Montreaux

Montreaux is a Wolverhampton based NWOBHM band formed around 1981, having an approach closer to hard rock. We talked to the lead singer Rob Byrne, who also fronted Diamond Dogs and Stafford Road.

Q. - Hello Rob, tell us a bit about the origins of the band, how did it all start? Who were the first members of the band?

Rob - Hi Paulo, The band was created by keyboard player Patrick Hatfield formally of Mafia, drummer Andy Harper formally of the Mick Hill Band and bassist Paul Hodson formally of Sabre and Hideaway and guitarist Mario Janowski formerly of Tall Story! They were looking for a singer and the keyboard player’s brother saw me auditioning for another band where I was unsuccessful and suggested that he could arrange an audition for me with another band who turned out to be Montreaux. I said that would be good and I met the guys, we got on musically and socially straight away and the rest is history!

Q. - Did you play in any other bands before Montreaux?

Rob- Yes, I had played in various local bands in the Wolverhampton area, mainly cover bands which helped me gain valuable experience.

Q. - What can you tell us about the demos recorded in the early 80's, since there's not much information about it?

Rob - We recorded two tracks in Rich Bitch studios with well known rock artist Robin George and demos of early songs at a local studio and they proved useful in getting us gigs and interest from promoters.

Q. - Did you sell these tapes at shows, or send it to fanzines?

Rob - No we missed an opportunity there because fans were always asking for tapes though we did sell Montreaux tee shirts and it was great at gigs to see them wearing them!!

Q. - How was it the Wolverhampton metal scene? Did you play regularly there or even in the rest of the UK?

Rob - There was a healthy rock and metal scene locally and lots of interest from local fans with a good rapport between the bands where we would go to each others gigs! Montreaux quickly became an active band in the local area, gaining a sizeable following through residencies at the Gifford Arms, The Queens Hotel, the Bushbury Arms and Archie’s Night Club and played at many more local venues! As we became more popular we appeared at the Marquee Club, Birmingham’s Barrel Organ Pub and also a filmed performance at the Regal Theatre, Hitchen.

Q. - Did you open for some other bands, or was it headlining shows?

Rob - We did open for other artists including Pallas, Stray and Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs and local heavy metal band Split Beaver but mainly headlined our own shows.

Q. - Do you recall the set list you were playing in general during those shows? Did you play some covers too?

Rob - Yes I remember the set list and have recently listened to a live recording we did in 1984! Amongst the tracks that were fan`s favourites were Wreckage, Night of the Hunter and Goodbye Hollywood. We didn`t do any covers.

Q. - At a certain point you played at the world famous Marquee Club supporting Stray, what memories do you keep from that show?

Rob – That was awesome!! I will always remember the small dressing room with signatures of famous artists on the walls and we put ours on which was a great thrill. As you say we supported Stray who were very kind to us and we put on a good show and I remember seeing Lemmy from Motorhead in the audience though I`m not sure what he thought about us! Also, a lot of our fans had travelled to the gig, which was really nice! I recall the Manager of the club saying we did well and I really thought this might have been a launch pad for us!

Q. - Did you try to approach a label, to record an LP?

Rob - Yes we approached Heavy Metal Records in Wolverhampton and they appeared to be interested but nothing came of it though the owner said later he should have signed us and in hindsight this is where a good manager could have made all the difference!

Q. - What do you think that went wrong at that time, so that Montreaux did not have continuity? When did you split exactly and for what reasons?

Rob - We had quickly built up a good following in the Wolverhampton area and due to some good performances we attracted interest from a London based company who produced music videos for the European rock market. We appeared in one of there filmed shows and also they got us the Marquee gig. They were great opportunities for us and we thought we were on our way to bigger things but always ended up back in Wolverhampton! We became disillusioned and around February of 1984 our guitarist, Mario left the band and that really was the end of Montreaux, though as mentioned before I`m sure a good manager would have made us persist with the band!

Q. - Have you ever thought about doing a proper edition, compiling all this demos recorded between 81/84 on cd?

Rob - Yes, we have masters of live and studio performances and they are currently with an independent label and we hope they will be released later this year on CD.

Q. - From the ashes of Montreaux, came Diamond Dogs, how did the idea to form this band came up?

Rob - Well I had written some new songs and asked the drummer and bass player from Montreux if they would be interested in forming a new band, they said great and we drafted in Jeff Bowden on guitar! We based ourselves really on early Bowie hence the name and Hanoi Rocks who were quite popular at the time!

Q. - Besides the two track demo tape from 84, there's some live recordings from "The Gifford Arms" gig in 1985, what do you recall from these recordings?

Rob - A friend of Jeff the guitarist recorded a band rehearsal at the Gifford and it captured the energy of the band!

Q. - The "Diamond Dogs" adventure didn't last much, what lead to the end?

Rob - Once again we felt we were going nowhere and though we built up a good local following we decided to call it a day.

Q. - Will the "Diamond Dogs" songs be released someday too?

Rob - Hopefully! One track in particular has received great feedback on you tube it is called Daddy Dear and maybe a new audience will like the band.

Q. - There's not much information about "Stafford Road", what can you tell us about your days in this band?

Rob - Stafford Road was my first band formed in the 1970`s with a colleague from work Mick Wall who sang and played guitar. Mick was a great inspiration, mentor and a good friend to me and we wrote a lot of original material, which was used in Stafford Road. We only played a few gigs and we did a demo track called “Dream” at Zella studios in Birmingham. The other members of the band were Alan Scrivens on bass and Neil Richman on drums.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with each other’s all over the years?

Rob - Yes I’m glad to say I`ve kept in touch with members of Montreaux and Diamond Dogs and we meet regularly for a drink and social evenings. Sadly, Mick and Neil from Stafford Road have both passed away and I really miss them!

Q. - So what are you doing these days? Do you still play in any band? Tell us a bit about it.

Rob - I`m currently writing new material and recording demo`s at home and it would be great to reform Montreaux as the lads feel we have unfinished business and we would like to record a new album and maybe play a few dates… You never know!!!

Q. - How do you want to end up this interview? Anything more you want to say

Rob - I would like to thank Zygmunt Jot from Nwobhm/Hard Rock-RARE for his interest in Montreaux and Diamond Dogs and for supporting and promoting the great music from the hey day of rock! It has been great to reflect on the times we had playing and living the dream in the 1980`s and I salute all the fans who came to see us and support us so enthusiastically!! It is great to know that people still care about the bands and I thank you!!

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

Rob - Thank you very much Paulo it`s been a pleasure talking to you!