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!

Thunderstick

Thunderstick needs no introduction, the man behind the mask in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, best known for being Samson drummer in the early days. We had a chat, to know a little bit more about the return of Thunderstick.

Q. - Hello Barry, What made you feel like reunite the band Thunderstick again?

Thunderstick - My reasons for putting together another THUNDERSTICK more than anything Jodee’s death. In case you readers think what is he talking about? Jodee Valentine was my singer and one time partner back in the 1980s when the band was most active. She was the voice and focal point for 5 years. Last year I was notified that she had died at the age of 55 after a 5 year battle with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It really had a big impact on me. There was a lot of material that we performed back then that had never recorded and released so I thought that a way of paying my respects would be record that material and release it.

Q. - 33 years separate Beauty and the Beasts from Something Wicked This Way Comes, which great differences will we be able to find between this work and yours previous?

Thunderstick - It was my intention to try and record an album using digital equipment but maintaining that analogue feel in the recorded sound. Also it was important for me to try and stay true to NWOBHM; it was during that period that the first THUNDERSTICK band was born. So I wanted the new album to have that British Rock swagger to it. So many albums these days are so overproduced because of the amount of software available to musicians and producers. Of course I wanted it to be of a certain level sonically, but to still have that open naivety about it.

Q. - With a completely renovated team do you expect to capture the same spirit of the 80's, with this new line up?

Thunderstick – see above.

Q. - Where did you record "Something Wicked This Way Comes"? Did you take a long time to compose it?

Thunderstick - SWTWC was recorded in Wales. A good majority of the songs I composed with Jodee’s voice in mind .We had a large amount of material that was played live but never properly recorded. I had to lay some ghosts to rest.

Q. - Do you have, perhaps, a favourite song on “Something Wicked This Way Comes”?

Thunderstick – “I close my eyes” is the first true ballad that I have written. The lyrics were my final goodbye to Jodee. So I would say that is my favourite as it was very much a departure from the way I normally write.

Q. - Recently some changes have been made on the line-up, and the singer Lucie V was replaced by Viixen, do you feel that Viixen is the right person for the job?

Thunderstick - Most definitely. Viixen is so much more than just a singer she fits the Thunderstick criteria perfectly, embracing the ‘theatre’ in the band both in recorded and live work We now need to get some new material recorded so that everyone can hear how great her voice is.

Q. - Are you going to tour this year? Do you intend to play some festivals in the summer? Will you play any Samson song live on tour?

Thunderstick - We will be doing some festivals one in August ‘A New Day’ and then in the autumn the ‘Hard Rock Hell’ Festival which we are really looking forward to doing, but our first gig will be on 28th July at a music venue named ‘Leos’, where a Thunderstick line up will take to the stage for the first time in over thirty years. We will be filming it for a DVD release later on in the year.

Q. - Why “Don't Touch, I'll Scream” didn’t see the light of the day back in 86? Does this lead to the end of the band at that time?

Thunderstick - A I think that back then we had gone about as far as we could go .It had been a long hard struggle to try and secure a major record which we never achieved, and I felt burnt out by it all so I broke the band and walked away from it all.

Q. - Some of these songs are in “Something Wicked This Way Comes”, like "Thunder Tunder", did you try to keep the essence of to the original recordings?

Thunderstick - Very much so. That song I have recorded in many different forms throughout the years some versions ‘heavy’ other versions more ‘arranged’. The one that is on the SWTWC album takes a new look at what has always been my signature tune. Live it will be far heavier suiting Viixen’s voice more than Lucie’s.

Q. - Do you still keep in touch with some of the former members of the band?

Thunderstick - Some of them but to be honest I’ve really moved on. I have always been passionate about the music I make my tastes are quite eclectic but I always regard rock as the most honest and truthful form of music. Various members of my band through different line-ups (I won’t mention which ones) have been false in their claims that metal/rock was their first love. They were just there to see if they could elevate their standing within the music biz by their association to me. Sad but true.

Q. - Speaking of Samson, tell us a bit about those days and the importance of being part of such an important movement as the n.w.o.b.h.m.

Thunderstick - Punk had ruled for a few years with both record companies and promoters only too keen to keep it alive so that they could appear to be ‘hip’. There was a huge under current of bands that had taken the raw energy of punk but had actually learnt how to play their instruments properly ready to break out as soon as the musical tide changed direction this was what became NWOBHM. It did feel that we were all part of a new movement challenging the ‘old guard’ whether it be punk or the dinosaur heavy groups that had proceeded us who had somehow lost their way and were becoming far too self –indulgent. It was time for the New Wave.

