GUARDIAN RECORDS

THE GREAT NORTH EAST METAL RAID – Satan, Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang & Mythra

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Don’t know if you’ve noticed but lately Tyneside’s metal bands are warming up ready to hoy the whole kit and caboodle into the pot, taking everything with them and leaving nowt and no one behind. Are you ready for the Great North East Metal Raid?

They first plugged in around the 1970s and never in a million years did they think they would still be dancing with the devil 50 years later. So a quick update on where they are now and what they are doing is in order.

Firing off instant messages and communicating directly to followers on social media is used to full effect by the Tyneside Metal Raiders with a message from Raven loud and clear…‘The album has to be all killer no filler, no messin’ around with 19 minute epics, its smash yer face in with an ice pick. The title sums up everything we do. We wanted to tear it up, which is what Raven are all about’.

The forthcoming album from the Godfathers of Thrash, ‘All Hell’s Breaking Loose’ is released on 30th June 2023. Contact for sales, tours, photos & info: Raven | Official Raven Lunatics Website

After releasing three singles ‘Back for Good, Fire on the Horizon’ and the epic, ‘Edge of the World’, Tygers of Pan Tang officially release their ten track album ‘Bloodlines’ on 5th May 2023.

‘A week after its release we’ll be celebrating Bloodlines at the Nordic Noise Festival on 12th May in Copenhagen with our record company who are of course, based in … Copenhagen. They have promised us that the drinks are on them’.

Contact for sales, tours, photos & info: Tygers Of Pan Tang – The Official Site

After six albums and countless UK & European tours, battle hardened Satan reached out to the United States again this year.

‘After kicking off the Hell’s Decibels tour at the legendary Whiskey a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in April, Satan had a blast touring the USA with Night Demon and Haunt. You guys were a pleasure to work with, brothers forever and a piece of my heart will be with you until the end of time’.

Satan frontman, Brian Ross

Contact for sales, tours, photos & info:

SATAN

Mythra are one of the original New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. They recorded their legendary ‘Death & Destiny EP’ in 1979.

‘The new album ‘Temples of Madness’ is out now and has been available in Brazil and USA for a week or so. We’ve started to sell them through our on line shop and business is pretty brisk’.

Contact for sales, tours, photos & info: Home | Mythra (bigcartel.com)

Alikivi  April 2023.

TURNING JAPANESE – with Tokyo Rose songwriter Derek Buckham

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I first started work in 1968 when I was 16, I worked with a guy who was in the Jasper Hart band here in the North East. I used to go around with them and decided I wanted to learn guitar and join a group.

Then one night at the Sunderland Monkwearmouth Club the singer asked how I was getting on with learning the bass guitar, he was very encouraging.

Then halfway through the set and totally out of the blue he asked if I wanted to join him on stage and do a couple of songs. Well, that was it, I got the bug. The singer was AC/DC’s Brian Johnson – and that’s my claim to fame (laughs).

Alcatraz Left to Right Micky Duncan, Mary Downing, Derek Buckham, Micky Fenwick

What band were you in and where did you play your first gigs ?

Me and some friends – Micky Duncan, Mary Downing and Micky Fenwick – took on Hire Purchase agreements to buy equipment for a band called Alcatraz. It was seven nights a week supporting the Bingo in working man’s clubs.

One night in Hartlepool the Concert Chairman knocked over an amplifier and didn’t apologise. The bass player Mick Fenwick said Don’t worry I’ve dealt with it.

The Concert Chairman used a Bingo machine, it was a big plastic see through box and inside were ping pong balls with the numbers on, when he switched it on the balls were blown to the top by air and he would pick one out.

Well, I looked over and could see them floating about in the box – Mick had filled the Bingo machine with beer! The Concert Chairman turned on the machine in front of the audience – I’ve never heard a club laugh so much.

In the end we were paid off and banned from Hartlepool (laughs). That band were out working a lot, and, in the end, Mary left so that was the finish of Alcatraz.

Did you record any of your songs ?

After the stint in the working man’s clubs, I got together with a musician called Colin Lumsden – we went under the name Queer Band who were active from 1974-76.

We played original music, just trying to do something really different from the club scene. The line-up was me on guitar, with bass/vocals and sax from Colin and Geoff Pybus on drums.

We recorded at Morton Sound Studios in Newcastle, it was a two-track studio, and we made acetates from the recording. Then played a showcase gig for EMI at the Chelsea Cat in South Shields, but unfortunately didn’t get signed.

Then Colin went on to better things when he fronted Radiation in Sheffield then went to South Africa.

I stayed in the North East, this was the late ‘70s, and recorded a track at Impulse Studios in Wallsend. The song was called Hang Jack about the Yorkshire Ripper who at the time was terrorising the country.

The track was played in clubs throughout the country and one day the Police turned up at my house. I was interviewed and had to give a handwriting sample.

My parents were also interviewed asking if I was ever away from home. ‘Yes, he plays in a band and if he was responsible, we would be the first to tell you’.

In the early ‘80s I formed Tokyo Rose – Me, Val Ophfield, Graham Bradley, Geoff Pybus. A gig was arranged at Annabels club in Sunderland and some reps from CBS came all the way up from London to see us play. But nerves got the better of us and they left without saying goodbye.

