Ken Tunstall was the lead singer
of Wolf, from Chester, England, and recorded the single "See Them
Running" in 1981, leaving the band after the release of the single.
Q. - Hello Ken, tell us a little
bit about your beginnings in the heavy metal world, what lead you to be a
singer?
Ken - Always been a singer, from
early school days in the quire and Church as a soloist up to the age of 16 at
17 my best friend at school (Steve Jones, now in the Bundbeds) asked if i was
interested in singing in a band, which i did but to start my voice was to clean
and bright, but with a bit of miss use it got to rock standard.
Q. - When did you join Wolf? How
did it all start? Tell us a bit about the early days of Wolf too.
Ken - Wolf, with Wally Rumsey.
You have to remember in the 70's in the Chester area people moved around to
different bands, I meet Wally in a jam session when a number of different bands
just got together and had a good thrash and Wally and i got well together and
were in a number of different line ups till we got to wolf and played a number
of venues across the North west of England.
Q. - What other bands did you
play before Wolf?
Ken - Lots lol, Boris,
Switchblade, Frostbite if i can remember anymore will let you know.
Q. - What were the main
difficulties that the band faced in the early days? Was it hard to find a place
to rehearse? Were all of you available to rehearse? Did you need any material?
Ken - As i remember we had a
number of places that we used for practice including a Barn full of potatoes, a
garage next to Chester racecourse, but mostly Village halls.
I think we all made the practice
sessions and if we did not those who did would use the time.
Q. - How about shows? Did you
play regularly in the UK back then? Did you share stage with some well-known
bands?
Ken - Yes, most weekends in pubs
and clubs and some private functions.
I don’t remember sharing with any
other better known bands that us.
Q. - The single "See Them
Running" came up in 1981, how was it received by the fans at that time?
Did the single have airplay on radio stations?
Ken - The single did escape in 81
and was played on radio ones Tommy Vance show, but did not do all that well as
it was funded by the band and i departed just after the release.
Q. - When did "Wolf"
split up exactly? What happened that lead to the split?
Ken - I know i was the first out,
and did not find out till they were playing a club in Chester and thought,
that's strange I’m not singing bit of bad blood about that.
Q. - What do you think that
lacked to Wolf to have a successful career?
Ken - Never in the right place at
the right time. I think the band was good enough but in order to get on at that
time it would have ment a relocation to London as some of us were married that
was a no go.
Q. - Did you keep in touch with
the other former members all over the years?
Ken - Yes we did, but Aldy the
bass player is no longer with us, Wally is still going strong and never stopped
playing I’m hoping to get something together. But not song in over 5 years due
to health reasons.
Q. - What other bands did you
play after Wolf? Tell us a bit about it please.
Ken - Frostbite was after wolf,
but that imploded due to personnel issues between the two leads after that just
random gigs with other bands and line up's but nothing on the scale of Wolf /
Frostbite.
Q. - Were you happy with the
split compilation "Echoes of the Past" by High Roller Records? Was it
like a dream come true to see these songs release after all these years?
Ken - I was unbelievable that
something I had a part in creating (words & Vocals) would end up on an LP
and recognised so many years later.
Q. - Do you keep an eye to hard
rock and heavy metal music nowadays?
Ken - It’s in my blood and still
enjoy going to see top bands and support local bands and hope to carry on doing
so.
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?
Ken - It’s an incredible movement
and just shows the level of talent that was about and is still about in the
metal seen where music in my mind is pure and not contrived like the Pop stuff
you see and hear today that cannot be reproduced with a band of PC's or
additionalmusicians.
Q. - How do you want to end up
this interview? Anything more you want to say?
Ken - Keep up the good work.
People like myself and others who shall we say are more mature find this
resurgence of interest really exciting.
Thank you for your time, and wish
you all the best for the future!
Sacred Alien, was formed in
Manchester around 1980, and recorded the single "Spiritual Planet" in
1981, by Greenwood Music. We had a chat with lead singer Sean Canning, about
the early days of the band and bout future plans.