Q. - Do you still use the mask and the cage live? You may have told this a thousand times, but, can you tell us the origin of the idea?

Thunderstick - Yes the mask IS the Thunderstick character. Just in the same way that Alice draws a couple of lines on his face with some make up and becomes his other ‘self’. The reason Thunderstick came about was because not many people were able to identify drummers in bands, singers and guitarists were the pin-ups instantly recognisable, bearing in mind that this was a time of no social media, no dvd, and a very young vhs industry. Posters of bands were about all there was. Drummers were almost ‘faceless’ so I created the faceless drummer.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today? Do you keep an eye to the metal scene of today?

Thunderstick - Technology has dramatically changed music. It has both advanced it and destroyed it both at the same time. The industry these days is unrecognisable, albums can be made in a bedroom that sound just as good as any professional studio of the past at virtually no cost, but once again the tide is changing direction, vinyl is challenging the dominance of CD’s and downloads because people are missing the warmth and honesty of the sound contained in vinyl. Digital vs Analogue is a good thing and healthy for music in general.

Q. - Besides Thunderstick, do you play in any other band now-a-days?

Thunderstick - No Thunderstick seems to take up all of my time these days I’d forgotten what it was like to run a band. It’s quite full on.

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

Thunderstick - Just that I would like to thank both you and your readers for the interest shown in the new band we are so looking forward to getting out there once again and hope that you will come and see us somewhere sometime… Luv B THUNDERSTICK.

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

Alloy Czar

From Denver, Colorado, Alloy Czar were active from the late 70's till middle 80's, we had a chat with their frontman, Bob Parduba, also known for replacing Harry Conklin in Jag Panzer, in the late 80's, to know a little bit more about his career.

Q. – Hello Bob! When did Alloy Czar start? Who were the first members? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.

Bob - Charlie McCormick (guitar) Scott Wilson (Bass) and John Beird (Drums and vocals), were the original members, they were high school friends whose one thing in common was to make music. They were a power trio. Some of the earlier recordings I heard from them had a Rush influence.

Q. - Was Alloy Czar your very first band? Or did you have any other band previously?

Bob - Oh no, I started playing in High School. I originally played guitar. I went out for chorus, found out I could sing, took vocal lessons. I actually kind of forced myself upon the best rock band in our school as a roadie. One gig the singer wanted to go to a concert when I show was booked, I just told them I’ll sing and that was it.

Q. - How did the band name came up?

Bob - They just thought of another interpretation for Metal King.

Q. - What were your main influences at the beginning of the band?

Bob - They had some original, but as soon as I joined the band I started writing, funny thing is the first thing I worked on was the opening bass line for On the Run!

Judas Priest of course!

Q. - Do you recall the songs you were playing at the beginning? Did you play any covers too?

Bob - I think they had some covers, we focused on originals when I joined, then we figured we would make a living by doings covers, that was the time when you actually could make a living playing covers

Q. - Was the 1983 demo tape well received by the fans? Did you try to approach some labels at that time?

Bob - Well everyone loved the demo, of course we shopped the tape however we received little response back from it. At the time I think if we shopped it overseas we would have had a better chance of getting a deal, opposed to shopping here in the states. But of course we didn’t even think about it.

Q. - Shouldn’t an LP have been the next step, after the demo tape?

Bob - We were financed by Scott’s dad for the demo’s. Of course we would have pressed an album but investing more money into it at the time was not an option.

Q. - With the great talent and potential you guys had, what do you think has failed to achieve a real success?

Bob - At the time I think heavy metal had not taken off yet, so of course it was almost frowned upon, that may have been a factor, but in hindsight I think we should have stuck to our guns on what we were writing, pushed the originals. I think we got complacent which of course happens to alot of bands and just focused on playing covers and making money.

But being so young and not getting a response to our demo and it’s no excuse, made us take the originals off the table.

 

Q. - Then you had the hard task to replace Harry Conklin in Jag Panzer, what memories do you have from those times? How did the invitation came up?

Bob - I knew of Jag Panzer by reading about them in Hit Parader.

Bob - I got a call from Mark Briody and he told me he heard the demo’s. Mark invited me down to Colorado Springs, we talked, they told me the direction they were going in and of course this being what I wanted musically and they asked me to join, there was no hesitation in my joining the band.

