Click HERE for a list of our gigs to come!!!
October 2009 This month we've both some happy and sad news to report. Firstly, congratulations to Chris and Amy who tied the knot again in style on the 10th October. From what we can remember it was an awesome do, only spoilt by 4 pished musicians later on that evening! (Chris wasnt drinking!!). Once again congratulations and all our best wishes from the rest of the guys! On a sadder note I'd just thought I'd mention the sad passing of a good friend to our (and many others) band. Diane (or Di as everyone knew her) sadly passed away on the 17th. Di was at our very first gig and many more until ill health prevented her and was a great supporter of the band. We offer our heartfelt condolences to all her family. R.I.P Di Ok, on to a bit of better news. Stagefright in the new year will be undergoing a transformation with the band concentrating primarily on a new project to run jointly with Stagefright. We've been announcing it on stage for the last few weeks so this won't be a surprise to anyone really so we'd like to annnounce the formation of.......
As the name suggests, we're going to be performing a tribute to Def Leppard. We're hard at work in rehearsals for this tricky and demanding new project and also recording a 4 track promo CD for promoters and such like. If you want to hear a sneak preview then click here! Definitely Leppard will be the priority for the guys with Stagefright taking a back seat with limited gigs planned. Stay tuned for further announcements and an upcoming website and gig list. |
August 2009 Plenty happening in the land of Stagefright recently. Firstly thanks to RoTN webmaster and Mr. Chief Bassist Joe Lally for helping out on the sound for the last few gigs whilst Sheree was on holiday. Joe did a great job, many thanks mate! Also, we'd like to welcome another ex-Alcatraz employee to the Stagefright ranks. Mr Sam North will be joining us as technical crew (that's roadie in old money) and bringing his hard work and experience to the fold! Welcome aboard Sam! OK, now you may remember some time ago that vocalist Matt Black was due to leave the band in August for other projects and that we would be announcing his replacement.......well here goes..... Matt Blacks replacement is none other than......
Matt Black!!!! Yes in true Doctor Who style, Matt has morphed into himself and will still be handling vocal duties for Stagefright for (we hope) many moons!! Matt will be leaving A Foreigners Journey in October time and will be devoting his talent between us and Invisible Idols. Welcome back Matt!! (but he never went!! -ed)
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May 2009 Its been a couple of months since our last report so here's the latest from the land of Stagefright! Singer Matt Black has been busy with his origininal band Invisible Idols both in the studio, recording their first demo and also securing some high profile support slots. All the band info and details can be found on www.invisibleidols.com Check them out!!! Drummer Christian Hayes took a trip to Mississippi in April to visit family and came back with a rather loud shirt and a speeding ticket. We added a couple of new songs to the set during our "downtime" with Extreme's Get The Funk Out and Europe's The Final Countdown both giving the set some fresh material and John's guitaring a workout!! Also added is Def Leppard's Hysteria with more tracks in the pipeline. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our appearance at the Bellhouse on May 8th . Guitarist John slipped a disc in his back whilst (in true rock n roll style) picking a pair of jeans off the floor! The bizarre injury left John unable to even stand up for 3 days then walking like John Wayne whilst recovering. Needless to say he's on the mend and getting stronger by the day. John would like to thank Eddie at the Bellhouse for his understanding and the rest of the Stagefright guys for mucking in extra hard. It's the first (and hopefully the last) gig John has had to pull in his entire career!! So the 23rd saw Stagefright at the Royston Klondyke, where John's old friend Damian Twigg took some great snaps of the band. There's also some video footage on facebook from the gig (check out the media page). We've a few weeks off now whilst Matt performs with AFJ and we'll be in rehearsals again getting some new songs ready for our return to Bellhouse at the end of June. We'll see you then!! |
Feb 2009 Well they say no news is good news but for Stagefright, it's been a mixed bag over the last couple of months. Fritefest went well for everyone concerned and raised a significant amount for Bluebell Wood. We said goodbye to Matt Bird and hello to Shaun Gill . We were going to say goodbye to Phil Toher and hello to Jamie Mallender but things got a bit confusing with Jamie bowing out at the 11th hour and Phil re-jigging his workload to enable him to stay. We also welcomed Shaun to the fold with his 1st official gig at Bellhouse on 30th January. The gig was a great success with us playing to a packed Bellhouse and receiving some great compliments after the gig. Stagefright are now currently learning some new songs in time for our gig at Birdwell. Matt Cooper has been a busy bee, with his other band A Foreigners Journey and his new original band Invisible Idols getting great coverage and some exciting gigs in the pipeline for 2009. Matt Cooper has therefore decided to concentrate on his new projects and after a lengthy notice period will depart Stagefright (probably summer 2009). We wish Matt the best of luck and continued success and they'll always be a place in our band and in our hearts for him. On his website www.mattblackofficial.com Matt issued the following statement...... "I have enjoyed every second performing with Stagefright and before when they were named Vertego with a slightly different line-up, each band member has been a pleasure to work with and I have learned practically everything I know from these guys, I am sad that I will have to leave but the demand for further commitments to my other projects will prove difficult fitting everything in from August 09 onwards. I have given 6 months notice as I value each band members friendship and hope that they will find someone suitable to fit the bill and take over as acting the fool at the front. The band are still playing the current gigs and also aim to put in a few new songs into the set so theres nothing left to do but enjoy the time I've got left." So the search will soon start for a replacement for Matt.....so if you think you've got what it takes to join us then drop us a line, contacts are in the links section. I the meantime......... watch this space!!! |
