Stampede are a British
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band formed in 1981 by songwriting partnership Reuben Archer and
Laurence Archer
Laurence Archer (born 9 November 1961) is a British guitarist and songwriter notable for his work with British rock bands UFO and Phil Lynott's Grand Slam. He wrote many of Grand Slam's songs together with Phil Lynott and Mark Stanway, some of ...
. The band signed to Polydor Records, emerging as part of the
new wave of British heavy metal
The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...
scene. Stampede disbanded in 1983, and guitarist Laurence Archer went on to play with
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
and
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...
's
Grand Slam
Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games
Athletics
* Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league
Auto racing
* ...
, amongst other projects. The band reformed 26 years later in 2009, and a new studio album titled 'A Sudden Impulse' was released on 9 May 2011 on the Grind That Axe label, a subsidiary o
Rock Candy Records
History
Pre-Stampede (Lautrec, Lionheart & Wild Horses)
Stampede emerged from the partnership of Reuben Archer (vocalist, songwriter) and stepson
Laurence Archer
Laurence Archer (born 9 November 1961) is a British guitarist and songwriter notable for his work with British rock bands UFO and Phil Lynott's Grand Slam. He wrote many of Grand Slam's songs together with Phil Lynott and Mark Stanway, some of ...
(guitarist, songwriter). Their first major project being the 1977 hard rock band Lautrec, for which they recruited Steve Holbrook of Frome on keyboards, and Simon Riddler of Shepton Mallet on bass. The drummer was
Clive Deamer
Clive Deamer is an English drummer and percussionist who has been the drummer for the jazz band Get the Blessing since 2000. He has worked with acts including Radiohead, Portishead (band), Portishead, Jeff Beck, Alison Moyet, Siouxsie Sioux, Roni ...
of Frome, who later played in
Portishead and
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
's
Strange Sensation
Strange may refer to:
Fiction
* Strange (comic book), a comic book limited series by Marvel Comics
* Strange (Marvel Comics), one of a pair of Marvel Comics characters known as The Strangers
* Adam Strange, a DC Comics superhero
* The title cha ...
, as well as session work for many other important projects.
Prior to a
Saxon
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
support tour, Deamer left to finish an apprenticeship and was replaced by Steve Jones. The band completed two support tours with
Saxon
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
and released a single on the Street Tunes Label: "Shoot Out the Lights" / "Mean Gasoline", now reputed to be one of the rarest 45s of the NWOBHM era. auctioning on eBay for £1800.
In 1980, with no major deal in place, Reuben joined
Lionheart, a new supergroup headed by ex-
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
guitarist
Dennis Stratton
Dennis Stratton (born 9 October 1952) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980. He was also the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of Praying Mantis from 1990 ...
.
Within 4 months with no record deal in the offing, Reuben took the offer to join
Wild Horses
The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'', sometimes tr ...
with
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albu ...
, late of
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
. The band required a guitarist to partner John Lockton and a new drummer, so Reuben suggested Laurence Archer on guitar and
Frank Noon
Frank Noon (born 5 October 1956) is an English drummer who played with the bands Def Leppard and Roadhouse.
Career
Frank Noon was a member of the trio The Next Band before, during, and after the time he was in Def Leppard, and played on The ...
of Lionheart on drums. This completed the final line-up of Wild Horses. However, the project never took off and a disillusioned Reuben, Laurence and Frank left to form Stampede.
They recruited Alan Nelson (ex-Wildfire) on keyboards and Bristol-based bass player Colin Bond (formerly of Stormtrooper) to complete the original Stampede line-up.
Stampede (1981–1983)
''Days of Wine & Roses'' EP and ''The Official Bootleg'' (1981–1982)
Under management from Roulette Music and with an advance from
Polydor Records
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
, Stampede went into Cave Studios in Bristol to record six tracks. The tracks were taken up by Polydor Records who consequently signed the band in 1981 for a major deal, immediately releasing four of the new tracks on an EP called ''Days of Wine and Roses''.
The band continued to play residencies at the London
Marquee Club
The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End.