I have always been adamant about this, I was not in the band to imitate Harry, that is nearly impossible. They were trying a new direction. Some people criticized COC and myself but as I said this was a totally new direction for the band. I know there are always diehard fans out there but as long as the heart of the band is there and it totally was, have an open ear and heart and give it a chance. I totally think this album succeeded in what we were doing.

Of course we played the back catalog of JP material. I would never try to sound like Harry, I would put my own take on it. It was not easy. 

I have nothing but awesome memories, the friendship, the writing process, all of it.

Funny thing we would do was when it came to getting ready for our label showcases we would spend the night at Rickard’s house. We would go to sleep, wake up at 1:00 am, rehearse, go back to sleep wake up at 4:00 am and rehearse again. It was insane but we were getting ourselves ready to perform under any conditions. It was Heavy Metal Boot Camp!

Q. - Why “Chain of Command” didn’t see the light of the day back in the day? Does this lead to the end of the band at that time?

Bob - It would have had we had been able to negotiate our deal with the record labels. It was back and forth. Record companies wanted more and wanted us to take less, Alot of issues were in merchandising, recording budgets, per diems so we could quit our jobs and work on the band full time. We would have had a deal for COC however we stuck to our guns and refused to cave in just to get signed, Was it a mistake?  Maybe but when you out your heart and passion into something 110% you should never fold! The band of course did not fold. I was disappointed, we were still working on songs for a follow up if we did get signed. Some of the songs. When the Walls and Battlezones Live was part of new material we were working on. There was another song we I have somewhere on a tape, it was heavier than the song’s on COC. I just left the band because I was disillusioned. Later on Mark contacted me about singing on another Panzer project, they had a singer from Europe which of course made it hard for them to get things done. I declined because at the time I felt I could not do the material justice, Also there was a slight possibility of getting financing to re record some of COC I  thought that was a great idea I wanted to redo some of the vocals add more harmonies and clean a few things up but unfortunately that fell through.

And as you all know I did backup vocals on Casting the Stones and earlier this year I did get up in stage with Panzer, I sang for Salem Spade we opened for them.

Q. - Was it a hard feeling not seeing the album released back then?

Bob - Personally yes it was. We worked hard on the album. The excitement of getting a record deal was totally amazing! Part of the issue also was when record reps were supposed to see us perform live they were not part of the metal genre for the label.

Q. - What other bands did you play besides Alloy Czar and Jag Panzer, was it Mercedes, Russia, Dirty Boys? Tell us a bit about these bands too.

Bob - Mercedes was a great band we had excellent originals this band should have been signed but as what happens in bands we had issues with substance abuse and it caused alot of problems. It’s sad we had the attitude and the musicianship, I really loved playing and writing in the band. I regret this band not going anywhere.

Russia was a cover band another great band there’s a live performance on You Tube.

Dirty Boyz was of course the consummate hair metal cover band!  We were rock stars lol!!! Full stage show, pyro, packed clubs, the best musicians in Denver, we turned every gig into a performance it was alot of fun! We actually made money and could command a writer for food and drink during our shows. We did one funny thing, we were allowed to order pizza for the crowd so what we would do was make the delivery person get up onstage and sing a song before they got paid and tipped, it was alot of fun!

Q, - Did you record some demo tapes with these bands too?

Bob - With Mercedes we did demo’s, there are a few songs I have on tape. We actually did not finish some of the best songs, unknown to me at the time our member who was arranging the studio time was paying the owner but not in cash, we can all figure out what that means, and was not getting reimbursed should I say.  So we did not finish the recordings. 

Q. - How was it like to be back on stage with Jag Panzer at KIT 2008?

Bob - Amazing and an honour of course. They were my brothers and to be back on stage with them and in front of the amazing KIT audience was quite the experience! And if course when we got to the chorus of COC and everyone was singing it I was floored!

Q. - Is it like a dream become true, to see Awaken of the metal King and Chain of Command released after so many years?

Bob - Yes of course since they were released within the same year. It was nice to hear how much the fans loved the Czar material. The Czar members did not believe the legitimacy of the release of Awaken the Metal King. I think when they got copies of the CD’s and saw the layout they realized this was serious.

 

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today? Do you keep an eye to the metal scene of today?

