used on the original vinyl release.

Q. - Have you ever thought about doing a compilation on cd with the single and demos recorded by Valhalla in the early days?
Steve – Yes, watch this space!

Q. - Having you been part of it, what do you think about all the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, and the repercussion it had around the world? How did you live those days?
Steve – To be honest, at the time when Valhalla were around, we didn’t class ourselves as NWOBHM as that term didn’t exist or it was only just starting to be used. We just labelled ourselves as a metal band. As in the previous answer, I am gobsmacked at the interest NWOBHM has these days. Especially when you look at what collectors are paying for original vinyl releases. Not only that, you have guys out there who are intent on finding out every last detail about bands from that era which just shows the enthusiasm.

Q. - And what do you think of this recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?
Steve – If they can still do it, then why not! I keep getting asked if Valhalla will reform, but I don’t think that will ever happen!



Q. - So what are you doing these days? Do you still play in any band?
Steve - I had to give up playing drums three years ago because of hearing problems. I miss playing, but not the setting up and carrying my kit in and out of venues.

Q. - Are you still a heavy metal fan these days?
Steve – Surprisingly, I’ve never been a massive metal fan. Sure in the seventies and early eighties, when I was in my teens and early twenties, I used to go to loads of gigs, especially at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and have seen Iron Maiden as a support group, Motörhead, AC/DC, Saxon and loads of others of that ilk. But my true musical taste is Frank Zappa and progressive rock and as I’ve got older, it’s pretty much all I listen to.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?
Steve – If you’ve seen the movie ‘Spinal Tap’, then a lot of that can be related to Valhalla!

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!
Steve – Cheers! Thank you.




segunda-feira, 11 de fevereiro de 2019

Dave Morse (StormQueen, Lucifer)




StormQueen were formed around 1979, in Barry, Wales. They recorded 4 demo tapes between 1980 and 83 and the single "Come Silent the World" in 82. We talked with guitarist Dave Morse about the early days of StormQueen and about his previous band Lucifer.

Q. - Hello Dave, tell us a little bit about your beginnings in the heavy metal world, what lead you to be a guitar player?
Dave - Hello, and a huge thank you for this opportunity to talk to you guys.
Wow… That’s a tough question to be honest. The guys that influenced me to first pick up a guitar and start trying to learn to play didn’t really have much to do with Heavy Metal. I mean it was Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and others that actually influenced me early on. Jeff Beck, Andy Scott (The Sweet), Mick Ronson, Brian May etc. The ‘Heavy Metal’ influences came later with the likes of Angus Young (if you can call his style metal at all), Fast Eddie Clarke, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker, Tony Iommi and more. Then later again people like Steve Vai, George Lynch, Randy Rhodes etc. Then one of the biggest influences on me further on down the line and one that really changed the game for my approach to playing was Ron Asheton. Ron was a badass. A true innovator. 



Q. - When did Lucifer start? How did you get in touch with the other members? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.
Dave - Well, I started out just jamming with a great friend of mine Pete McCarthy, I dunno maybe around late ‘77. He and I discovered bands together like Ac/Dc, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Scorpions etc. As well as lots of punk bands. The Ramones, The Ruts, Stiff Little Fingers, UK Subs, The Stranglers, The Damned and more. We started travelling to Bristol to see these bands play live as back then they didn’t really play Cardiff/Wales much if at all.

So we used to jam in his father’s business premises basement. LOUD! Ha haa. No one to disturb so it was great. We tried to learn songs by the bands we loved etc. Then we started jamming with other people at this church/coffee bar place called the Luciana Mission. Which was where I met future Lucifer bassist Glyn Kitkat. He and I jammed a bit and kinda clicked. Lucifer was spawned from those early jams basically after I wrote the bones of the songs we recorded at the BBC and played them to Glyn at his parents house on Barry Island a little while later.



Q. - Did you start writing your own songs since the beginning or were you most concentrated on covers?
Dave - Everyone starts out learning other people’s tunes y’know? I can’t imagine even a genius like Eddie Van Halen starting out just writing their own stuff right off the bat lol. So yeah there were covers. We jammed on old school rock n roll to begin with. Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues was one I recall, oh and Johnny B Goode was one that simply had to be mastered. Chuck Berry’s oeuvre was mandatory. Then I started branching out, experimenting and writing my own stuff at home on my own. I think around ’78. Which were the first songs that we ended up recording at the BBC as Lucifer.

Q. - When did you record the 3 song demo tape? What do you recall from these recording season at the BBC Stacey Road studios?
Dave - It’s a tad hazy as to precise dates but it was sometime around early ’79 as far as I can ascertain from talking to people who were around/involved at the time.
It was the stuff of magic for us. To be in a proper recording studio for the very first time. Otherworldly. I was absolutely in my element. I wasn’t thrown by it as the others seemed to be. I was confident and I just wanted to make a great demo and learn as much as possible while doing so. When the engineer said ‘ROLLING’ I just lost myself in the moment and gave it my all. It was just SO exhilarating. We were all on cloud 9 afterwards for weeks ha ha haaa!