Nov 2008 Stagefright are pleased to announce they will team up with the fantastic Doncaster rockers "ROCK LEGACY" and 80's legend JOHN PARR to perform at the Eastwood View in Rotherham on 14th December 08 as part of the Fritenite Fund Raiser. Fritenite's equipment and stageshow were stolen and van burnt out recently and the show is to raise funds to help them back on the road again. Fritenite will also perform on the night. This event looks likely to be the first performance with the new "MkIII" lineup and promises to have some new songs ready for then! Rehearsals were due to start this week but due to a breakout of family illnesses and heavy labour pains, we've had to reschedule! This however gives John more time to spent learning some very difficult guitar solos coming up! |
Oct 2008 Not 1 but 2 announcements to make!! Firstly the search is over to find Matt Finish's replacement. As announced on Friday at Ashfield, it's none other than ex-Alcatraz keysman and guitarist Mr Shaun Gill! Shaun brings with him a heap of talent and experience and the ability for us to widen our set and play a broader spectrum of songs. The other shock announcement this week is that founding member Phil Toher is sadly leaving us (do we smell or summat?) to return to day job land. Like many others at the moment, the credit crunch has hit us all and Phil's private jet and Maserati don't refuel themselves so he's taking a break to go back to work. Rumours that he's dusting off his sparkly thong and oiling up his pole ready for the Playgirl centerfold shoot are so far unconfirmed!! However, fear not as none other than ex FriteNite, Guns N Oatcakes, Baileys Comet and Tony Martin Bassist, Jamie Mallender will be joining us to cover the low note gap! As I'm sure you'll agree, an even stronger line up than before where the emphasis will be on Rock, rock and maybe just a little bit more rock thrown in for good measure!! Phil and Matt will be honouring the remaining gigs we have and rehearsals will start soon with the new lads. Stay tuned for 1 more announcement this week!! |
Oct 2008 Saturday 18th Saw Matt Black travel all the way to Glasgow for a special acoustic set at SAHBstock, a charity event organised by the members of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Matt played some of the Oskura tunes he and Zal Cleminson co wrote as well as some SAHB favourites. You can read what the punters thought of our very own Mr. Black. http://sahb.proboards79.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=883 and http://sahb.proboards79.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=884 Well done Matt!! |
Aug/Sep 2008 Well it's been a busy period for Stagefright behind the scenes. With a couple of storming packed gigs at Birdwell and Owton Manor in Hartlepool at the tail end of August, September saw guitarist John Hardman grab his eyeliner for the 2008 Sins of the Flesh European tour, playing in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, UK, Hungary, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain. A gruelling schedule involving some arduous travelling.
The band played some outstanding shows and were well looked after by promoters and fans alike. Auditions will begin soon to replace guitarist Matt Bird who is sadly leaving due to work commitments. Matt has been a stalwart member of Stagefright and invested his time, energy and considerable amounts of money into the band so although saddening, we fully understand his wish to pursue a career and "earn a bit back" especially when times are as tough as they are at the moment. We'll let you know any news asap. Speaking of tough times, we must apologise to people for the lack of gigs at the moment. We are as baffled as other people as to why we are not gigging more. Hopefully we can fill some gaps and come December, be back to a normal service. October sees Matt Black in Glasgow as a guest of Chris Glen and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band doing an acoustic set. Matt obviously is connected via his work with Zal Cleminson and will be performing some songs written by the two of them. Good luck Matt!! |
July 2008 Stagefright have been hard at work in rehearsals over the last couple of weeks getting some new songs together and polishing the set. Whilst other bands may be content to sit on their laurels, we will always try our best to bring fresh songs and the best show possible to the stage. Chris Hayes has settled in and brings an extra dimension musically and another set of backing vocals to the mix. Matt Bird is still excellent "eye candy" as well as a formidable guitarist in the making. John and Phil are still oldies but goodies. Matt Black is fast becoming THE frontman everyone is talking about. We've received some great compliments and praise recently, both from fans far and wide, and from other bands, most notably Rock Legacy. We'd like to thank everyone for their great support and enthusiasm, especially coming to gigs when the scene is going through a bit of a rough patch and times are hard for all of us. Your support is extremely welcome and valued!