Bob - Good question, and I think this is important, back in the eighties metal was raw and experimental, it was no holds barred and that made it amazing and it still holds up today and as clichéd as it sounds stood the test of time. And it’s still in demand. The only thing that pisses me off to no end is the music scene in the US is more about labels wanting music for the next TV commercial. They have no regards for the art at all.

However I still have faith, when my son Peter loves Iron Maiden, Metallica and other metal bands that says alot. I was sitting next to a few 12 year olds at a Priest concert and they knew all the words! I was ecstatic about that. I always have to go back to the European metal. It still retains everything and more from the eighties moving forward.

That debacle a few years ago they called Nu Metal just sucked I won’t get into that at all!  

 

Q. - After all these years in the Metal scene, what are your best memories? Or worse, if you have them?

Bob - All of them, the good the bad and the ugly. I have always said that if I passed today and looked down from above I would have no regrets, period!

Would not have done it any differently.

What I’ve been through along with others you cannot put a price on it. Alot of people would give their right arm just to experience a small part of what I and my fellow musicians have done!

Q. - Would you still like to start a new heavy metal project? Or perhaps reactivate an old band of yours?

Bob - Well funny you should ask, I have always actively be writing I actually started recording but I had some personal issues which now have been resolved so I should be done with the first song within the next month or so.

No I actually want to have my band with my friends who deserve to get the recognition they deserve.

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

Bob - First of all thank you Paulo so much, this means alot to me and gives me the motivation to get back on the metal horse and move forward, I still have alot to offer and want to be force in metal music again! This will give me the kick in the ass I needed.

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

You too and yes there will be a future, you can count on it!

Amethyst

Amethyst, were one of the most underrated heavy metal acts from the UK during the 80's. From Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, they were founded in 1981, having recorded 5 demo tapes, and a single in 1987. We had a chat with their former lead singer, Brad Richardson, about this great band.

Q. - Amethyst got together around 81, how did it all start? Tell us a bit about the beginning of the band.

Brad - Wayne Kay (guitarist) and I were at secondary school together, he'd already been playing for a few years. After leaving school, we met one night at a Rock Club in Stockport. I was singing along to the tunes being played and he asked if I liked singing as he was putting a band together and wondered if I'd consider joining him. I didn't accept at first but, after a few months, I contacted him and said I'd like to give it a go. That's how it all started! At first it was just Wayne, Dave Walker on bass, and myself. We eventually got Mark Maher on drums and, after a few auditions, John Sleigh on guitar. The rest is history!

Q. - What were your main influences back then?

Brad - My personal influences were David Coverdale, Klaus Meine and Ronnie James Dio. I was listening to bands such as Rainbow, Whitesnake, The Scorpions, Van Halen, Montrose, Rush and UFO among others. The band's influences were varied, Wayne was very much into AC/DC, Judas Priest and Saxon, Dave was a massive Rush fan, Mark was a very quiet guy and didn't really say much, but he seemed to be into the more Psychedelia type stuff, Gong, Stretch and such like. John was a huge Genesis and Yes fan. The mix of influences certainly showed on the first demo. I remember someone saying we sounded like a mix between King Crimson and Black Sabbath! 

Q. - How was the Manchester metal scene back in the day? Was it a united scene? What were you relations with other local bands? Did you help each other?

Brad - The music scene in and around Manchester was huge (and always has been), there were so many bands around at the time, it was buzzing. You were never short of bands to go and see, most of which were amazing. We would often go and check out the competition, but we always appreciated talent and musicianship from others and would take time to chat and complement them after there performances. One particular band that sticks in my memory were Saratoga, they were excellent! I became good friends with a band called Virtual Earth, they were very much in the vein of Journey and Magnum, a great band and a great bunch of guys.

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?

Brad - We did well getting gigs, the NWOBHM had started so Rock and Metal bands were very popular at the time. During the end of 1986 and the beginning of 1987 we played over 60 gigs, we were all completely exhausted afterwards and took a three month break before we started rehearsing again.

Q. - After the first demos, did you try to approach a label, to record an LP?

Brad - We sent some of the demo's off to various radio stations in the hope they would get played but they never did. I believe Wayne sent some to various labels but we never heard anything back, not to my knowledge anyway? Unfortunately, at the time, we didn't really know anything about recording demo's or how to approach it, so we were at the mercy of whoever was producing it at the time and some of the early demo's were very poor quality. It's a shame we never recorded a live demo as we always performed better in front of an audience rather than in a studio.