Q. - What about shows? Did you play regularly in Barry, back then? Or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?
Dave - We only ever did three shows. Two in Barry and one in Cardiff. The band wasn’t in existence for that long really. Less than a year. We didn’t really hit our stride before there were line up problems, the singer quit as he felt he wasn’t able to deliver. Soon after that I met Neil Baker and Boofy and we formed the nucleus of StormQueen so….

Q. - Did you get support in the media back then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?
Dave - Lucifer never really got that far. We did have a meeting with a promotion company in Bristol and the lady that ran the company, Jane Revell, LOVED the band and promised to get us gigs and even offered to represent us to labels. But as I said it fell apart pretty quickly so…

Q. - By 1979 you leave Lucifer and start a new band, StormQueen, how did that happen? What made you feel like start a new band?
Dave - Well Lucifer was over really. Those guys were nice people but they weren’t hungry or serious. I WAS! I wanted it bad… REAL F**CKING BAD! So when I met Neil and Boofy and I jammed with those guys it was very clear the stakes were infinitely higher. First of all they could REALLY play. I mean we’re talking proper musicians. That was everything to me. We HAD to have the best in the band. The BEST! Nothing less was acceptable so…. The decision made itself.



Q. - StormQueen had strong image, as well as a strong presence on stage, with pyrotechnics, did you try to make an impact since the beginning of the band?
Dave - Most definitely. My vision for STORMQUEEN was HUGE! Even if we were just playing a high school end of year disco, which is what our first gig was. It was a STORMQUEEN show. Every detail had to be covered. Light show, backdrop, Drum riser, guitar stacks, bass stack etc. We weren’t allowed to use pyro/dry ice at that first gig or we would have had them. Huge P.A. All of it HAD to be there and had to be full on. Nothing could be second best…. NOTHING!

Q. - In 81, Paul Burnett replaced Chris Glynn, how did that happen?
Dave - Sigh… The thing is, we all loved (and continue to love) Chris Glynn Jones. He is such a fabulous guy and an amazing singer. Really. What a voice. But at the time when we were trying to get STORMQUEEN happening, he wasn’t really as focused as the rest of us. He loved singing of course. But his heart wasn’t really in the other side of things. The hard work of rehearsing and writing. I wrote ALL of the lyrics for the songs before Paul joined for instance. Not really because I wanted to or that I was a control freak, but because Chris *wasn’t writing with us for his own reasons. So it really made things difficult and added a lot to my workload. He got very flaky towards the end and so he just had to go. There was no room for passengers. Harsh maybe, but that’s the way it had to be. We started looking for a singer and a bass player because Bryn had joined The Damned too. We put out ads in Cardiff and a lovely bloke by the name of Mack answered the singer ad. He didn’t work out but as it turned out his flat mates were Paul and Nick. Paul listened to the BBC recording and really liked it. He asked Mack if he got the gig and he said no. Paul said ‘I’m really interested’ so Mack let us know and we went to see the band Paul and Nick were in do a gig in Cardiff. We liked what we saw and heard so we invited them down for a jam. The rest as they say is history :-)



Q. - By 1982 comes the single "Come Silent the World", did it have airplay on radio stations? Or did you try to approach a record deal at that time?
Dave - We did get quite a lot of local radio airplay with that thanks to Red Dragon Radio and the Rock Show hosted by Steve Tupper who really loved the band. We did try and get the single out to all and sundry in the music industry but it was a weird time. There was a massive prejudice against Welsh bands. So much so that I tried to manufacture a history that showed the band were English. It worked to a degree as we got invited to Heavy Metal Records in the Midlands to discuss a possible deal. When we were in the meeting the guy says ‘ermmm I’m detecting some very definite Welsh accents here guys I thought you were from England?’ We freaked out and said ‘well a few of the guys are from Wales but we all live in England now and really we’re an English band!’ But he wasn’t having it. He said ‘sorry guys, it’s just not done to sign Welsh bands nowadays, I’m afraid we’ll have to pass’, and that was that. F**king nightmare!

Q. - With the great talent and potential you guys had, what do you think has failed to achieve a real success? Do you think that things would have been better if StormQueen had moved from Wales to London?
Dave - Without question. Had StormQueen been based in London or another large English city things would have turned out VERY different. We had the musicianship. We had the songs. We had the ambition and drive. We had a vision. We worked our asses off. But it was futile in Wales. The connections just didn’t exist. Not a single band from Wales from that era or a long time afterwards ‘made it’. Not one!

