NE Guitars

BERNIE MARSDEN 

A Tribute To The Whitesnake Guitarist 

+ 

PAUL DI’ANNO TALKS 

Former Iron Maiden Star in Session 

NEGUITARS 

Conquest Special 

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Back in the North East 

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www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

NE GUITARS 

Editorial 

Paul George - Editor 

Jane Shields - Assistant Editor & 

Social Media Manager 

Mark Taylor - Marketing Manager 

Guest Author - Michelle Taylor 

Guest Author - Lee Ethrington 

Review Specialist - Danny Mayes 

Conquest Music 

Alan Bambrough 

alan@conquestmusic.co.uk 

Cliff Evans 

cliff@conquestmusic.co.uk 

www.conquestmusic.co.uk 

WELCOME... 

Special Issue 


Hello Readers and welcome to the NE 

Guitars Special celebrating everything 

Conquest Music. Yes, in this special issue we are 

looking at the artists and the wonderful music 

that comes from our Brothers-In-Music who we 

have had a great relationship with from day one 

of our magazine. 

It all started when Hillbilly Vegas came to town 

in the early summer, who just happens to be our cover story in this issue. But 

since then, we have enjoyed a bit of a partnership and covered some great names 

including a memorial to Whitesnakes legendary guitarist, Bernie Marsden in 

Issue No:4 and a promotional interview with former Iron Maiden front man Paul 

Di’Anno. Both of those stories are available to read in this issue with a few more of 

my own best choices from our first half dozen issues. 

We will also be looking at a few reviews on equipment that I enjoyed including the 

Tennesse Tel EDG Custom Guitar reviewed by our very own Danny Mayes. While 

I got into the Blackstar Debut 30E guitar amp, a peach of a small amp which has 

proudly joined my rig. 

NE Guitars and Conquest Music 

would like to thank all contributors, 

authors, photographers, advertisers 

and all of our readers and 

subscribers. Without you this 

publication would not be possible. 

All intellectual property rights, 

including copyrights, trademarks 

rights and database rights with 

respect to the information, texts, 

images, logos, photographs and 

illustrations NE Guitars and with 

respect to the layout and design 

of the website are protected by 

intellectual property rights and 

belong to NE Guitars or entitled 

third parties. The reproduction 

or making available in any way or 

form of the contents of the website 

without prior written consent from 

NE Guitars is not allowed. 

But the main focus is on the wonderful artists and bands from the Conquest 

Music label. As I said earlier, our main feature is from our friends across the pond, 

Hillbilly Vegas. In fact, this special issue was originally conceived to support 

the second coming of our Oklahoma friends back to Trillians in Newcastle on 

November 27th. I was lucky enough to witness their first outing back in July and 

by ‘eck did they blow me away. Their music has that wonderful blend of Country, 

Rock, a little Blues and, dare I say, a little dab of Rockabilly all the ingredients you 

normally find in a great Southern Rock band, and these guys have it in spades. 

But it’s not just their music, I popped back stage and chatted to the band for a while 

before the gig and found them as homely, fun and modest as you can get. Truly 

a great bunch of lads. During an interview for the July edition, I got to chat with 

guitarist, Stacy Thornburg for a while, that interview is still available to read on line. 

We both met at the gig in Newcastle and a friendship was born. 

So here you have it, the Conquest Special from NE Guitars Magazine. Please do 

enjoy and remember to go online and chat to us on our Facebook page or link up 

with us on our website. Better still why not Subscribe to us completely free and 

ensure you get the latest issues in your inbox every month. We promise, no spam. 

On a final note, since I wrote the intro above, we received the sad news that Paul 

Di’Anno passed away in October. Our sincerest condolences are extended to Paul’s 

family and Conquest Music at this sad time. 

That’s it, Take care all. 

Paul, Alan, 

The NE Guitars Team and Conquest Music Team 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 03

Contents 

Conquest Music Issue 

P10 

Hillbilly Vegas 

The boys are back in Newcastle for the 

second time this year. We look into our 

favourite Southern Rock band in detail. 

P20 

Bernie Marsden: 

An indepth look at the late Whitesnake 

guitar legend, his music, his career and 

his life with his family. 

26 

18 

P28 

Paul Di’Anno 

In one of Paul’s final interviews, we take a 

look at the Iron Maiden former frontman 

along with his amazing career. 

04 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

In Focus 

10 Hillbilly Vegas 

Oklahoma’s finest back in the UK and back with 

NE Guitars magazine. 