We're hoping to stick a fans page on the website soon so you can send photos in and we can put them on as well as us taking some of you we hope! |
February 2008 Stagefright played to a packed Skellow Grange club on the 16th this month and would like to take the time to say thanks to all those who came to check us out on a bitterly cold night and supporting your local club. Big thanks to the club too who were also plaeased with the turnout! Big thanks to Paul Flanaghan from Chris's old band Alcatraz for his compliments at the end and for coming to see us again. It's a bit of a wait till the next gig at Ashfield (through no fault of ours) and we hope to see alot of you back there supporting us. We also hope to be playing some smaller, lower key gigs around the pub circuit also and to that effect have been hard in rehearsal (ooh er!) polishing some off.....new songs that is. More rock is the order of the day as a priority but we'll be adding hefty amounts of cheese also, especially for those clubs that (even though they've booked a rock band) say "Yer not a rock band are you?" We also hope to be recording some of our stuff for a CD which should be available at gigs in the near future. So thanks for dropping by and we hope to see ya all soon. |
January 2008Stagefright are sad to announce the impending departure of founder member Ryan Ford. As was stated in previous news, Ryan and Sarah are due to have their 3rd child in the Spring and with family and increasing work commitments, Ryan has felt the need to take a break from rock'n'roll. We wish him and Sarah all the best and thank Ryan for his hard work and commitment to Stagefright. So, that leaves some big workman like boots to fill. Who to call? Hmmmmm.... Cozy Powell, nah he's stuck on the M25 in't he? The gorilla from the Cadbury's advert?......Nah he'll want too much money! So who then.............(cue drum roll) Ladies and gentlemen the new drummer for Stagefright is..........ex Alcatraz skin beater MR. CHRISTIAN HAYES!!!!!! As a small feline was prematurely let out of the bag some time ago, here it is officially. We welcome Christian to the Stagefright ranks and are pleased to announce his debut will be at Birdwell Social club on Saturday 26th Jan.
Yes after much bribing with beer and saucy picture we are ecstatic to have Chris on board. We've already rehearsed and it sounds awesome. New songs to come as well in the near future as well as a re-vamped sound system and lights! We'll see you soon!!! |
December 2007 Due to a booking error, we didn't play at the excellent Dorman's Long Utd on Saturday 15th. We'd seen another band advertised and just before we were about to load all the gear up, we'd thought we'd just double check.....good thing we did as the club confirmed they had someone else and calls to agents confirmed the cock-up! The day off was spent productively in the pub!! So that leaves Stagefright with just 1 gig for December on New Years Eve! John celebrates another year of getting grumpier on the 22nd and then it's gonna be 2008. We hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous new year and hope 2008 will be an even more exciting time for us at Stagefright. |
November 2007 Well it's been a hectic couple of months for the Stagefright guys and gals. First up is the news that there are 2 new additions to the family. At the end of September , guitarist John celbrated the arrival of a daughter, Poppy Olivia and just a week ago Sarah & Ryan who are expecting another baby, found out that this time it's gonna be a boy! Congrats to everyone! On the music front, John has come back from his UK & European tour with Sins Of Th Flesh with some great stories and even better Russian vodka. Highlights were Whitby Festival and Islington Academy as well as Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Matt Black has joined a new "supergroup" by the name of Obscurer....no sorry that's not right they're called OSKURA! Featuring the mighty talents of none other than Zal Cleminson from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Danny Needham from every club band worth mentioning and The Tony Martin Band, Jamie Mallender from The Tony Martin Band and Buzz Lightyear, sorry Bardot from Ze Suicide. I knew it was a mistake introducing them at the Bailey's Comet gig! They're looking to start gigging in the spring at the latest and currently in rehearsals and writing original material. Stagefright are gearing up for Christmas and look forward to seeing you soon!! Have a great Xmas and New Year!!! |