Q. - Did you stay in touch with the other former members over the years?
Dave - Absolutely. We are all very much great friends. Bryn sadly passed away recently but I stay in touch with all the rest of the guys and see Boofy and Chris Glynn often when I am in Wales doing gigs etc with my present band I AM DRUG.



Q. - After StormQueen you started another band, Warlords, how did that happen? Did you moved to California at that time?
Dave - That is a very long, convoluted story. I’ll try and summarise; The band got together in 1986. We played our first gig in July of 1987 in Barry. When the band formed I had already instigated plans to move to L.A. Which I followed through with in late July 1987. The band came over to L.A. in March 1988 and we played a month of shows, 26 in all, in an attempt to break the band stateside and take off from there. Which sort of happened but not in a way that meant the guys could remain in the USA. So I decided to come back to the UK to continue the band in September 1988. We then focused on breaking the band in the UK. We did get signed in 1989 to Terminal Records and we released one album called God Squad before things unravelled.

Q. - Did Warlords have a different approach from StormQueen? Was it a more hard rock band?
Dave - Yes. It most definitely was a very different sound. More rock/punk/Detroit/dirty/ugly/filthy. Not ‘metal’ at all. I AM DRUG is in fact a continuation/progression of that band.

Q. - The song "StormQueen" was recorded in 2006, for the "Come Silent the World" compilation, but only made it in the "Raising the Roof - The Definitive StormQueen Anthology", are there any other songs that were never recorded?
Dave - Oh hell eyes. I just wish I could remember them all ha ha haa. We didn’t really have access to cheap/easy methods of recording rehearsals and writing sessions like people have today. So many, many songs got lost in the annals of time. Which is a crying shame.

Q. - What did you think of these both compilations? Were you happy with it's final result?
Dave - Very much so. They both have different qualities I feel. The OPM release was a real ‘for the fans’ endeavour, focusing only on stuff that hadn’t been released before, which I loved for that reason. The High Roller release is a slick and polished ‘proper’ anthology of everything, and I love it for that reason too. I think they are both just fantastic.

Q. - The "Lucifer" demo tape will be compiled in a cd edition with Diamon Dogs and Nightstalker, how do you feel about that? And how do you see these recordings after all these years?
Dave - Well, when George approached me about it I can’t lie I was totally blown away. I don’t remember giving out the Lucifer stuff to many people to be honest. So it was a massive surprise to find out it was out there to the extent that a label owner would hear it and want to put it out. I’m massively proud. Without wishing to sound conceited. I worked my ass off to write those songs. I wrote it all. Music and lyrics. So to have it recognised as worthy of release after all these years is just bloody fantastic. When I listen to the tracks I feel warm and fuzzy for the period that it was, the honesty and innocence. But my musician side cringes at the lack of finesse in the playing ha ha ha haaaaa.



Q. - What do you feel about the interest in Lucifer and StormQueen after all these years?
Dave - It’s hard to quantify. It all seemed to kick off with StormQueen after Malcolm MacMillan’s New Wave of British Heavy Metal Encyclopaedia to be honest. Now that may have coincided with the explosion of the world wide web too which meant that people all over the world could connect with each other and learn about the bands in that book to so... All of it seemed to coalesce into a stream of love and appreciation of StormQueen that I truly never, ever thought would happen. But I’m so glad it did. It quite literally blew us all away. When Stu and the guys at Brofest UK asked us to reform to play that festival in 2015 we were so honoured. It was just such a high. Just incredible. I still get daily emails and Facebook messages from ‘fans’ all over the world telling me how much they love StormQueen and it still blows my mind. If Bryn hadn’t passed on who knows what we might be doing now eh?

As for the Lucifer thing well that too blows me away. I mean can you imagine recording a demo in a little studio in Wales 40 years ago and thinking *anyone* would possibly give a shit now? Ha ha haaa it’s just insane. But it’s GREAT insane. I love it :-)

Q. - How did you see the whole N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, back then, and how do you see the interest around those bands and recordings nowadays?
Dave - Being in Wales as we were, we didn’t really pay any attention to that scene in all honesty. We were too busy doing our own thing. With bands like Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang et al we just weren’t paying any attention to them. That sounds weird or big headed perhaps but we really, really weren’t. We were heads down and into our own thing. Just working hard to sound like StormQueen. The influences that we had may have been very similar to these NWOBHM bands, in fact they were, and perhaps that’s why we sounded somewhat similar. But if you listen to the StormQueen stuff it does sound different. Especially as we progressed. The later stuff took on a life and sound all our own I feel.



Q. - Would you like to say anything more, to end up this interview?
Dave - I would just like to thank everyone for showing an interest in bands I have been involved with. It’s extremely flattering that people like this stuff so long after it was created. It allows me to realise that I/we weren’t completely crazy for believing it was great music. I know I can speak for all the guys in StormQueen and Lucifer when I say that we hope you all continue to love and listen to the music, and we dearly hope many more ‘fans’ will get enjoyment from what we created. That’s what it was all about… The music.