Before that Tokyo Rose had recorded a single called Dry Your Eyes at Guardian Studios in Durham. Noddy Holder from Slade reviewed it for the Record Mirror. He said we were a great band, but we should go to a bigger studio.

This upset the producer Terry Gavaghan and we felt it was unfair as Terry was heavily involved with the track and did a brilliant job playing and producing.

Years later I heard from Vinyl Dealers that the single was selling for £100 in Japan. This prompted me to dig out the music and video and put them on social media. In the meantime, I learned how to build websites, so I created www.tokyorose.biz

I realised my gigging days could no longer be funded so I built a studio with Pete Barclay who used to play for North East band Lucas Tyson.

We wrote and recorded songs under the name Tokyo Rose. We released them on the internet and also released a CD which featured all original songs. Our musician friends, Dave Ditchburn, Rob Foster and Dave Donaldson came in as guest vocalists.

What are you doing now ?

I still write and record songs under my name Derek Buckham AKA Tokyo Rose and thoroughly enjoy it. It’s not about the past it’s about what’s happening in your life right now.

I still enjoying writing hence my suite of Lockdown Songs – Angels in Blue, The Lady that Saved My Life and The Year That Never Was.

Would I do it again ? Don’t need too, I’m still doing it !

For more information check the official website:

www.tokyorose.biz

Interview by Alikivi  July 2020.

PIT CHORUS – interview with County Durham singer & songwriter Peter Lee Hammond.

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The Queen, Margaret Thatcher and Paul McCartney walk into a bar in Easington mining town in the North East – sounds like an opening line of a joke but it’s a link to a song from deep down in the coal pits of the North East.

I asked the songwriter and ex-miner of 11 years, Pete Hammond, how did the single Living in a Mining Town come about ?

Easington in County Durham used to hold a carnival every year to commemorate the mining community and I was asked to write a song in 1989.

A lot of people got on board when they heard the rough version of the song, and the Easington council committee wanted it to be made into a single for the town.

The song was originally recorded in The Studio in Hartlepool then mixed at Abbey Road studios in London. I went down and met Paul and Linda McCartney and was given a tour around the studio by Paul. He also showed me an easy way to play his song Blackbird.

Metro Radio, Radio Tees, Radio One and many others played the song and I done a few interviews for them.

The proceeds were to raise money for a local handicapped school, so they could get a hydro pool for the residents. The money from the song also went towards launching a music collective in the area for musicians.

Many businesses donated money and it was supported by celebrities like Prince Charles, Her Royal Highness the Queen, Neil Kinnock MP and the Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher.

The Queen asked for a copy of the single to be sent to her and Maggie Thatcher sent me a signed photo of herself to auction and raise money. But no-one wanted to bid given the feelings the miners had for her, so I still have the photo at home.

Were you in a band then ?

Yes, at the time I was in a band called Just Us. I have won many song writing contests and awards over the years and cut album and cd’s.

One prize for winning a contest was song writing lessons from the lead singer of the Strawbs, Dave Cousins, and guitarist Brian Willoughby.

What studios did you record in ?

I recorded at Guardian Studios in Durham run by Terry Gavaghan. The studio was just in a normal street, it was two houses knocked together with no big sign saying recording studio, I thought I was at the wrong place at first until Terry answered the door.

What were your memories of the studio ?

Terry was a great, down to earth kind of guy always made you feel at ease, which was good as it was my first time in a studio or recording a song for that matter.

I remember the mixing room being very cramped full of equipment and a large mixing desk. But the session went smooth and the songs sounded great, Terry really knew what he was doing. We recorded three tracks there, Name on a Stone, Thomas Watson and I’m a Loner.

Terry was full of jokes and stories, one was that the studio was haunted by the ghost of a child that had been run over on the road outside the house. He also showed me a fur coat belonging to John Lennon,

Terry said when he first started out, he worked at Abbey Road studios, he let me take a piece of the lining and a clip of the fur as a keepsake. I have them in a frame at home.

Looking back what does the song mean to you ?

The song gave the community a sense of pride when the single came out, I was very proud and honoured to have been asked to do this for the place where I was born and raised.

What are you doing now ?

I still write songs and have over 1,000 up to now and record them on my own home studio. They can be heard on YouTube and my song writing Facebook page, you can find it by putting Hammy in the search bar.

Interview by Alikivi  June 2020

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE with recently departed Tyger, Micky Crystal

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After seven years, two albums and playing numerous tours a statement was released by guitarist Micky Crystal on 23rd April 2020 which left fans of the Tygers of Pan Tang in shock as it came at a time when the Tygers were, after rescheduling lockdown dates, gearing up to going out on the road with new album Ritual…..

’I officially announce that I have left Tygers of Pan Tang and want to thank you the fans for all your love and support. I am proud of the music we have created and the things this line-up has achieved.

I have developed and grown both as a musician and as a person and I feel this is the perfect time to open the door to a new chapter and new goals. I wish the band all the best for the future. Micky’

Only so much can be said in a statement so for more detail I got in touch and asked Micky if he has made the right decision…. Absolutely, you know I had a great time for the first few years but to be honest I think I cared too much and was starting to drive myself crazy really wanting it to be something that it wasn’t going to be.

