Dave Tattum (Angel Witch, Blaque Jaque Shallaque)

Dave Tattum was the lead singer of Angel Witch between 1984 and 1986, filling in for Kevin Hetbourne (who was having vocal trouble at the time), having recorded two LP's with them: Screamin' n' Bleedin' and Frontal Assault. We had a chat with Dave about Angel Witch and his previous bands, as well as his new project Dave Tattum & The Rattlesnake Bones.

Q. - Hello Dave! Tell us a bit about the beginning of Skin Deep, how did it all start? How did you get in touch with the other members?

Dave - I was in a scooter gang with a guy called Ian Cramer and he had a drum kit in his garage. I had just acquired a bass guitar and was trying to learn to play.

We decided to try and form a band with him on drums and me playing bass and singing. We found a guitarist and formed a three piece, but I found it hard to play bass and sing and also I was a very bad bass player. The guitarist also was very poor.

We used to rehearse in an old cinema which Ian’s Father owned and converted into a bingo hall.

We rehearsed in a room upstairs and I would leave my gear and bass there.

After a few weeks I walked in on Ian playing my bass and he was very good and so much better than me so we decided to sack the guitarist and look for a replacement. Also we decided I would sing and Ian would play bass and we would look for a new drummer.

Eventually we found a guy named Dave Blackie to play guitar and a guy called John Farrow to play drums.

Dave Blackie came up with the name Skin Deep named after the Louie Bellson drum solo.

We gigged around for a year or so until farrow fell in love and left the band. To tell the truth he was a very poor drummer, in fact the worst I have ever played with. He wasn’t a very nice guy either.

We found a replacement in Steve Williams who was excellent and a breath of fresh air.

We gigged around for a while until Steve left to join Budgie.

We never recovered from Steve’s departure and folded shortly after.

There were a few reincarnations of Skin Deep such as The Skin Deep Band which was a six piece, but it was never the same so I left and started auditioning for bands in London.

Q. - Was Skin Deep a punk band? Were punk rock your major influence on you?

Dave - Skin Deep was mostly a covers band as we were very young and hadn’t really got into writing our own material.

Although I liked punk a lot it wasn’t a major influence on me as I was a singer and was influenced by people like Paul Rodgers, David Byron, Ozzy Osbourne, and Steve Marriot.

Q. - Around 1978 comes Bill The Murderer, tell us a bit how did the band got together?

Dave - Bill the Murderer was formed in 1977 from the remnants of Skin Deep and a band called Ted.

I was auditioning for other bands when I was asked by a friend of mine Steve Aldridge, one of the guitarist in Ted to come along to one of Ted’s gigs.

When I turned up to the club, Ted were sound checking but the singer hadn’t turned up. Apparently the singer had decided to go to a party with his girlfriend and just didn’t show.

The band asked me if I knew the songs and if so would I help them out as the other guitarist Dave Blackie (Skin Deep) struggled to sing them.

I told them I would as long as they sacked the singer and gave me the job instead. They all agreed whole heartedly, so that night I became the singer with Ted.

After a few months we changed our name to Bill the Murderer and started writing our own material and travelling further afield to gig.

Dave Blackie left and was replaced by Pete Downes. The drummer was sacked and replaced by Ray Bibby who was eventually replaced by Dave Pendrey.

So Bill the Murderer ended up with the line-up – Steve Aldridge guitar, Pete Downes Guitar, Dave Tattum Vocals, Ian Cramer Bass, Patrick Cramer keyboards.

Q. - How was the single "I'd Find You / Spring Rain" received by the fans at that time? Did it have airplay on radio stations?

Dave - The single was received very well by our fans and sold at gigs but it wasn’t promoted very well and did play on local radio a few times but our management did not push or promote us towards a record deal. Also at this time Pete was getting a bit disillusioned with it all and wanted to pursue his love of jazz.

Q. - Did you play regularly in the UK back then or was it hard to be booked at that time?

Dave - We played all over North Wales and the North of England as far up as Leeds and Sheffield, down to Stoke on Trent. At one time we were gigging 4, 5 and sometime 6 nights a week.

Eventually Pete left and the band folded due to a lack of interest and some member’s laziness in writing songs. When you get two band members who are brothers and live in the same house and never came up with one song or riff, it’s time to give up.

After we split I went for an audition to London and got the job.

Q. - What about Blaque Jaque Shallaque were you a founding member with Dave Hogg? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.

Dave - I saw an advert in Melody Maker for a singer to join the better half of Angel Witch which had Rob Downing and Dave Hogg. I auditioned for the band and got the job. We rehearsed for months and eventually went into Bronze Studios and recorded an EP. I couldn’t see the band getting anywhere so I left but remained great friends with Dave Hogg.

I then joined a great little band called 11th Victim and gigged with them for a while until the drummer left. He was Frank Darch (Ex More). I phoned Dave Hogg and he joined us on drums.

I had the name Blaque Jaque Shallaque in my head and we decided to change the band’s name to that.

We gigged around London for a while and again went into Bronze to record an EP. I don’t know where these recording have gone.

We entered a Battle of the Bands competition in Southend. Neil Murray and Fast Eddie Clarke were the judges and we won it. We did and encore at the end of the night and Neil and Eddie got up on stage and jammed with us.

Rod Downing played guitar at this gig as our guitarist had gone on holiday.

Blaque Jaque Shallaque eventually ran out of steam and split up.