Keep Rockin’
Dave Morse

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!




terça-feira, 5 de fevereiro de 2019

Deep Machine




NWOBHM legends Deep Machine, based in East London, England, started in 1979, and recorded a few demo tapes till 1984. They came back in 2009, having recorded the EPs Deep Machine and Whispers in the Black, and the cd Rise of the Machine, before splitting up, again, in 2015.

Q. - Hello Bob, tell us a bit about the origins of Deep Machine, how and when did it all start? How did you get in touch with the other members?
Bob - I formed Deep Machine ​in 1979 originally playing a mix of 50% metal/hard rock covers 50% original material, which I wrote.  After the band had been in existence for about a year I recruited Dave Orton, Ricky Bruce, who I saw in a band in the Ruskin Arms, and John Wiggins who played in a band called Black Friday.  We rehearsed a completely original set for around 2 months and then recruited singer Roger Marsden. 



Q. - And how did the band name came up?
Bob - I was about to go to sleep thinking about the band name when I suddenly thought of a machine travelling deep in space.  The name Deep Machine arose from there. (nothing to do with Machine Head by Deep Purple as some people thought).

Q. - Who were your major influences at that time?
Bob - Judas Priest then and now.



Q. - In the early days, did you start writing your own songs or were you most concentrated on covers?
Bob - Started writing my own songs.

Q. - Between 1980/83, Deep Machine recorded 4 excellent demos, with great reviews, did you try to get a record deal at that time?
Bob - Yes, with Raven Records with no success.  It had to be self-funded and in those days money was very tight, with all the money going to put on the best live show we could.

Q. - What about shows? You had a strong local fan base following Deep Machine, Did you play regularly in UK back then?
Bob - Yes we played exclusively in the UK back then, packing out venues such as The Ruskin Arms and The Electric Stadium etc.



Q. - Did you get support in the media back then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?
Bob - Yes, Sounds, Kerrang, plus local newspapers etc.

Q. - Which other bands did you share the stage with during the early eighties? Was it headline shows?
Bob - We headlined all of our shows.

Q. - Do you think that maybe the line-up instabilities prevented Deep Machine to have had a stable career?
Bob - Yes definitely.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with each other’s all over the years?
Bob - Yes very much so.  We are still in contact to this day.

Q. - Did you play in other bands after you leave Deep Machine?
Bob - No, although I did audition for Iron Maiden during the early Deep Machine days.

Q. - What made you feel like reunite Deep Machine again, back in 2009? Some kind of unfinished business?
Bob - Yes, I mainly wanted to record our old songs and breathe new life into them embracing modern recording technology and techniques. I also felt the urge to play live again.

Q. - "Rise of the Machine" came up in 2014, did you try to tour to promote it or is still hard for an heavy metal band to be booked nowadays?
Bob - We did several shows, mainly festivals around the UK, also including dates in Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Q. - Why didn't the single "Child Soldier" get released back in 2015, with Veronica Freeman on vocals?
Bob - We felt this song was not Deep Machine material, so decided not to release it.



Q. - Do you have plans for future Deep Machine editions? Perhaps compiling the old demo songs on a proper cd release? Or maybe new recordings?
Bob - Never say never. Watch this space!

Q. - What can you tell us about your audition for Iron Maiden back in 79, what do you recall from those times?
Bob - I auditioned for Iron Maiden at Hollywood Studios, London. There were around 30 or so guitar players lined up outside for the audition.  Most got to play one song maximum, before being stopped.  I played four songs which were Iron Maiden, Remember Tomorrow, Running Free and Wrathchild.  After the audition the band seemed suitability impressed and asked if I was prepared to turn professional, to which I of course said "yes".  I later found out that the choice was narrowed down to three guitarist, myself, another guy and Tony Parsons.  Tony Parsons got the job.



Q. - Did you like Iron Maiden at that time, or still you do?
Bob - Yes I liked Iron Maiden at the time but always preferred Judas Priest which remains the same to this day.

Q. - Having you been a part of it, what do you think about all the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, and the repercussion it had around the world?
Bob - I thought they were great times and I was very proud to be part of it.  I consider the great bands around at that time like Angel Witch to use an example, laid the foundations for the metal of today.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today?
Bob - I seriously think there were more talented musicians around in the eighties compared to the musicians in metal bands today.



Q. - How do you want to end up this interview? Anything more you want to say?
Bob - Thanks for the interview, long live the NWOBHM revival.

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!
Thank you Paulo.




Simon Adams A.K.A. Bandwagon Sid

  Simon Adams A.K.A. Bandwagon Sid, was a regular at the Bandwagon (Soundhouse), in the early days of the NWOBHM movement, even winning the ...