Q. - The single "Take me to the limit", shows a more radio friendly side of the band, why did this change happen?

Brad - Because of the poor response to our demo's in the past, Wayne decided we should try something more 'radio friendly' in an attempt to get some airplay and to promote the band. Unfortunately, it backfired on us and after a truly biting review in Kerrang magazine, and I quote... “Take me to the limit, take me to the sky... why don't you just f**k off and die!”... we went back to writing the type of music WE enjoyed, rather than trying to please everyone else, ha ha!

Q. - Did the song "Take me to the limit" have air play at that time on radio stations?

Brad - None at all, not even on any local stations.

Q. - How was the single received by the fans?

Brad - Surprisingly, it always went down well whenever we played it live, fans would often grab a copy after the gig and ask for it to be autographed. One pub we played regularly even had it on their jukebox!

Q. - Amethyst went through various line-up changes in the eighties, why did that happen?

Brad - Unfortunately, in many situations, there is always going to be the inevitable clash of personalities, conflict of musical differences and general 'band politics'. It's a shame in many ways as certain line-ups we had, over the years, were excellent! Very tight and some great songwriting.

Q. - Maybe the line-up instabilities prevented Amethyst to have a stable career?

Brad - I agree. Just when I thought we had a solid and productive line-up, something would happen and people would leave, and we'd be back to square one again. With this happening so often, it was hard to carry on.

Q. - With the great talent and potential you guys had, what do you think you failed to achieve a real success?

Brad - Unfortunately, Wayne never seemed to be happy with the musicians he had around him and, due to the amount of line-up changes, we never really got grounded as a solid unit.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with the other former members over the years?

Brad - I spoke to Wayne a few times but haven't been in touch for some years now. I got in touch with Sean Clark (one of the last guitarists to perform with the band), and Dave Walker (the original bassist), but it's rare we get together anymore, time moves on as they say. I have, however, remained great friends with John Sleigh. We still keep in touch and see each other often for a few beers and a chat, even after all these years.

Q. - After so many years without a record deal, during the eighties, you never gave up, what made you feel that you didn't want to be with Amethyst anymore?

Brad - The band was getting heavier and heavier and it just wasn't what I enjoyed to perform as a singer. I am not criticising the music, it was of a very high standard as always, but they needed a different style of vocalist than me to put it across properly. They did approach a singer from a band called Red Shift as I remember? He would have been perfect, but he had quit his band not long before that and had joined the police force. It's a shame really, as I DO believe Amethyst would have been around for many more years than they were.

Q. - Was it a big disappointment, having been close to sign a record deal but never ended up getting it?

Brad - Not sure where your information is from there my friend? As far as I'M aware, we were never offered a record deal, by anyone, ha ha! If we were, it's news to me!! The single was totally self produced and funded by Dave Lyne, the drummer.

Q. - Did you try to go on as singer in any other band, after Amethyst?

Brad - Indeed I did. I've been in six different bands over the years, sung in duo's and done the odd bit, here and there, as a solo perfomer too. I'm currently in a cover's band called Tumbling Dice, it's good to still be singing, it's something I enjoy greatly. I'm also in the process of putting together a Rock band, it'll mainly be covers but we'll also be doing some original material too... watch this space!!

Q. - Have you ever thought about doing a reunion show in the future?

Brad - That was something I always wanted to do but, alas, it will never happen. Due to ill health, Wayne can no longer play, plus the other members have all moved on with their lives. It would be extremely difficult to organise plus, without Wayne on guitar, it just wouldn't be Amethyst!

Q. - Did you try to do a proper edition of the demo compilation "The Demo's 1983 – 1989"?

Brad - I've been approached by various people about reissuing the demo's. If I was in possession of the master tapes then I would certainly consider it. Alas, I only have the demo cassettes, some of which are truly awful quality and over 30 years old! It would be pointless tying to get a decent enough sound from them in order to sell them, that's why I'm happy for people to have what I've put out there for nothing, I'm just glad and also flattered that it's still wanted!

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

Brad - Yes, I'm still singing, as I a stated earlier, and loving it! I took a break a few years ago, but now I'm back at it and enjoying getting on stage and flexing my lungs again while I'm still able to do so. I'm 55 now, not 21, ha ha!

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

Brad - I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to you for asking me to do this interview and to ALL those people out there that still dig 80's metal and keep the flame alive for those like me, it's extremely flattering!

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