At the same time I feel fortunate that I’ve met some true friends within the band and been able to visit some of the wonderful places I have through playing music.

But unfortunately, cracks started to appear and gradually got worse particularly around making the Ritual album.

What were the problems for you ?

I began to find things incredibly frustrating. The manager and the original member have been friends since the Sykes/Deverill days and while he did do some good things early on, it gradually had a very negative effect on the decision making.

It became less of the democratic brotherhood that it was sold as when they asked me to join.

Increasingly towards the end, big decisions were made without everyone’s approval or in some cases we were deliberately not being told, there’s too many examples to individually list.

The original member made it clear to me on numerous occasions that it was their way or the highway which only added to my growing frustrations after he had very little involvement in the writing or recording of Ritual.

That wasn’t a problem in itself, but it became painfully apparent that there was no appreciation for the extra work and hours put in by myself.

I started to feel more like a hired hand who was expected to write albums and do the hard work but have very little say or input regarding anything else – that just didn’t work for me.

In the end it was actually an old interview quote from John Sykes (former Tyger guitarist) that made me realise things would never change and it was time to walk away.

“What happened with the Tygers was that I was getting fed up with them. Everything was a five-way split, yet I was doing most of the work and not getting the credit I should have done. They didn’t wanna listen to what I had to say – I told them to get rid of the manager”.

(Interview with Killerwatt in Kerrang magazine 1984) 

Micky with Soren Andersen.

What are your plans now ?

I’ve been working on a home studio and have been getting more into the production side of music which I’m really enjoying. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I was fortunate enough to spend a week with Soren Andersen last year and I learnt a lot from him so I’m putting a lot of the stuff I learnt into practice now.

I’ve also got some online content for some guitar companies that I’m working on. Plus some online collaborations and a prog project that I’m pretty excited about too.

Have you been listening to any new music ?

I’m listening to a lot of trap and pop music at the moment. People like Machine Gun Kelly and Post Malone in particular. I’m listening to a lot of Big Wreck too as well as all the usual rock stuff like Led Zeppelin and Ozzy.

It really depends on the day to be honest, one day it could be Chick Corea the next day it could be Bring Me The Horizon.

With Gav Gray in Tokyo.

What were your highlights in the Tygers ?

Writing closely with Gav and Jack was a highlight, they both work fast and they’re very open minded when it comes to creative ideas. Finding out that both the self-titled album and Ritual had charted was awesome combined with various magazine front covers for the first time in the bands history.

Spending my 28th birthday on stage in São Paulo, plus I’d always wanted to play in Japan so getting to play there and go sightseeing round Tokyo was certainly a highlight.

The Lockdown – how are you dealing with it ?

I’m still teaching from home via Skype and playing a lot and recording too so I’m keeping busy. Just trying to make sure I’m learning new things so it’s been ok.

Who knows what the future holds. I’m totally open to new projects and bands. I hope it involves a lot of music, recording, teaching, playing live. I love it all.

For more information contact Micky on his social media acoounts:

https://facebook.com/MickyCrystalOfficial/

https://www.instagram.com/mickycrystal/

https://youtube.com/MickyCrystal

https://jtcguitar.com/store/artist/micky-crystal/

Interview by  Alikivi  April 2020

BLACK CANDLE – new album by UK darkwave band Psykobilly

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Psykobilly is a solo project by Bill Newton, ex-guitarist and songwriter from early 80’s North East new wave band Silent Scream who featured in November 2019 blog……

The debut album, Black Candle, has taken a year to write, record, produce and master. I’m pretty pleased with how the album has turned out Newton continued….The album’s overall sound has been described as ‘darkwave’, although there is a mix of pop, rock, ballads and synth-driven songs.

Listeners have already made comparisons with Nick Cave, The Cure, Scott Walker and Morrissey…

Obviously, I’m honoured and pretty amazed to even be mentioned in the same breath as such legends and heroes of mine.

Who were the other musicians that you worked with on the album ?

I am fortunate to have talented friends. Four of the songs were recorded with Steve ‘Smiley’ Barnard (The Alarm, Archive) at his Sunshine Corner Recording Studios in Hampshire. He drums, plays bass, sings and produces. We had Pete Kirby on keyboards and piano and James Walsh who sings on two songs.

The other 60% of the album is essentially me at home with my MacBook and Logic Pro X recording software, my Auden Chester acoustic and Yamaha SG2000 guitars.

Taken at Sunshine Corner Studios. Those involved in making the album: L-R James Walsh, Smiley Barnard, Pete Kirby, Bill Newton.

Is there a story behind the album ‘Black Candle’ ?

The album’s title is metaphorical although essentially refers to the dark but illuminating nature of the songs. They’re all personal, I always ask people to look beyond some of the technical shortcomings and focus on the honesty and passion in the music and lyrics.

Are you looking to play the album live ?

It’s unlikely you’ll see me perform live as the songs are pretty complex arrangements. They can all be stripped back and played acoustically but to get near the sound of the album I’d need two or three guitars, piano, keyboards, strings, backing vocals and maybe a choir of angels! Give a listen to the last track on the album, Remains.