Q. - Hello Sean! Tell us a bit
about the beginning of Sacred Alien, how did it all start? How did you get in
touch with the other members?
Sean - Hello! It was November
1980. The other members (Martin ‘Ted’ Ainscow, Chris Lea, Dave Clowes) had
already been in a band that preceded Sacred Alien called ‘Silverthorn’ – I had
been messing around in a few school bands but nothing had really taken off. I
had just started at Art College and all the students went on a trip to London
to visit the National & Tate Galleries. On the train journey back to
Manchester I sat opposite a group of guys whose conversation pricked my ears
up. They were talking about music, in particular punk and metal bands and,
although they were a bit older than me (I was 16 at the time!) I chimed in and
started chatting to them. One of the group set up a miniature drum kit on the
table using those little round milk cartons and proceeded to perform an
impromptu ‘air drumming’ solo using this teeny tiny kit. It was pretty funny at
the time – I guess you had to be there, and be 16, and have had a warm can of
lager to get the full effect, but I thought this guy was pretty cool...turns
out he is a drummer in a band called Sacred Alien. I glean from his mates that
his name is ‘Neil’. At that point the train rolls in the station and we part
ways.
The next day in college, I have
decided I need to find this guy so am roaming the corridors around where I
think their classes might be when I see one of his gang of mates. “Oh
Hi!...Remember me from the train?’ He gives me a blank look and takes a swig of
coke. “Errm...you were sat opposite me?” No reaction...I am annoying him now,
“and you had a guy with you who was drumming on a tiny drum kit made of milk
cartons....his name was Neil?” This catches him mid-swig and he nearly chokes on
his coke – in fact I am pretty sure some comes out of his nose as he splutters,
“Ha, ha! Neil? NEIL??? You mean Chris!” Now it’s my turn to be confused.
“Erm...I’m pretty sure his name
was Neil...” I reply meekly. “No, we call him Neil as joke...cos he’s mad about Neil
Peart...his real name is Chris Lea.”
So with that sorted out I ask the
guy to pass on my number. Chris arrived at his desk that day to find ‘Sean –
Singer from the train’ and my phone number. I got a call that night and he
invited me down to their rehearsal room in Burnage, apparently only telling the
rest of the band I was coming about 10 mins before I showed up “Oh by the way
I’ve invited a singer to come and audition”. Ted was a bit shocked as up until
now they had been a ‘Power Trio’ with Ted on vocals and guitar, but I guess it
went OK as by the end of the rehearsal we were planning dates for gigs. It was
the first band I had played with that had a sound I instantly loved. Ted’s
guitar in particular was phenomenal, I was buzzing for days afterwards.
Q. - Who were your principal
influences at that time?
Sean - I was a pretty mixed up
kid musically, there was a lot going on in the late 70s/early 80s musically and
although it tended to be quite tribal I was a bit of a rebel...and I think that
manifested in the music we ended up making. I was into Sabbath, Van Halen,
Rainbow, Rush, Preist, Motorhead...the usual suspects...but I also had time for
Bowie, The Cramps, Alice Cooper, Zappa, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Pistols, Kraftwerk
and some of the wilder regions of disco and psychedelia. Ted in the meantime
was into the same stuff plus more ‘muso’ acts such as Be-Bop Deluxe and King
Crimson. He was also a huge Hendrix and Marc Bolan Fan I recall. Chris was
Rush, Rush, Rush and more Rush. Dave was into all sorts and introduced me to
Parliament, Alex Harvey and early rap (Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Lenny
‘the hat’ White, etc) – we loved all sorts of stuff. And when Warren Heighway
(our manager) came on the scene early in 81 it really kicked in to a whole
other gear as we were doing gigs with Angie Bowie, Jayne County and the like
and he was introducing us to Nina Hagen, Klaus Nomi, Toyah, the New York Dolls
and all sorts of fabulous weirdos. That influenced our theatricality a lot. He
also managed Jayne County in the UK.
