Guv'Nor arose from the ashes of the Darlington pub rock band 'The Defendants' who had disappeared into the musical sea without trace in 2000. The lads had...
Guv'Nor arose from the ashes of the Darlington pub rock band 'The Defendants' who had disappeared into the musical sea without trace in 2000. The lads had learned well from the Defendants experience and blended a classic rock approach, with a larger then normal slice of punk. They have tongues stuck very definitely in their cheeks when it comes to playing covers. You could say that no song is sacred when Guv'Nor are on stage. A punk version of Joe Jacksons 'Is She Really Going Out With Him', a reggae rendition of Bad Co's 'Feel Like Makin' Love' and a heavy interpretation of Britney's 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' are just a taste of what the audience may experience at a Guv'Nor gig. Their shows are, and always will be, a different experience! This down to earth rocking manner allowed the band to gig successfully on the pub circuit of the North East of England.
In addition the original material, penned mainly by Zammo and Stu, was becoming increasingly popular in the live sets. In 2003 the lads recorded the 'Paradise Road' album. Originally designed as a demo recording it comprised 10 original numbers, and surprised the lads by selling well at gigs and through the band website (www.guvnor.net) Yeah, okay, maybe the production was raw, but the songs stand the test of time, and 'Taken For A Fool', 'Maggie's Boy', 'Easy For You' and 'Looking Back Slowly' are all numbers that the band still gig.
2007 was a difficult year for the band. Personal problems for members and personnel changes meant that most of the year was left to recording, but wow.....!!!!! Out of the abyss came the 'Judas' album. This time professionally produced, 12 tracks of real quality on the Weedspell label. Here we had old favorites like 'The Martyr' and 'Dog Star' finally put down on a cd, alongside brand new numbers such as 'Naked In The Rain' and 'Requiem'; gig stalwarts such as 'Santorini Nights' and 'Little Man' are there, and the album even boasts two songs inspired by life on Teeside – 'Vanity' and 'Teeside Son' neither of which will earn the lads a job with the Teeside tourist board but what the hell, tell it as it is!!!!
'Judas' will be available from Amazon.co.uk or from the band website from Feb 18th 2008.