One of the sweetest things that has happened was when a friend of mine played the song Remains at one of his gigs, a very emotional lady approached him and asked if she could use the song at her mum’s funeral as she felt a personal connection with it.

Are there any plans in the pipeline for Psykobilly ?

It’s just so hard to make any breakthrough these days. It’s pretty rare that small, independent artists get any mainstream recognition, and there is very little financial reward.

My first single Leave It All Behind has been streamed 1500 times around the world in the four months since it was released and the official video has been watched over 2000 times on YouTube but I’ve only made £5 from this !

I’m not complaining though and prefer artistic praise over money anyway.

Ideally, I would like to write for other people. I’m not in any way arrogant about any ability I might have and would describe myself as humble and self-deprecating.

However, I do think that the songs are strong enough to be performed by more established and talented artists who could reach a wider audience.

I can always live in hope that a small label might offer to release my music or that Miley Cyrus comes calling!

Black Candle is available now on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes and all other major digital platforms.

https://psykobilly.bandcamp.com/album/black-candle

https://open.spotify.com/album/1I0IJmxNhIllIhjAnDBwoq?si=ndh570p8QNuYpknA07yuNQ

https://music.apple.com/gb/album/black-candle/1494508478

Gary Alikivi  January 2020.

SANTAS BIG BAG O’ SWAG

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If yer lookin’ for a Christmas present to buy why not take a butchers at these goodies that have appeared on the blog this year. 2019 has seen nearly 100 musicians interviewed and also featured authors, artists and poets.

In his new poetry collection, Jarrow-born Tom Kelly examines the history of the town as he tries to make sense of the past…. ‘This Small Patch is my eighth collection published by Red Squirrel Press and will have its South Tyneside launch on 11th January at 1.30pm in The Word, South Shields’.

To buy a copy contact the official website:

https://www.redsquirrelpress.com/product-page/this-small-patch-tom-kelly

The 10 track album ‘Square One’ by former Tygers of Pan Tang, Fred Purser and Jon Deverill is out on the shelves, where does it stand with your Tygers output ?…. Jon Deverill ‘I’m very proud of it. It’s by far my best work. I’m so delighted it’s been released. We never lost faith that one day it would be’.

Square One by Purser/Deverill available to buy at HMV, Newcastle or on-line via EBay or Discogs.

In 1979 Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and South Shields band Mythra released records making them one of the original NWOBHM bands. Guitarist John Roach…’Yes we never said we were the best, just one of the first. We’ve released a 40th Anniversary Edition of Death and Destiny, we are very proud of it’. 

Order now from: https://mythra.bigcartel.com.

Gary Alikivi    December 2019

BURNING ON THE INSIDE with Bill Newton former guitarist of ‘80s post punk band SILENT SCREAM

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Silent Scream were very much influenced by what was going on around us. There was so much fantastic music in the late ’70s and early ’80s: punk, post-punk, new wave, futurism, new romanticism, Bowie’s Berlin stuff and really fresh sounding early hip-hop and disco-pop such as Grandmaster Flash and Was (Not Was).

We all loved bands like The Only Ones, The Scars, Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wah! Heat, Japan and The Associates.

Silent Scream were alive between ‘80-82. The line up was Stephen ‘Stesh’ Miller (vocals) Steve Newton (bass) Steve Bell (drums 80-81) Bobby Greenland (drums 81-82) and Bill Newton (guitar)…..

There was a vibrant music scene in Newcastle during the early ’80s with some excellent bands, like Deda, Rival Savages and Treatment Room. I’m surprised things didn’t explode like it did in Manchester and Liverpool.

Silent Scream did attract quite a following as we were very much part of the developing new romantic/futurist scene.

People came to see us to hang out, pose and be seen. The audience were an intrinsic part of the movement and were as important as the bands at that time.

When did you start gigging ? 

Around 1980 I had been playing guitar in a band with my brother, Steve on bass, and a friend from school, Steve Bell on drums. I met Stesh at a Chelsea punk gig in Newcastle and decided to form a band there and then.

I remember that Silent Scream had this idea of wanting to be elusive and mysterious, so we only played a small handful of gigs between ‘80-81.

We played our debut at Newcastle University and I’m ashamed to admit I don’t remember much about this apart from being really nervous.

Bauhaus had just played a storming gig at the same venue and I remember thinking, ‘How the f*** are we supposed to follow that?’

We played The Cooperage, where we were awful, Balmbras in The Bigg Market, Newcastle, twice where we were pretty good, and Rumours in Sunderland which I thought was our best gig mainly due to a sterling performance by Steve Bell on drums.

We also travelled to London to play at the renowned Moonlight Club in Hampstead as part of a showcase of North East bands. We shared the bill with Zap! and Red Performance.

Stesh was sadly lost to us some years ago. He was such a creative talent. He could turn his hand to anything and was acclaimed as an influential DJ in Newcastle after Silent Scream split up.

There was also talk of us supporting The Psychedelic Furs at Newcastle Mayfair on their 1980 album tour but unfortunately this fell through.