Q. - How did the band name came
up?
Sean - When I got there it was
already settled – and I loved it so no argument from me, but as I understand it
Ted, Dave & Chris were sat around in the pub thinking that
‘Silverthorn’ was a bit rubbish and started toying with ideas. Someone said
‘Precious Alien’ and it was Colin Seddon from Biting Tongues who said ‘What
about Sacred Alien’. The Manchester scene was quite small back then...and
everyone knew everyone else. So we all knew the guys from ACR, 808 State, The
Fall, Crispy Ambulance, Biting Tongues, and later Oasis, Smiths, Charlatans,
etc and hung out with them...even though they HATED metal!
Q. - What do you recall from the
recording of the 1981 demo tape? Did you sell that demo at shows, send it to
fanzines?
Sean - I remember that it was the
first time I had ever been in a studio! We did all 4 tracks in two days I
recall and the whole thing cost £100. Tracks were:
1. Portrait
2. Eternal Flame
3. Energy
4. Both Sides of the
Globe
It was recorded at Graveyard
studios (next to a graveyard natch) and was basically some guys’ damp basement.
The playing on it is pretty loose and it is not very well engineered. In fact
the track ‘Both Sides of the Globe’ has an acoustic intro on it that is so low
in the mix you can hardly hear it for the tape hiss. It sounded fine on the
playback but when we got it home it was useless. By the time we went back to
the studio they had already re-used the 2” multitrack master so we were stuck
with it. We ended up cutting if off the cassette versions we sent out. I do
have a version with it on...for superfans only! I think the best tracks on that
demo are ‘Energy’ (a full 8:56” version!) and ‘Portrait’. We sent it out to
record companies and to Sounds/NME but there wasn’t much of a fanzine scene for
metal back then, or at least, not one we knew about. We did send it to some
rock club DJs who put it on their playlists. Geoff Barton picked it up and
featured it in the ‘Armed & Ready’ section of Kerrang! Number 3. I
guess we missed a trick but no, we never sold any at gigs so the original
cassettes are pretty rare I guess.
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?
Sean - We played as often as we
could! We picked up gigs with bands coming through Manchester and played all
sorts of rock pub and club gigs of our own. Not all of the shows were quite the
right audience for us...we played a couple of gigs where they were expecting a
cabaret covers band and it was a bit of a shock when I leapt onstage dressed in
red lycra, wailing like a banshee with Ted’s guitar soaring like a passing
fleet of UFOs and the double bass-drum and bass guitar assault from Chris
& Dave shaking their pints of Mild & Bitter. We were paid off
after the first set a few times. We played gigs with Angel Witch, Buffalo,
Hanoi Rocks, Jayne County, Mud, Paul DiAnno’s Lone Wolf, Wrathchild,
Silverwing, Diamond Head, Venom...loads of bands.
It wasn’t particularly hard to
get gigs as there was a huge live music scene back then...more than there is
now...but finding the right gigs was a bit more difficult.
Q. - Do you recall the songs you
were playing at that time?
Sean - Yes, we have a couple of
live tapes that still exist from back then. Obviously, the set changed as we
wrote new material, but typically we would play a set that included:
Spiritual Planet
Portrait
Welcome Inside
Eternal Flame
Both Sides of the Globe
Electric Beam Squad
Open Your Eyes
Do You See Me? – (Never recorded
and lost in the mists of time).
Attack, Attack – (I believe a
version of this might exist from a recording of the Glamfest in Salford, but I
haven’t been able to track down a copy).
Legends
Energy
We also revolved a few covers
around:
Suffragette City
20 th Century Boy
Nights in White Satin
Foxy Lady
Queen Bitch
Knock on Wood
Q. - Did the single
"Spiritual Planet" have air play, at that time, on radio stations?
And how was it received by Sacred Alien fans?