20 Bernie Marsden 

A look in to the life, the music and the career of 

the legendary Whitesnake guitarist. 

28 Paul Di’Anno 

NE Guitars in conversation with the former Iron 

Maiden frontman in what was one of his final 

interviews before his death. 

36 Willie Dowling 

The 21st Century Renaissance Man by Conquest 

Music’s very own Alan Bambrough 

44 Redline 

The Birmingham Rock Band famed for the 

TV theme for the IoM TT Races, King of the 

Mountain. 

46 Mickey Jupp 

The greatest songwriter you’ve never heard by 


50 The Ugly Guys 

Ant their amazing album ‘Cover My Tracks 

52 Book of Revalations 

An interview by Gerard Freeman 

56 Thieves of Liberty 

An insight in to the Sunderland Rock band prior 

to their gig at Trillions supporting Hillbilly Vegas. 

Reviews 

06 Blackstar Debut 30E 

We review Blackstar’s newest and most exciting 

retro amplifier on it’s recent release. 

36 Axe in Focus - Tennessee Tel 

Danny puts the new EDG Telecaster style guitar 

through it’s paces and reports his findings. 

ON THE COVER 


Page 10 

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your business in our pages is so worthwhile. It 

also doesn’t have to cost the earth. Check out 

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www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk/advertise 

Or why not give us a call or email us and talk to 

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Tel: 07546 656143 Email: editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 


REVIEW 

Welcome to another NE Guitars Magazine review and I have to say I am very excited about this month’s 

offerings. Released on 20th August is the newest of the Blackstar Debut series, the Debut 30E. Some 

could be forgiven for thinking this little amp is just filling the gap between the 10E and 15E and the 50R 

and 100R but the 30E has it’s own quality and definitely it’s own voice. Let’s learn more. 

Review by Paul George 

Blackstar have a great reputation 

amongst the guitarist fraternity 

building solid and great 

sounding amplifiers. 

The current Debut series has caught 

my eye recently not only for their 

tones but also that attractive retro 

look. Friend of NE Guitars, Blues 

guitarist and also a 2nd dan black 

belt in the art of Blackstar Amps, 

Michelle Taylor, first directed me 

over to Blackstar to open relations in 

promoting their products and almost 

instantly, I had a demo model of the 

brand new Debut 30E thrust upon 

me and I have to say, my socks were 

blown off. 

Before I get into my findings, I 

must stress that the review is honest 


Subscribe! Blackstar 

and not a fixed product 

review aimed at selling the 

amp. Relationships with 

the big companies are, of 

course, important but more 

important are the customers 

that buy them. I could 

not, in good conscience, 

bluff my report for gain, so 

be assured that what I tell 

you is what I have found. 

OK, now we are sitting 

comfortably, we’ll begin. 

The Debut 30E comes in 

two attractive retro looks. They 

are vintage cream and oxblood, 

or black and ‘biscuit’ basketweave 

styling. My demo model was the 

vintage cream and oxblood which 

I loved. Aesthetically, this works 

beautifully with my Gretsch rig, being 

an old rockabilly. But looks aren’t 

everything. 

So looking at the top of the amp, 

again, I love the look of the knobs, 

very 50’s. The controls are simple 

and, as Blackstar say, it’s all about the 

tone without the bells and whistles. 

So you have a Gain, Volume, Bass, 

Middle, Treble and patented ISF 

(Infinite Shape Feature). This is 

a great little tool for shaping your 

tone to your own personal sound. 

Next we have the Delay effect which 

was the winner for me. I have been 

hunting for a ‘tape echo ‘ effect for 

my rockabilly tones. For those that 

read my review last month I tried out 

a tape echo unit which I have to say 

wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong 

it was a great unit but I just couldn’t 

quite get on with it. But the TE 

effect on the Debut 30E is brilliant! 

Just what I was after. One button to 

turn it on and off and one control to 

increase or decrease the effect. Even 

I can get my brain around that. The 

tone is classic but full bodied and 

simple to use, so at this point, thank 

you Blackstar, you have found the 

answer to an ongoing question for 

me. Happy dayz!! 

So also on the control panel is an 

audio input for jamming along to 

your tunes / backing tracks and a 

headphone socket to facilitate silent 

practice. There is also an overdrive 

switch so you can flick from the 

clean to the rocky blues tones which 

is outstanding by the way. I find 

with some small practice amps this 

can be a little tinny and empty. The 

overdrive on the Debut 30E is full of 

tone and body. 