Who were your influences in music ? Was there a defining moment when you said ‘I want to do that’ ?

Seeing Bowie perform Starman on Top of the Pops in 1972 made me want to be a musician. I’d been playing guitar pretty badly from the age of 13.

Punk exploded when I was 15 and gave me that DIY ‘you-don’t-need-to-be-Carlos Santana’ confidence to explore the guitar with a different mind set.

I was massively influenced by the spiky, staccato energies of John McGeoch, Keith Levene, Will Sergeant, Wire, Gang of Four etc.

Hearing Magazine’s Shot by Both Sides in 1978 was a pretty defining moment, and my favorite album of all time is Never Mind the Bollocks.

Did the band have a manager ?

We were managed by Dave Baird who was a guiding influence. He arranged gigs, studio time, photo shoots etc. Dave is still in the business today producing new music.

What were your experiences of recording ? 

Silent Scream recorded two demos. The first at Impulse Studios in Wallsend in 1980 with Steve Bell on drums. The cost of this would have been laughably cheap by today’s standards and we were so young and naïve.

I don’t think we really knew what we were doing or how to get the most out of the experience.

Stesh had already recorded a marvellous single, I Don’t Wanna Know, with his previous band, The Voice Of The Puppets so he had a bit of savvy. He was also a little bit older than the rest of us so we looked up to him.

The track list of the first demo was Deadline, Fate, All the Promise, Thin Ice, Trapped and Pantomime. Copies have mysteriously disappeared over the years, and I haven’t heard it in ages. Maybe someone reading this will have a copy.

Our second demo was recorded at Guardian Studios in Pity Me, County Durham over two days in October 1981 with Terry Gavaghan as producer. Bobby was drumming at this point and three songs were recorded. This became known simply as EP. The tracks are The Maze, Drown and Join Together.

Did you get any press or appear on radio ?

Our recorded material and gigs were well reviewed in the local press, and I remember we featured in an early edition of i-D magazine. The demo was sent to various labels and was picked up by The Shadows guitarist, Bruce Welch, who loved our sound.

We also had interest from various record labels. Unfortunately, before we could even negotiate any kind of deal we had split up.

What are you doing now and are you still involved with music ? 

I am writing and recording under the name Psykobilly and have recorded a number of songs at Smiley Barnard’s Sunshine Corner Studios. The man himself plays drums, bass and produces.

Smiley is, among others, ex-Joe Strummers Mescaleros and is currently drumming with The Alarm and Archive.

I’ve released a single Leave It All Behind and a low key, lo-fi EP Social Media Influenza on all major digital platforms. I’m releasing my first album, with a working title of Black Candle in early 2020.

It’s taken a long time for me to do this on my own as I don’t have much confidence in my singing voice and have produced, mixed and engineered over half of the album independently, learning on the go really.

I try to write in a way that doesn’t make me easily pigeonholed or categorized. It’s broadly dark pop, but a mix of ballads, rock ‘n roll and ‘80s influenced synth pop.

I’m lucky to have the very talented Trevor Johnson working with me. Trevor has produced official videos for the songs, and we like to think of our project as a way of marrying sound and image in a deeper, kind of dark cinematic style.

Trevor is influenced by the Situationist movement. His visuals are an important part of my work as they bring new and challenging perspectives to the soundscape.

You can watch all of the official Silent Scream and available Psykobilly videos on You Tube. French label, The Evil Has Landed, is in the process of releasing the Silent Scream EP on vinyl although I think copies might be pretty rare. Worth checking on Discogs. The demo is also available digitally on Bandcamp

The first track on the EP, The Maze, is going to be included on the marvellous compilation album series Killed by Deathrock Vol. 3 on the Sacred Bones label based in New York, USA.

There has always been an appetite for lost, hard to find and enigmatic stuff that came out in the post-punk explosion, way before the invention of smartphones and social media.

The EP is pretty widely available on various YouTube channels and has almost 10,000 views.

These days of course, everything is captured and can be stored for posterity. But in 1981 it was a different story.

Thank God photos and footage were taken and kept, and good people like yourself Gary are archiving some of these independent treasures from almost 40 years ago.

Interview by Gary Alikivi    October 2019.

ALL FOR THE RECORD – with Jack Meille, vocalist with Tygers of Pan Tang

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Music is life. It showed me I could follow my passion and make it my job. I’m a lucky guy.

Is there a country you haven’t played that you would like to ? Australia! That would be a dream come true.

How did you get the job with the Tygers ?

In the past I have been lucky not to have had to audition for a band. Firstly, I was contacted by a Swiss management company who said a British band are looking for a new singer. Without knowing the name of who it was, I sent my CV and recordings from the album released by my band Mantra.

So, when I got the confirmation it was the Tygers and they wanted to audition me, I said to myself ‘Why not? Let’s do the first and hopefully, only audition of your life’. I went to Darlington on November 4th 2004 ….and got the job!

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Is there a good balance of characters in the band ?

It’s a five-piece band and we all have different characters, more important, very different musical tastes. This is a bonus but sometimes it’s not easy to combine everyone’s point of view on a song, if you know what I mean.

We are all very passionate when it comes to Tygers songs.