Sean - The single got some
airplay on local radio but not huge amounts. There was only one rock show on
national radio at the time which was the legendary Tommy Vance “Friday Rock
Show” on BBC Radio 1. However, we were an indie release so we couldn’t get
through the BBC defences to get it played at that time. Things were very
different, small bands just didn’t have the same access they do now. We did a
run of 1000 singles and they sold out, which was cool. So I guess it went down
well with fans!
Q. - Did you try to approach a
record deal after the edition of the single?
Sean - Yes, that was the ultimate
goal and really the single was designed to be a fancy demo to get us a deal.
But it didn’t quite work – we were difficult to pin down stylistically and the
cracks were starting to show as the band got more serious. Dave was starting to
get cold feet about touring and committing 100% to the band. We had interviews
at EMI, CBS, Warners...lots of big labels, but none took the bait and that led
to more self-doubt.
Q. - Is there any other
recordings by Sacred Alien besides the two singles and the 81 demo tape?
Sean - The complete studio
recordings are:
1. Graveyard Demos – early ‘81 –
4 tracks as detailed above – released on cassette as promo only
2. Hologram single recording –
late ‘81. Released as first single on Greenwood Music. 1000 copies.
Spiritual Planet
Energy
3. Pennine Studio demos – late
’81 - 48 track swanky studio session we won in a battle of the bands
competition.
Eternal Flame (a
re-record of the song we did at Graveyard and earmarked as our second single –
we never sent this out)
Legends – (this was
meant to be the B-side but when we heard it we decided this was the single)
Welcome Inside –
likewise, never available as a promo as far as I am aware.
‘Legends’ was released as the
second single which we split with a band called ‘Virgin’ mainly for cost
purposes – their side had a track called ‘Sittin’ in the Front Row’. I don’t
think they would mind being described as an Angel rip-off band. The guitarist
and lead singer Paul Rooney now plays and writes for punk legends Vice Squad.
Fab guy. It was released on our own ‘Heighway Robbery Wreckords’ and we got a
fair bit of publicity from the idea of a shared single, including a feature and
interviews on BBC Radio 1.
4. Pluto Studio sessions – late
’82.
Spiritual Planet
(Re-record 82 version)
Electric Beam Squad
Open Your Eyes
20 th Century Boy –
recorded as live
Knock on Wood –
recorded as live
Ziggy Stardust –
recorded as live
This session was with two new
members. Chris & Dave had left and we had Darren Wilcock on Drums and
Paul Davies on Bass. This was missing for years but a beaten up 1/4” tape
turned up recently and we managed to extract the tracks by baking the tape. The
3 covers were recorded in a hurry at the end of the session live in the studio
and are put down pretty much as performed, no overdubs, no do overs. We
recorded them so we had something to play potential promoters if they wanted to
hear ‘something we know’.
We have a couple of live tapes in
the collection as well. One is from the legendary UMIST gig from May 1981 as
reviewed in SOUNDS. With Diamond Head, Silverwing, Tora Tora, Venom.
Features about 5 songs. The other is a recording of a gig a bit later at the
Spread Eagle, a bikers bar in Ashton. A regular stop for rock bands on the
North Western Rock circuit.
Q. - Sacred Alien had a
theatrical presence on stage, how did that happened and who came up with the
idea?
Sean - It was pretty much a
natural extension of our personalities! I come alive onstage and we were always
very against the idea of just turning up in an AC/DC t-shirt like a lot of
bands at the time. Our music isn’t about girls and motorbikes so our onstage
persona isn’t either. I was also a trained dancer so if there is a beat I am
going to be moving to it. Ted is a great performer and when I first met him his
‘going to the pub’ outfit included a huge black velvet Dracula Cloak. To this
day he is a very ‘interesting’ character...I’ll just leave it at that. Chris
has always loved to perform...if you see him play you’ll see he is mesmerising
and really stands out for the audience, which is quite something for a drummer
stuck behind the kit. We really wanted every show to be an experience so music,
visuals and performance all become one...it should be a show! We always strove
for that.