Q. - Did you record any demo tapes with Blaque Jaque Shallaque? Have you ever thought about compiling all the " Blaque Jaque Shallaque " recordings in a cd release?

Dave - We recorded two demos as I have previously stated and maybe one day someone will compile a cd. I haven’t got all the recordings but I believe Dave Hogg may have them.

Q. - How did you end up being Angel Witch lead singer?

Dave - After BJS split, Dave Hogg and I remained great friends and hung out together. Then Dave got the call from Kevin Heybourne to reform Angel Witch. As I was had a keen interest in drumming (Drums are my favourite instrument, even though I don’t play) Dave asked me to be his drum tech when he gigged, which as I was doing nothing at the time I accepted.

Kevin was struggling with his voice as he constantly screamed which if not controlled can destroy your singing voice. I would sing at the sound checks just to save his voice for the gig.

Then I had a phone call from Kevin asking me if I would like to become the singer in Angel Witch, of course I accepted.

Q. - What memories do you keep from the "Screamin' n' Bleedin'" recording seasons and following tour?

Dave - I remember having a very short time to prepare for the recording which put me at a bit of a disadvantage as we didn’t gig before going into the studio so I couldn’t really get a feel for the songs.

I don’t believe I sang my best on that album as I was under quite a bit of pressure and under the spotlight from the rest of the band.

I wish I could record my voice on that album again.

I can’t remember much about that tour only that we lived on the road very roughly in very poor and dirty Bed & Breakfasts and dirty cheap hotels.

It was quite a strain as we burned the candle at both ends and I didn’t get the proper rest a singer needs.

My first gig was at a Hell’s Angels club in Oxford which was quite an experience as the showed no appreciation between songs.

I was told afterwards that they really enjoyed our show but it wasn’t cool to applaud and they would have let us know in no uncertain terms if they didn’t like us!

Q. - Did you tour with Angel Witch after the release of "Frontal Assault"?

Dave - We did a short tour with a new drummer (Spencer Holman) as Dave Hogg had been sacked a couple of months after the Screamin’ n Bleedin’ tour. I can’t go into the reasons why I’m sorry.

One of the gigs on the tour was in The Marquee Club in London which was great for me as I had always wanted to sing there.

Q. - Do you think that Screamin' n' Bleedin' and Frontal Assault, can be reissued on CD, in the near future?

Dave - I have no idea Paulo. It would be nice to see them re mastered and out on CD.  There are a lot of people who have been in contact with me asking questions about re mastering and re issuing the albums. I wish I could go back and do it all over again. I really miss those days.

Q. - Was it hard task, to replace Kevin as Angel Witch’s frontman? How did you feel about that?

Dave - Of course it was a difficult job to take over duties from Kev and I felt very honoured to be given the task, but I had a professional mind-set and gave it my best shot.

I found some of the old AW songs challenging as Kevin screamed a lot on some of those songs and I am not really a screamer. I had taken singing lessons for about four years before I joined AW, so I knew how to sing but having being trained as a singer I was taught to sing from the stomach and the head and not from the throat which had damaged Kevin’s voice.

It was challenging but I think I did ok, and I felt I grew into the job. There were a few that hated me taking over from Kevin, and you can see those in some of the comments on You Tube. Things like AW should always be a three piece and that I never should have took over from Kev.

Q. - Did you start Jack Flash after you leave Angel Witch?

Dave - No I started Jacflash in 2011 with Steve Aldridge (Bill the Murderer) as just a bit of fun really playing covers around the local pubs.

I had moved back home to North Wales a year or so after my AW departure and played in a few bands but then retired for a few years.

I was building a rehearsal studio in my garden for my young son who was just learning drums and was very good even if I say so myself.

I was building this soundproof studio so he could practise without annoying our neighbours.

After it was finished I looked around it and thought this is wasted on one person so I formed Jacflash so we could use the studio to rehearse.

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

Dave - I saw Pete Gordelier last year when he came up to play a gig near where I live. I am not in contact with Kevin or Spencer Holman. I used to be friendly with Dave Hogg but I think he has fallen out with me due to me not attending one of his birthday parties in London.

I was quite sick at the time and couldn’t attend and I don’t think he has forgiven me, which is a shame.

I am in touch with other members of other bands I was in but there are some members of previous bands I never want to see again and wouldn’t be responsible for my actions if I did. To tell the truth I wouldn’t give them the steam off my piss.

Q. - Tell us a bit about "The Rattlesnakes Bones", how did the idea of recording this album came up? Which other musicians do you play with in this album?

Dave - I was in Leuven in Belgium having a drink with my friend Dirk Lekenne who owns Studio Fandango in Boutersem in Belgium and he asked me if I fancied writing some songs with him and maybe recording them.

We sent each other music and lyrics and over the next few months we had written 15 songs.

I went over to his studio in March 2019 and recorded all the songs with Dirk.

He had all the tracks already recorded by musicians he knew and also by my old friend drummer Rik Volkaerts.

All I had to do was to put down vocals and backing vocals and put on a bit of harmonica.

I thought of the name ‘The Rattlesnake Bones’ for the guys who played on my album.

They are: - Dirk Lekenne Guitars, Rik Volkaerts Drums, Pieter Akkermans Keyboards and Luc de Graff.

Q. - Do you have already any plans for the future, or it’s just too soon?

Dave - I am going to continue to write and record with Dirk Lekenne and am looking to start something bluesy in the near future. I doubt if I will get the chance to sing metal again but who knows? Never say never!

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