You just recorded the new album, how did that go ?

It was tough but rewarding. We were forced to delay the recording twice because we didn’t feel we were ready to record. It wasn’t an easy decision to take but the best.

The eleven tracks on the new album are the best we could ever record. I know it sounds like a cliche, but after all the hard work, we’re all very proud of the result.

How did you get on with the producer and former Tyger, Fred Purser ?

I personally enjoyed every moment spent in the studio with Fred. He is such a talented guy and made me feel at home. I only had six days to record and believe me it’s not very much when you have to record eleven songs plus a couple of bonus tracks.

But I made it and have to thank him for that. Also, we discovered we have a passion for craft beers. So, after recording we managed to ‘indulge’ drinking some really good ones.

Who were your early influences in music ?

I love rock ‘n’ roll from Chuck Berry to Slayer but the first record that really blew me away was Dark Side of the Moon. I have memories of me, about 4 or 5 years old, listening constantly to On the Run.

The first record I bought, or should I say I asked my father to buy was the Queen album A Night at the Opera. Still one of my favourite albums of all time.

I’m a record collector – the boys in the band can confirm that – so you can find me at festivals looking at record stalls. When it comes down to singing, the choice would go to Robert Plant, early David Coverdale, Phil Mogg, Paul Rodgers…the list may go on and on.

What has been your best gig with the Tygers so far ?

There has been a few. I always enjoy playing the Bang Your Head Festival in Germany. A memorable day was at a festival in Northern Spain where we played a great set and then had the pleasure to hang around with Cheap Trick, then saw the set by John Fogerty with Ty Tabor from King’s X.

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Have you got any gigs lined up for the new album release ?

During November we are going to play the UK and Europe. Before that we play Dusseldorf with Diamond Head, Doro and Saxon on 26th October 2019.

Since this interview Saxon have been forced to postpone all upcoming gigs in 2019 due to frontman Biff Byford undergoing heart surgery. Get well soon Biff.

‘White Lines’ will be the first single, released on 27th September on all platforms, and a 12″ vinyl limited release of 500 copies for all you collectors will be available from:

http://targetshop.dk/…/tygers-of-pan-tang-white-lines-12vin…

For further information contact the official website:

 http://www.tygersofpantang.com/official/

Interview by Gary Alikivi   August 2019.

WHITE LINES – interview with Craig Ellis, drummer with Tygers of Pan Tang

/ Alikivi

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The Tygers have just shot a music video for the new single ‘White Lines’, how did that go ?

The video shoot went well really, the location was Dynamix Extreme Skate Park in Gateshead. A fantastic place with lots of options for backgrounds to shoot in and around.

Moving a six piece drum kit into three different areas was a pain in the a**e but worth it after seeing the superb screen captures on the cameras.

How did you get the job in the Tygers ?

Robb had been working on some new material with an ex-Sergeant band member and two friends of mine were drafted in the play bass and guitar.

The initial demos were cut together using a drum machine so when it came to the recording a live drummer was needed and my two friends suggested me. The end product of that recording was ‘Mystical’ in 2000 and I’ve been here ever since!

Even though I’d written lyrics and melodies previously in other bands, it wasn’t until our vocalist Jack joined the Tygers that I started to contribute. From day one there was a chemistry that has worked ever since.

Before gigs do you have a warm up routine ?

Some stretching exercises, specifically arms and hands to loosen up and a mash-up of sticking exercises/rudiments to get comfortable. I don’t eat anything three hours before a show and if I’m going to have any alcohol, it’s after the show.

How did you start on drums and who were your early influences ?

I didn’t start playing drums until the age of fifteen, but I’d been listening seriously to music from around nine or ten year old.

My Dad had a reel-to-reel player, and I was infatuated with not only the machine itself, but also the music the spools kicked out…Hendrix, Foghat, Lynard Skynard, Blue Oyster Cult and Led Zeppelin.

Programmes on the TV like Top of the Pops, The Tube and of course The Old Grey Whistle Test were like a drug, I never missed an episode!

With the pocket money I saved, I bought vinyl. Even back then I had a varied collection of music as my tastes have always been eclectic, however, once I started playing drums, rock and metal was where I found my niche.

Drummers such as Cozy Powell, John Bonham, Ian Paice, Bill Ward and Neil Peart and the bands they played in resonated with me hugely and have never left me.

Where I’m from, we were very fortunate to have venues including The Coatham Bowl in Redcar, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Crypt and Rock Garden and Newcastle Mayfair and City Hall. So I got to see almost all my favourite drummers and favourite bands.

Who were the first band you played for and what venues did you play ?

My first cover band at around sixteen was called Overload. We played rock covers by Sabbath, Status Quo, Golden Earring, AC/DC etc in and around the Teesside/Cleveland area. There was a huge Working Men’s Club scene back then, which I played in most venues in the North East, in various cover bands.

I’ve always had a passion for original music so I took every opportunity presented to me to work alongside musicians creating original music. From very early on I learned a great deal about the recording process both at home and in studios.

Have there been many memorable gigs with the Tygers ?

There’s been quite a few Gary, in no particular order …The fact we were touring in South America and the audiences were insanely awesome was amazing but the night we played Carioca Club in São Paulo on Micky’s Birthday – the whole room sang Happy Birthday to him.