Q. - When did Sacred Alien split
up? What happened that lead to the break?
Sean - It was a kind of slow
death rather than an actual split. Dave (bass) left in late ’81 when we got
offered a support tour. He basically said “no, can’t go on the tour, never
wanted this to be serious, sorry, I’m joining the Police” (as a policeman, not
as a replacement for Sting) so we had to turn the tour down and it was a real
setback. We got Paul Davies in on bass who had played in funk bands before and
was great, he brought a
real groove to the set, but soon
after he joined Chris (drums) left and we got Darren Wilcock in. He was a
session guy from Rochdale and a brilliant rock drummer, however after a few
shows it was clear neither of them really fitted in and so once again it was
back to me & Ted. So, determined to keep going we teamed up with an old
pal John Murney (also know as Johnny Vincent, and Johnny Skullknuckles) on Bass
and Mark Robinson (Robbo) on drums. As Sacred Alien MKIV we released Legends
(the Pennine recording) and it is the MKIV line up on the picture sleeve, even
though it was MKI that recorded it. Johnny & I really hit it off and
started writing loads of new songs but it was very, very different to Sacred
Alien...so with regret sometime in late ’83 we decided the cosmic trip was
over. Ted left Johnny & I to form ‘White
Trash’ who gigged from 84- 88...but that’s another story.
Q. - Did you stay in touch with
the other former members over the years?
Sean - I have lost touch with
Darren but I hear he is a studio session drummer in Germany...Paul seems to
have completely disappeared. As for Johnny and all the originals we all stayed
friends and all stayed in Manchester...so we have seen each other a lot over
the years. I joined Chris’s rock covers band ‘MonkeyGun’ in the early 2000s and
played with him for a few years and Ted and Dave have been in and out of bands
together all through the years since. They have a band together playing Blues and
R&B called ‘The Basics’ who are brilliant. In the meantime we all went
along to each other’s birthdays, weddings and gigs...each time saying “Hey...we
should get Sacred Alien back together sometime” but never doing anything about
it...until now.
Sadly, Dave was still a bit reluctant
to commit to Sacred Alien full time, so for MKV we have drafted in Chris’s
brother Mike who also plays bass for Kopek Millionaires and
Department S. We are keeping it
in the family.
Q. - Have you ever thought about
doing a proper cd edition, compiling the demo tape and singles recorded by
Sacred Alien?
Sean - Oh yes...we have thought
about it, a lot! And now we have finally got serious. There will be a release
of all the old stuff soon probably on CD and vinyl. Can’t say too much right
now but more will be revealed.
Q. - After the split of Sacred
Alien you tried to move on as White Trash, how did that happen, is there any
recordings as White Trash?
Sean - As I mentioned it was a
natural progression for Johnny & I and it was a great band.
Quite different to SA, much less
psychedelic and cosmic...more punky-metal. We recorded an album for Music For
Nations but they never released it. I have quite a lot of stuff in the
vault...maybe someday. Johnny went on to play with Goldblade and now has a great
band called ‘Kopek Millionaires’ who have actually recorded a couple of White
Trash songs. After White Trash, Johnny and I stayed together and in 1990 formed
a band in London called ‘Narcotic’. We recorded an album’s worth of demos for
EMI that never saw the light of day.
Q. - What do you think of this
recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?
Sean - I love it. It’s brilliant.
It was actually my good mate Kev from Tysondog
(who also played with Chris & I in MonkeyGun)
that finally convinced us to get together and do it, he’d left MonkeyGun to
reform Tysondog and every time I met him he was having a blast...doing
festivals and gigs all over the world for NWOBHM fanatics, some of whom weren’t
even born when we were originally around. I think we, like many of the bands
who have got back together are now in the position of having the time and money
to be a bit self-indulgent and saying ‘sod it...I’m doing what I want!’ – and
if they are anything like us they are looking back on the time they had back in
the 80s and realising it was effing brilliant. We’ve paid the mortgage, the
kids have grown up, somehow we are not dead, and we can remember how to play
guitar...so why the hell not...let’s make a glorious noise.