The amp has a 10” speaker fitted 

capable of kicking out 30 watts 

making it an ideal practice amp. All 

in all, for the beginner and pro alike, 

for practicing it covers all the bases 

and produces a great, classic Blackstar 

sound. But it’s a practice amp... or is 

it? 

You see, I have fallen in love with 

the tone of this particular model 

but wanted a bit more for my gigs, 

bearing in mind that I mostly play 

pubs. 30 Watts wasn’t quite powerful 

enough for me, I know Blackstar have 

the 50R and 100R but they come with 

the standard reverb as I’m lead to 

believe. I love the Tape Echo sound 

and I love the look so I decided 

to poke my SM57 at the centre of 

the speaker and run it through the 

PA. Bingo! I have the sound I have 

been looking for, an authentic 1950’s 

rock ‘n’ roll tone very similar to that 

wonderful ‘Sun Recording Studio’ 

age. Honestly folks, I have never had 

that one particular sound that I have 

always wanted but lo and behold, 

here it is. 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 07 11

REVIEW 

In Conclusion 

Notice how I said, at the start of this review that 

this was going to be honest and not influenced by 

Blackstar at all. Well I have been true to my word 

but with my hand on my heart, I love the Debut 

30E. 

Pro’s 

It looks beautiful no matter which finish you 

choose, it sounds as good as it looks, it is simplistic 

and ideal for our beginners. An easy to use 3 

band equalizer with the ISF and Tape Echo delay 

compliment a well built unit. 

Con’s 

I am really stretching it here, in an ideal world, I 

would love a 50 watt version with the tape echo 

effect. But that’s it. I cannot find anything else that 

I can criticise on this amp, and that’s the truth. I 

challenge you all to differ from my findings. 

To Summarise 

Beautiful, simple, great tone, great value. The 

Debut 30E is a great amplifier for those who are 

starting out, want a good practice amp., or are just 

looking for something that doesn’t have a million 

modelling tones and a thousand effects. I had 

great sounds on all three of my main guitars with 

a variety of pickup combinations and loved the 

overdive and tape echo effect. This amp is a winner. 

I think you all get the message on how we rate this. 

The retail price, I feel, is very fair at around £180. A 

footswitch can be bought separately for Clean / OD 

and Effects On / Off which I would recommend if 

you plan to use this for gigs. 

You can find out more about the 

Blackstar Debut 30E plus the full Debut 

range on their website right here: 

https://blackstaramps.com/debut-30e 


BLACKSTAR DEBUT 30E 


IN FOCUS

Article By: 

Paul George/ Stacy Thornburg 

Images: 

Rockrpix/ GI Joe Ward 

Hillbilly Vegas, the 

enigmatic, hardworking 

rock band from 

Oklahoma are back on the road 

again with their Long Way Back 

Tour. 

They make a welcome return to 

the UK this Summer, following 

their first ever bout of touring on 

these shores earlier this year. 

Jaw dropping performances 

gained Hillbilly Vegas rave reviews 

and a host of new followers, eager 

to see Oklahoma’s finest grace our 

stages again. 

“To be honest, we were shocked 

by the level of response on our 

first tour of the UK, from the 

fans of Luke Morley – who was 

a great and very friendly guy 

– and then at our own shows,” 

says frontman Steve Harris. “It 

was exciting that so many people 

bought tickets to see us. From the 

moment we arrived in the country 

we couldn’t have been made any 

more welcome. One of the greatest 

things was that we kept on seeing 

familiar faces every night, there 

were people that followed us 

around from town to town, city 

to city.” The tour also included a 

spot for Hillbilly Vegas at Planet 

Rock’s Winter’s End Festival in 

Wales, which many chose as their 

highlight of the weekend. 

Hillbilly Vegas are delighted to 

announce dynamic 4-piece hard 

rockers The Howling Tides as 

special guests on the July dates. 

They’ve built their reputation and 

momentum with some power 

house releases and with highprofile 

festival successes. Planet 

Rocks verdict: “The Howling 

Tides are a gimmick-free band 

who play muscular rock delivered 

with brute force.” This USA / UK 

pairing will prove an irresistible 

cocktail of great new rock bands. 