Japan Assault Festival was a humbling experience for this tub thumper from Teesside to have had the opportunity to travel to and perform in Japan to a crowd of people who were so pleased to see the Tygers. Supporting the Dead Daisies at the 02 Academy to a Newcastle home crowd who were just awesome.

The Spodek in Katowice, Poland is a venue that is an assault on the mind! Its incredible both inside and outside. We’ve been very lucky to have been invited back a few times to the incredible Bang Your Head festival in Balingen, Germany. Bully-On-Rocks Festival and Raismes Festival have been our most recent shows in France both with amazing audiences.

Belgium is a special place for the Tygers, we performed some of our very first shows there and met many wonderful people who have remained friends to this day and always do their utmost to get to the shows.

Have you any road stories you want to share ? Robb’s your man for the funny he stories, he collects them! But here goes a couple…

When on tour in South America we took an internal flight and got split up throughout the plane. As we were disembarking there were shenanigans going on at the front of the plane.

Robb and Gav were sat in the cockpit, Captains and Officers hats on, having a laugh and chat with the crew. Turns out the captain was a huge Tygers fan and invited them in!

Around twelve years ago, travelling to Belgium in what was then the bands tour bus we were badly rear-shunted by a delivery truck late at night on the A1M. We were all thrown around the cabin like rag dolls and the back end of the tour bus was a mess but, we limped on ‘because we had gigs to do!’

The rear footstep had been shoved so far down and as we went up the ramp to board the ferry, sparks were flying from it and the noise was horrendous.

At that same point we also discovered the steering was in a bad way too so we were gliding like a sail boat up the ramp. When it came to getting off the ferry the bus wouldn’t start but the ferry mechanics got us going!

With the ignition now faulty at the end of almost every gig fans would give us a push to ‘bump-us-off’! Embarrassing but a laugh and main thing was, we did the shows.

The new album ‘Ritual’, did you feel recording went well ?

Time is of the essence when it comes to Recording Studios because as the clock ticks away its costing money. But, you want to enjoy the experience and to do that it’s all about the preparation.

Although writing the material for the album had begun over a year prior, regular, concentrated writing and rehearsal sessions started in January of this year right up to going into the studio in April.

During that time we would video and record everything for reference and when a song is complete I write out the drum notation so I get it completely under my skin.

Both Jack and I write the lyrics and melodies to the majority of the songs and because of that I automatically absorb a songs structure. Because of the prior work put in, we each completed our parts in a very short time.

What also makes for a good recording session is the engineer and studio, and Fred Purser at Trinity Heights made the whole thing an absolute pleasure throughout.

Will the Tygers be promoting the album ?

Absolutely! We’ll be doing four, maybe even five, songs from the new album and featuring them in our November shows and from there on. There’ll be a selection of merchandise available supporting the release too.

I’m particularly looking forward to gigging with the Festival sized backdrop we’ll have for those shows, the Ritual Mask in giant-size taking ownership of the stage!

What does music mean to you ?

It pretty much makes my world go around Gary. I play music, I practise music, I write music and I teach music. It takes me mentally to a different state of mind and physically to many incredible places I likely wouldn’t get to see otherwise.

I’m extremely lucky to be doing what I love.

‘White Lines’ will be the first single, released on 27th September on all platforms, and a 12″ vinyl limited release of 500 copies for all you collectors will be available from:

http://targetshop.dk/…/tygers-of-pan-tang-white-lines-12vin…

For further information contact the official website:

 http://www.tygersofpantang.com/official/

Interview by Gary Alikivi     September 2019.

DESTINY CALLING – in conversation with John Roach guitarist with North East metal band Mythra

/ Alikivi

On February 13th 2017 an interview with North East heavy metal band Mythra saw the first post on the Alikivi blog.

Over 75,000 views later and for the 250th post is appropriately an interview with John Roach…

Last year our vocalist Vince High left the band for personal reasons, but we’re still mates. I met Vince when I was 16 in the training school at Swan Hunters shipyard in Fisher Street, Wallsend. We liked the same music and hung around together at work.

I was in a band called Zarathustra with Maurice Bates, who was originally the singer now current bass player with Mythra. Vince was in a band called Freeway and eventually he joined us. Pete Melsom was on bass.

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Where did the name come from ?

We needed a shorter name really, one that was easier to remember so after a few ideas were thrown in the hat I came up with the name Mythra. We went with that one and around the same time Barry Hopper joined. Our original drummer Kenny Anderson wasn’t really 100% into the band so Barry stepped in.

When Barry first came to audition his brother dropped him off in his car. We took one look at his beautiful silver Tama drumkit and said ‘He’s in’ (laughs).

As the original four piece Mythra, we all went to gig’s together. Not just Purple or Sabbath at Newcastle City Hall but local bands Warbeck and Axe with Keith Satchfield, Southbound and Circus. There were some truly great rock bands around at that time.

Watching them saying ‘this is what we want to do, this is just like Top of the Pops… but real’ (laughs). Axe were probably the most influential band for us they had a huge p.a. and lights and they wrote their own songs, that’s what we wanted.