It was the location of the first ...
and various other venues in and around London, and were booked for the Mildenhall and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
Festivals of 1982. Before these festival dates, drummer Frank Noon left Stampede to join
Bernie Tormé
Bernie Tormé (born Bernard Joseph Tormey; 18 March 1952 – 17 March 2019) was an Irish rock guitarist, songwriter, record label and recording studio owner. Tormé is best known for his work with Gillan, as well as his brief stint with Ozzy Os ...
,
and was replaced by Bristol-based Eddie Parsons who stayed with the band until the end.
Prior to the Festivals, Reuben broke his hip and left thigh running to catch a bus with
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
's
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...
, and only just made it out of hospital to appear onstage at the festivals on crutches. Prior to the Mildenhall Festival, Stampede decided to remain a four piece when keyboardist Alan Nelson left to pursue other things. It was felt that Bond's bass style and Taurus pedals more than filled out the sound, and that was how the band remained until their demise.
Polydor recorded the Mildenhall and Reading Festival sets of 1982 putting the live album out as ''Stampede: The Official Bootleg''.
Between 1982 and 1983, Stampede also recorded a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
show for
Tommy Vance
Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston (11 July 1940 – 6 March 2005), known professionally as Tommy Vance, was an English radio broadcaster. He was an important factor in the rise of the new wave of British heavy metal, along with ...
, a Capital Radio show with four tracks for
Fluff Freeman's Rock Show, and a BBC In Concert show at the Paris Theatre with contemporaries
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ...
.
''Hurricane Town'' and "The Other Side" (1983)
In 1983, Stampede followed up the ''Official Bootleg'' with a studio album, entitled ''Hurricane Town'',
recruiting
Magnum's
Mark Stanway
Mark Stanway (born 27 July 1954) is an English musician. He was the keyboard player for the hard rock band Magnum from 1980 until the end of 2016.
Career
Stanway first appeared with Magnum on the 1980 recording of '' Chase the Dragon'' (re ...
for keyboard duties. At this time Polydor also released a 7" single called "The Other Side".
''Hurricane Town'' was promoted by a support tour with
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
, before which the band went off to Portugal to play a week’s residency as warm up for the tour, which was extended after the Christmas of 1983.
Disbandment
After ''Hurricane Town'' a second studio album was scheduled and Stampede commenced writing material, however, when singer Reuben returned to hospital to have all the metalwork removed from his hip and thigh, he caught a virus during the operation and became seriously ill. Due to this and the fact that rock and metal were having a hard time due to the onslaught of punk and new wave, plus with little support from Polydor, Stampede decided to split.
Reuben formed his own design company and Colin Bond went off to work with
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
, while Laurence joined
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...
and Mark Stanway in
Grand Slam
Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games
Athletics
* Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league
Auto racing
* ...
.
When Lynott died Laurence joined Brit rockers
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
, before retiring from music to work in the film industry.
Reunion
In 2006, Rock Candy Records re-released Stampede's last studio offering ''Hurricane Town'' (originally released by Polydor Records in 1983). The album consisted of all the original tracks re-mastered, and four bonus tracks from the Lautec catalogue, and featured a 16-page colour booklet with sleeve notes by journalists
Malcolm Dome
Malcolm Dome (1955 – 29 October 2021) was an English music journalist.
Dome wrote about rock and heavy metal from 1979. In addition to writing books, he was a journalist for ''Record Mirror'', ''Kerrang!'', ''Metal Hammer'' and ''Classic Ro ...
, Dante Bonutto and Derek Oliver, along with a foreword by Reuben Archer.
On 2 January 2009, Reuben called Colin Bond and Laurence Archer with a view to reunite Stampede, and the first gig was staged at London's Embassy Club in Mayfair on 25 May 2009. After several gigs they made the unanimous decision to commence recording a new album.
This was easier said than done as it soon transpired that the availability of each band member was impossible to schedule, and when Laurence became unavailable during a period in the recording schedule due to work commitments, Reuben brought in guitarists Rob Wolverson and Chris Clowsley to finish the job. Laurence and Reuben had written and recorded 5 tracks and Reuben with Rob and Chris along with original bassist Colin Bond and new drummer Steve Graystone completed the album. The album, entitled ''A Sudden Impulse'' was recorded a
Track 21 Studiosin Weston-super-Mare, Dartington Hall Studios in Devon, an
Mad Hat Studiosin Wolverhampton.