Q. - In your opinion what are the
main differences between the eighties and the reality of today?
Sean - There is really one major
difference. Technology:
1. Internet: If we had the
internet back then things would have been very different. It was so difficult
to get exposure back then without a major label or music press behind you – now
you can be a star without leaving your bedroom.
2. Digital Recording: We could
never afford to buy the 2” masters of our sessions so once they were mixed,
that was it. You couldn’t get a decent recording without tens of thousands of
pounds worth of equipment and studio engineering. Now...well...bedroom again.
It has taken a long time to find the best surviving versions of our original
demos (some of which only survive on cassette), which would not have been a
problem if they’d been recorded in this lossless age.
Q. - Anything more you want to
say, to end up this interview?
Sean - If there is anyone reading
this who would like to book us for a show, or just have a chat please get in
touch. We are on @SacredAlienBand on Instagram and have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sacredalienband/ . I am setting up a bandcamp site for new music and of course,
as I write in Summer of 2019...there will be release news very soon. Once we
have put the original demos and singles out we will start recording new
material. We already have nearly an album’s worth of great new songs which I am
itching to get recorded.
Watch the Skies!
Thank you for your time, and wish
you all the best for the future!
The band Assasin came up in 1979,
during the heydays of the NWOBHM. The song "Lonely Southern Road"
appeared on the compilation Metal Fatigue in 1982. We had a chat with Tony
Barton (Guitars & Vocals) to know more about Assasin.
Q. - Hello Tony, tell us a bit
about the beginning of Assasin, how did it all start? How did you get in touch
with the other members?
Tony - Me and my Brother Ian had
previously messed around with friends, Ian singing and me joining in on guitar.
One weekend, me and Ian, began to chat about a proper band and put a advert in
the local paper, asking for members. Karl Chester, who sadly died a few years
ago, became our lead guitarist. Our Ian had been learning bass, so we did a few
sessions together, to see how it felt. We then managed to find our first
drummer, John. But that didn’t work out. Then we managed to poach Steve, from a
band called Warrior, who were, a Lizzy tribute band. We then started our
rehearsing in earnest.
Q. - Who were your principal
influences at that time?
Tony - Bands that I still like to
this day. Judas Priest, ACDC, Black Sabbath. Karl was also into Uriah Heep,
Scorpions and Blue Oyster Cult.
Q. - How did the band name came
up?
Tony - That’s a hard one to
remember, but I do remember it happened quite soon after Karl joined us. So the
name was in place, before the band was complete. I think the name came over a
pint, following a rehearsal. Several names were thought of Avenger, Laye, Storm
Bird, to name a few.
Q. - Did you start writing your
own songs since the beginning or were you most concentrated on covers?
Tony - Most of our stuff, was
self-penned. Ian wrote the lyrics and I did the arrangements.
We had been writing stuff
together for some time, but nothing serious. But I think a direction had
emerged and we continued to write that way all through the time we were
together.
Q. - Did you record any demo
tapes? What do you recall from these recording season?
Tony - We visited the studio a
few times. Usually for a weekend. The first day was purely recording, with
overdubs and mastering the second day.
Q. - Did you sell the demo at
shows, send it to fanzines? What feedback did you receive from this demo?
Tony - We did compile a cassette
I recall. Everyone seemed to have their own opinion on our best recording.
Q. - In 1982 comes the
compilation "Metal Fatigue", with the song "Lonely Southern
Road", how did that happen?
Tony - We read an add in Sounds,
for bands to play on a debut album, for a new label opening in Hull. We sent
off a live recording and was invited to the studio to take part in the project.
We also recorded another song of our own called Highway Lightning.
The studio liked Lonely Southern
Road and asked for it to be included on the album. It was a good experience.