We were all learning from each other really because we knew the lads in other local bands Saracen, Hollow Ground, Hellanbach.

It was like ‘Dawsa (Steve Dawson, guitarist Saracen) has got a Marshall stack…What, really…let’s go an’ see it. Or ‘Metty (Martin Metcalf,  guitarist Hollow Ground) has got a Les Paul. What, a real one ? (laughs).

The band were all around 18-year-old, we had bought a Bedford van, our own pa and started earning money from workingmen’s clubs in the North East. Getting our own van was a milestone really instead of our dad’s dropping us off in their cars.

We gigged from Hartlepool, Teesside right up into Northumberland. Maurice got us tied up with Ivor Burchill the main agent in Newcastle. We were getting loads of gigs right through ’76-‘80.

We played Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, Humble Pie rock stuff like that. I was earning more money from playing than I was for being an apprentice fitter in the shipyard. You can’t do that anymore (laughs)!

We had a couple of roadies helping out with the gear plus Lou Taylor came along with his homemade lamps, lights, flares all sorts (laughs). He was always singing in the back of the van.

He used to do these Rob Halford screams and they were spot on. I think Vince thought he was auditioning for Mythra. Lou ended up singing in various bands like Saracen, Satan and down London with Blind Fury.

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In 1979 Def Leppard released ‘Getcha Rocks Off’, Iron Maiden the ‘Soundhouse Tapes’ and Mythra recorded the Death & Destiny ep at Guardian Studio in Durham making them one of the original NWOBHM bands. …

Yes, we never said we were the best, just one of the first. The single was recorded around September or October and we released it in the November. Actually, we just wanted to record a demo at first, put it on cassette, send it around record company’s and hopefully get a deal.

The producer and owner of Guardian Records, Terry Gavaghan, said for the same money you can get it on record and it will look more professional than tape.

So, we bought 200 records at first. We sold them and went back a fortnight later to order more! We sold most of them at Second Time Around Record Shop in South Shields.

Gavaghan got us a distribution deal with Pinnacle Records so it was sold all over the country. Rod MacSween at International Talent Booking agency heard Death and Destiny on the Friday Rock Show hosted by Tommy Vance. That opened a lot of doors and got us bigger gig’s nationwide.

By the time 1980 came around we had done a lot of gigs and recorded the EP but I couldn’t see the band going any further. After five years, I felt as if I had enough, so I left in the February.

The rest of the band got a guy in called Micky Rundle to replace me and he played on the Headbangers Ball in July ’80 at Stafford Bingley Hall with Motorhead, Saxon and a few others.

Looking back on the EP, we are really proud of it because we were the first of the bands like Fist, Hellanbach, Hollow Ground and Saracen to release a record. We were at the front of all that.

Did you work with any other musicians ?

I had a break for a few months then started rehearsing with Saracen. Lou Taylor, Les Wilson, Dave Johnson – and Steve Dawson was the other guitarist. But Steve and I had different playing styles and it didn’t work out. I don’t think Saracen was destined to be a two guitar band.

Around six month after that Harry Hill (Fist drummer) got in touch and I joined them. We played the Gateshead Festival with Diamond Head, Lindisfarne, Ginger Baker and headliner Rory Gallagher.

Did you have a manager in Fist ?

Our management team were based in Manchester and were called Rhino Promotions. I think they had a clothing company making jeans – which were like Geordie Jeans here on Tyneside.

I remember a gig in Manchester when the back window of our hired car got smashed and they pinched everything from the boot including my leather trousers, cowboy boots and skimpy black t-shirt that I wore for the gig. They also took a pair of red shorts and an orange bag belonging to Harry Hill. He was livid!

And I’d only wore the leather pants once. We drove back to Tyneside with Glenn Coates, Norman Appleby and me in the back, freezing our arses off sitting on tiny bits of glass from the back window (laughs).

How long were you in Fist ?

I was in Fist for about a year and a half, originally with a singer called Colin Johnson before Glenn Coates joined. We recorded the album Back with a Vengeance and played a few gigs.

The rest of the guys decided they wanted to be a four piece so after a rehearsal in Felling – Glenn and Norman came to my house and told me I was out. It was a bit of a shock!

We had a side band going called Centrefold – Harry, Glenn, me and a great guy called Peter Scott – who sadly died very young of a brain tumour. This continued for quite a while after Fist so there were no real hard feelings.

After Peter died we were going to start Centrefold up again with another bass player but my heart wasn’t in it – I think Steve Dawson took it on – small town Shields !

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Bringing your story up to date, what have Mythra planned next ?

Well, we are all just enjoying it. Earlier this year we were at the Grimm Up North festival and Negasonic in Belgium, where we showcased some new material.

We’re currently finishing pre-production on 12 new songs, and we are going to record a new album for High Roller Records with our new singer Kev McGuire later this year. Kev is a great guy with a lot of live experience on stages in the North East and he has a great rock voice.

Our next gig is in France at the South Troopers Festival in Marseille on 21st September.

Contact Mythra on the official website http://www.mythra.co.uk/

or through their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mythranwobhm/

 Interview by Gary Alikivi    July 2019.