Gold Blade

1994, Manchester, England: Since the demise of his seminal alt-rock outfit Membranes after ten years and four albums, John Robb had continued his music journalism and moved into TV presenting. Nothing, though, could replace the primal adrenaline rush of rock and roll, and so when he met up with percussionist Wayne Simmonds at a local gym, the pair realised they shared a mutual passion for martial arts and punk rock, and knew that they had to form the definitive rock and roll outfit.

A scrupulous recruitment process gradually assembled like-minded musicians - bass player Keith Curtis from the Membranes, drummer Rob Haynes from industrial rockers Houndgod and guitarist Nick Hewitt.

Together, they rehearsed intensely for months, forging a molten mix of The Clash's punk rock rush, Fugazi's straight-edged intensity and The MC5's righteous evangelism. A low-key tour of Europe forged the live unit away from the unsuspecting eyes of Britain, and when Hewitt departed to be replaced by Jay Taylor from local indie heroes Dumb, finally they were ready to enter the studio. A limited edition EP, Soul Power, was released in 1996, which attracted widespread critical acclaim and drew attention to the band's scorching live act. A year later the album Home Turf was a brash, bull-necked call to arms and the single Strictly Hardcore was a chart bound three-minute manifesto.

A relentless touring schedule maintained their second-to-none live reputation - no corner of the British Isles was left unvisited, and the gospel was spread throughout Europe, to Germany, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and beyond.

Pausing long enough to spend a month in the studio they emerged in 1999 with the second album Drop the Bomb, packed full of their calling card rock 'n' roll but seasoned with all manner of flavours. The disco-tinged Hairstyle found them on the brink of mainstream success, gaining the band single of the week on the prestigious BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and a live appearance on Saturday morning television chart show SMTV. Chart dominance was halted only by the news that their record label had just gone bankrupt...

The band retreated to their bunker and Simmonds departed to concentrate on his video and photography work. The remaining members recruited percussionist Martin Gray, buckled down and began writing new material. Stripped down and more raw than ever, the band discarded the keyboards and horn section and embraced their punk rock roots with fervour.

When Taylor left to concentrate on his Bone-Box project the band wasted no time in recruiting two red-hot lead guitarists - Pete G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. from the Nightingales and Jayne County collaborator Johny Skullknuckles. Shortly afterwards, 2002's Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock and Roll? was released, their fiercest statement yet. With an onstage sound louder than ever, new levels of intensity were reached.

Since then the Blade have maintained near-constant touring of the UK, building a huge live following as well as taking in the festivals like Glastonbury and the Holidays In The Sun Punk festival. They are working the world stage, and with record deals in Brazil, Russia and the USA the campaign is ready to go into international overdrive.

Web Site: www.goldblade.com/

MP3

Song Title

Writer

(R U Ready 4) The 21st Century?

Curtis/Haynes/Robb/Simmonds/Taylor

16 Tons

Curtis/Haynes/Robb/Simmonds/Taylor

AC/DC

Curtis/Haynes/Robb/Traynor

All We Got Is Rebel Songs

Brynchmore/Curtis/Haynes/Murney/Robb