With the new album nearly completed Stampede's first live appearance was in 2010 at Birmingham's Meltdown Festival where they were main support to headliner
Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley (born Bayley Alexander Cooke, 29 May 1963) is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994 (and currently since 2010, following reunions in 2007 and 2009). He was also the lead singer of I ...
.
The new album was released on Rock Candy Records on 9 May 2011 to much critical acclaim, the single "Having Fun" being released a month prior to the album.
Stampede have since been announced for more live dates throughout 2011, including Festival appearances at Devon Rox in Exeter and Hard Rock Hell V in Prestatyn, and are currently scheduled to record the second comeback album for release in 2012.
On 29 September 2012 in Wolverhampton, Stampede played at the Denim and Leather NWOBHM festival at the Slade Rooms alongside
Praying Mantis
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...
, Weapon, Gaskin and Agincourt.
Current members
*Reuben Archer (vocals)
*
Laurence Archer
Laurence Archer (born 9 November 1961) is a British guitarist and songwriter notable for his work with British rock bands UFO and Phil Lynott's Grand Slam. He wrote many of Grand Slam's songs together with Phil Lynott and Mark Stanway, some of ...
(lead guitar)
*Chris Clowsley (guitar)
*Rob Wolverson (guitar)
*Colin Bond (bass)
*Steve Graystone (Drums)
Stampede today consists of original founding members Reuben and Laurence Archer and Colin Bond, along with new additions Chris Clowsley (guitar) and drummer Stevie G (Steve Graystone). In 2010, during the recording of new studio album ''A Sudden Impulse'', Laurence became unavailable for recording for a period of time due to work commitments. As a result, the band brought in guitarist Rob Wolverson for outstanding writing and recording duties.
Discography
*''Days of Wine and Roses'' EP - (Polydor Records 1982)
#"Days of Wine and Roses"
#"Moving On"
#"Photographs"
#"Missing You"
*''The Official Bootleg'' Live album - (Polydor Records, 1982)
#"Missing You"
#"Moving On"
#"Days of Wine and Roses"
#"Hurricane Town"
#"Shadows of the Night"
#"Baby Driver"
#"The Runner"
#"There and Back"
*''Hurricane Town'' Studio album - (Polydor Records, 1983)
#"I've Been Told"
#"Love Letters"
#"Casino Junkie"
#"The Other Side"
#"Turning in Circles"
#"Hurricane Town"
#"Girl"
#"The Runner"
#"Mexico"
*"The Other Side" 7" Single - (Polydor Records, 1983)
#"The Other Side"
#"The Runner"
*''Hurricane Town'' - Re-mastered & Re-released studio album - (Rock Candy Records, 2006)
#"I've Been Told"
#"Love Letters"
#"Casino Junkie"
#"The Other Side"
#"Turning in Circles"
#"Hurricane Town"
#"Girl"
#"The Runner"
#"Mexico"
#"Midnight at the Moulin Rouge" (Lautrec - bonus track)
#"Red Light Ruby" (Lautrec - bonus track)
#"Mean Gasoline" (Lautrec - bonus track)
#"Shoot Out the Lights" (Lautrec - bonus track)
*''A Sudden Impulse'' Studio album - (Grind That Axe/Rock Candy Records, 2011)
#"Send Me Down an Angel"
#"Jessie"
#"Having Fun"
#"Make a Change"
#"Hard Rock Hell"
#"This Road"
#"Homeward Bound"
#"Shame on You"
#"Natural Disaster"
#"Humble Pie"
#"Flaming Gold"
#"Recharged" (bonus track)
#"Flaming Gold" - Acoustic version (bonus track)
See also
*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands
The mid-late 1970s–early 1980s period in the United Kingdom introduced a movement of young musicians, generally identified as the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM). The movement spawned more than a thousand hard rock ...
References
External links
Stampede official websiteRock Candy Records Stampede Catalogue page
{{Authority control
English hard rock musical groups
English heavy metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1981
Heavy metal musical groups from London
Musical groups disestablished in 1983
Musical groups reestablished in 2009
New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups