Paul Armfield
Paul Armfield was the lead singer for many bands during the 80's. Renegade, Red, Ryder, White Heat and Déjà Vu, with whom record some demo tapes that were compiled by High Roller Records in recent years.
Q. - Hello Paul, tell us a little
bit about your beginnings in the rock'n'roll world, who were your main
influences, what lead you to be a rock singer?
Paul - In 1969, I was listening
to Deep Purple. And I like Ian Gillan as singer.
So, I started to sing and play guitar 🎸. I was 14 years old. In one year, I joined a band called Liquid Gas and we play some big gigs. In 1970 l joined a band called Vena Cava and we also have some great gigs too.
Q. - Tell us a bit about the
origins of Renegade, how did it all start?
Paul - In 1975 I joined a band called Cive and we were active for a long while, then in 1979 I joined a new band called Renegade. They were looking for a singer, I answered to the ad and I was chosen to sing in the band. We write all our own song's, Lonely Road, Last Thought, Lock The Door and The Last Warrior.
Q. - The single "Lonely Road
/ Last Thought" came out in 1980, how did that happen?
Paul - We write the songs altogether. We had a record company called White Witch Records. We recorded on records. No CDs at the time.
Q. - Later on you got some real
trouble with your manager that lead to the break of Renegade, can you tell us
happen?
Paul - The manager of the record company went off with our money, he's name was Gary Abbott. He went off with some other bands money too, he went off to Belgium with all the money.
Q. - Did you get support from the
media back then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?
Paul - Yes Renegade was on the radio station and in the newspapers. And after that we broke up, Renegade was active from 1979 to 1981.
Q. - For a brief period, you were
in Ryder, what can you tell us about this unknown band? Did you record any
demos with Ryder?
Paul - In 1981 I joined the rock band called Ryder. We played some big gigs and done one demo tape.
Q. - When did you join Red? Were
you a founding member?
Paul - In 1982, I was asked to sing 3 songs with a rock band called Red. Fathers Son, Time To Go and Red. Very good songs. They asked me to join the band but I said no because I was going to join another rock band called White Heat.
Q. - There was a demo tape
recorded in 1982, what memories do you keep from this band?
Paul - The guitar player in Red was called Raul Grenas. A great guitar player, he is now in a band called Luzbul, in Mexico, and they are doing really good there. Red done a demo with 3 songs and after became ME262.
Q. - Next step you joined White
Heat, how did that happen?
Paul - I was in White Heat and
recorded 2 songs with them, on a demo tape in 1983, Hide to hell and Missing
You.
We played lots of big gigs in Holland, one of them with Uriah Heep. Played the Brixton Academy, good days. White Heat was looking for a singer so I got the job. I was in White Heat from 1983 to 1987.
Q. - Deja Vu was formed in 1987,
tell us a bit about it please.
Paul - I joined Deja Vu in 1987 and stayed until 1991. We played lots of big gigs in London and was good band. l left the band because I have to look after my two children and take care of them. The band finished when I left.
Q. – How did the idea to compile
Renegade and Red came up?
Paul - The idea came up because 2019 High Roller records run me and said they were interested in both bands and do a compilation and I said yeah that’s fine and they did the cd. John Tucker wrote the liner notes.
Q. - Do you keep in touch with
the other former members of Renegade, Ryder, Red, White Heat or "Déjà
Vu"?
Paul - The only members of Renegade that I keep in touch is the guitar player, the other ones I don’t know what happened to them, I keep in touch with the guitarist Steve Welsh. Red, I still speak with Raul he is a guitar player in Mexico and I speak with him in Facebook, all the other ones disappeared I don’t know where they gone. White Heat, High Roller Records did a compilation of the band, but I don’t keep in touch with the former members of the band, I don’t know where they are now. Deja Vu, I keep in touch with the guitarist, he lives in Berlin, the other ones I don’t keep in touch.
Q.- What was it like to start a
metal band in the late 70s? Did you realize, that something as big as the
NWOBHM was going on around the UK?
Paul - I didn’t knew about the NWOBHM at that time, the first time I’ve heard about it I had no idea of it and I was surprised. I start reading about it and I understood that I was part of the History, so that’s good for me.
Q. - Are you still active in rock
music these days? Do you still have any band?
Paul - I would like to bring back the band Déjà Vu, that's what I'll try to do in the future and record the songs we wrote.
Q. - Do you keep an eye to hard
rock and heavy metal music nowadays?
Paul - I still listen to Deep Purple, it’s one of my all-time favorite bands. I listen mostly to older bands, I don’t like new bands. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, I think there were better musicians back in the day than actually.
Q. - How do you want to end up
this interview? Anything more you want to say?
Paul – Nice to talk to you, cheers.
Thank you for your time, and wish
you all the best for the future!