July 2007 Stagefright are proud to announce that they will be headlining this year's Ruskin's Festival, once again to be held in Tudor Square (in between The Crucible and Lyceum Theatres) on Saturday 18th August. This is an all afternoon event with some great local bands hitting the stage from about 12pm. Check the local press for more details to come soon. Hopefully soon we should have some posters for venues and the artwork available for download by anyone wanting copies. Guitarist John Hardman will be swanning off on tour late October and early November kicking off at the Whitby Goth festival with band Sins of the Flesh, then heading to Switzerland, Finland, Italy and Russia! Depending on gigs the band will either take a break or (if skint!) recruit a temporary stand in! Best of luck John and don't forget yer long john's!!!! Thanks to everyone who's coming to see us and spreading the word. We continue to work hard improving both our sound and showmanship and getting better with each gig! Thanks to our friends, family and fans and to all the guys and gals involved in Stagefright for their efforts. |
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| StageFright are pleased to announce the addition of a sound engineer. Striving a blow for equality (and because she's very good) we've aquired the services of Sheree Fowler. Sheree has previosly worked with Guns 'N' Oatcakes and has a wealth of experience. Welcome aboard Sheree! |
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25.04.07 Just put another load of pics onto a second gallery page. Have updated the gear section and obviously the gig list is looking a bit fuller. As soon as I get them I'll put them up. We start recording some tracks in the studio this week. The plan being to do a cd for sale at gigs and also to get some on the site! Next up will be the posters! Everyone's very welcome to leave feedback (good or bad) on the guestbook....just don't get personal!! See you soon!! |
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10.04.07 Hope everyone has had a good easter. The gallery has some new pics on there and also some pics from the Dez Bailey Birthday Bash. Stagefright had a few technical problems this weekend but managed through and would like to thank the concert chairman at Skellow Grange for helping out with our sudden lack of lights!! Nice one mate!! Hopefully we'll be airing a couple of new songs in the next week or two so we hope to see you soon! Thanks!! |
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31st March saw Stagefright as guests at Dez Bailey's Birthday Bash at the Midland at Killamarsh. Dez was celebrating not only his birthday but a glittering career in music, along with family, friends and special guests, which included Graham Oliver, Pete Gill and Steve Dawson from Saxon and Danny Needham, Jamie Mallender and John Hardman re-living their Baileys Comet line up. Neil and Mel Gabbitas (ex Tracy Hunter Band) along with Darren Oldale performed as house band The Four Fivers. Stagefright's very own Matt Black sang on 3 Baileys Comet originals and Stagefright themselves took to the stage later to run through some covers for the packed crowd. The music and beer went on till the early hours and a fantastic night was had by all! The guys would like to thank everyone who came and especially to Dez for asking us. It was a great honour to play and perform with some great musicians. Wish we could do it every year!!! We'll get some photos on the gallery asap! |
Wecome to Stagefright!!! |
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Hello and welcome to our new website for the Stagefright. We hope you like it. Well who are we? We formed in September 2006 under the guise of Vertego who had split up leaving Ryan Ford (drums) searching for a band to continue. Enter John Hardman on guitars who Ryan had wanted to work with for a long time and who had been in the kind of bands Ryan wanted to aspire to. John then recruited Phil Toher on bass who needed something else to do aside from going to the pub. That just left the crucial 2nd guitar and vocalist! After much searching and at very short notice along came Matt Bird on guitar who despite his youth, showed the maturity, humour and ability we were after. Matt B knows a singer who we ask along and again we are blown away for a second time! Two awesome finds to complete the jigsaw. The band went out as Vertego, combining classic rock and modern day classics until January 2007 when the band decided to change agency. In steps Graham Platts who suggested that with a fresh start shound come a fresh name......how about Stagefright! So that's our new name. Even though the name has changed, the band remains the same and StageFright (that's our new name if you hadn't guessed!) still remain 100% live and we're still playing classic and modern rock from the 70's right up to now. Classic tracks from Queen, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams as well as new stuff like Stereophonics, The Killers, U2 and everything inbetween. So, StageFright are ready to go, we have our guitars, we have our awesome P.A and light show, we have our hairspray (well John at least), we even have clean socks and pants so all we need now is the audience.....that's you! So get yourselves down to your nearest W.M.C and get ready for one of the best bands on clubland. We promise you won't be disappointed! |