Q. - Was there any promotional tour
after the release of this compilation? Did you get support from the media back
then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?
Tony - No tour as such. But we
did have a piece in Kerrang and was played by Tommy Vance on Radio 1 and other
bits and pieces.
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?
Tony - We did go out quite a bit,
but not as much as we’d like. Primarily, because we didn’t play many covers and
it was hard back then to gain the respect of the public at the best of times,
but harder when you’re performing material that’s un-familiar. But we did have
quite a few people that actually travelled around to watch us at different
places. Some even as far as Stoke on Trent, which even now, I think was
awesome.
Q. - Do you recall the songs you
were playing at that time?
Tony - Many of them. Lonely
Southern Road, How Do You Know, Down Town Drifter, Avenger, C’mon Lets Rock,
Take You Away. We would usually perform for around 1:40hrs.
Q. - Did you have conversations
in order to approach a label, to record an LP after the compilation?
Tony - We were actually
approached by Heavy Metal Records in Wolverhampton, with a view to recording a
single. Unfortunately, be broke up, during the initial discussions.
We also received a nice letter
from Virgin, saying that they liked are stuff, but it’s not something that
they’re currently looking for.
Q. - When did Assasin split up?
What happened that lead to the break?
Tony - 1992 It all really
happened as a result of the approach from Heavy Metal Records. Karl began to
feel insecure about his input, and despite our best efforts, couldn’t reassure
him. The studios time restrictions, didn’t give us the time to try and find a
replacement. Then we lost our rehearsal room and it all proved to much, and we
called it a day. Really sad day that.
Q. - Did you stay in touch with
the other former members over the years?
Tony - For a few years yes.
Obviously, Ian is my Brother. Steve moved away and we lost touch completely,
the last I heard, he was resident drummer in some working men’s club. Karl died
of leukaemia seral years ago now. Very sad.
Q. - I presume that was an honour
for you to take part of a movement as important as the NWOBHM, tell us a bit
about those days and the impact it had in general?
Tony - There were some great
bands around, one or two lucky enough to be signed to a label. Most were cover
bands, some were good at what they did. But being part of the rock scene around
the North of England and still being talked about still gives me a buzz.
Q. - What do you think of this
recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?
Tony - I think it’s great that
the demand for these bands is still strong. People still want to hear these
bands and acknowledge, that we have something important to offer, something
worthwhile, to bring to the party Ha! Ha!
Q. - Have you ever thought about
compiling all the "Assasin" recordings in a proper cd release?
Tony - As we speak, the finishing
touches are being concluded for an Assasin album. High Roller Records, in
Germany are taking care of the production of it. I have no release date as yet
and the unconfirmed title is Lonely Southern Road. As soon as I get a release
date, I shall let you know.
Q. - So what are you doing these
days? Do you still play in any band, or are you still a heavy metal fan?
Tony - I never stopped writing
music after the band split in 92. I now have a small studio in my front room
and was doing all my creative stuff by computer, writing and compiling
sequences, for all the different instruments. I was writing pop believe it or
not Bass, Drums, Synths, Brass. Then suddenly this album project came up and
everything changed. I am now writing on guitar again, basically getting back up
to speed as I hadn’t played a guitar for over 20yrs. I now have a manager and
in the very early stages of putting Assasin Mk2 together. Ian won’t be involved
with the actual performing of any future material, but I have asked him to keep
himself in the loop, by contributing lyrics.
Q. - Anything more you want to
say, to end up this interview?
Tony - 2019 as so far been a
dream and I’m really excited about the future. I’m working hard, with heavy
rock, never really out of my mind. Currently been working through my first
riffs in over 20yrs. I am now getting a buzz out playing again. It will be
totally mind blowing to finally get an album out there.
I am off to Tenerife next month
and looking forward to putting my feet up, for a couple of weeks Ha! Ha!
Thank you for your time, and wish
you all the best for the future!