To celebrate the announcement 

of the UK ‘Long Way Back’ Tour, 

Hillbilly Vegas release their brandnew 

video of forthcoming single 

“Shake It Like a Hillbilly”. 


https://www.youtube.com/ 

watch?v=3oNfgnLFfvo 

Shake It Like a Hillbilly has been 

remixed by legendary producer 

Dave Eringa (Manic Street 

Preachers, The Who, Bernie 

Marsden) and is set to be the 

soundtrack to your Summer. This 

good time banger was released 

on digital platforms on 26th April 

2024. 

https://slinky.to/ 

ShakeItLikeaHillbilly 

Whether on stages big or small, 

Hillbilly Vegas have learned how 

to make every audience feel like 

an important part of the show. An 

accomplished frontman and 

keen raconteur, Steve Harris tells 

stories, reveals the inspiration 

about his songs, and where 

appropriate they throw in covers 

of material that played a part in 

developing the band’s sound. On 

the last tour it was Frankie Miller’s 

‘Down The Honkytonk’, which 

fitted them like a glove. 

Following their Long Way Back 

Tour this Summer, Hillbilly Vegas 

are already confirmed to return to 

the UK later this year. 

They will perform at Planet 

Rockstock and WinterStorm 

festivals as part of the touring for 

their forthcoming album. 

Tickets for Planet Rockstock here: 

https://planetrockstock.gigantic. 

com/planet-rockstock-tickets/ 

porthcawl-park-dean-holidaypark/2024-11-28-00-00 

In Focus - Hillbilly Vegas 

Get WinterStormtickets here: 

https://www.skiddle.com/reps/ 

repallevents.php?lid=1711665 

Put Hillbilly Vegas in front of an 

audience, any audience, and they 

will win them over – guaranteed. 

NEG Interview With Hillbilly 

Vegas Guitarist Stacy Thornburg 

I have been so looking forward 

to HBV’s gig at Trillions in July, 

so much so that I had to get in 

touch with them and have a nice 

techy chat before they arrived on 

England’s fair shores. Thankfully, 

their guitarist Stacy Thornburg 

was more than happy to sit down 

with me and have a chat. So 

one damp June morning, we got 

together and did just that. 

NEG: So tell me a little bit about 

Hillbilly Vegas. 

ST: Well, I have been a member 

of Hillbilly Vegas for the last 10 

years. The band started in 2009. 

They’ve been through some 

lineup changes just from families 

growing and things like that. 

We’ve all been friends or known of 

each other in some way, form or 

fashion for years. And the 


opportunity arose and the offer 

was extended and I decided that 

instead of being a metal guitar 

player that I would join Hillbilly 

Vegas and completely change and 

relearn how to play the guitar. I’ll 

tell you what, the last 10 years, it’s 

been quite a ride. 

NEG: I listened to ‘ Shake It Like 

A Hillbilly’. If I could project 

how I hear it, there’s a little bit of 

that Southern Rock, a little bit of 

Rockabilly and that little bit of 

country and it all works. It just 

sounds fabulous. Am I sort of 

running down the right line? 

ST: Yeah, there are a lot of 

influences in what we do. At the 

end of the day, we love all of the 

rock music, Rockabilly, the Stray 

Cats, Reverend Horton Heat, 

the Coffin Cats, all those guys, I 

dig them for years. I obviously 

don’t delve deep enough into that 

because there’s so much good 

Rockabilly. Yeah. But, you know, 

at the end of the day, we’re a rock 

band from Oklahoma and, you 

know, we are what we are. We’re 

just we’re fortunate that we’re 

getting to play what we feel and 

not have to fit a round peg in a 

square hole anymore. 

NEG: Am I right in saying that it 

is a re-release? 

ST: When I joined the band 10 

years ago, this was something 

they had in their archive. It was 

actually a Put Together song. And 

I asked them, I said, why aren’t 

you guys doing this song? And 

Steve said, because it’s crap. And 

we went in and we did a retool 

on it. And what you hear is what 

came together finally, you know, 

and this has been our song that 

just opens so many doors for us. 

We’ve been very fortunate to have 

one of those in our career. Yeah. 

So, you know, it’s a great tune to 

play every night. People get off on 

it. They dance around. They shake 

their butts. They sing it back to us. 

That’s one of the funnest parts is, 

you know, it’s not a cerebral song 

by any means. You know a couple 

of lines in it, and you know the 

words you can sing along. 

NEG: I’m looking forward to 

hearing it live when you guys are 

in Newcastle. Obviously, you’re 

the guitarist. So tell me about your 

guitar. 

ST: So let’s start off with the guitar 

itself. I’ve been a Gibson guy for 

years. I love the big, fat sound of 

a Les Paul played through a really 

nice tube amp. Yeah. Really, at the 

end of the day, how can you screw 

that up. 

NEG: What kind of strings do 

you use for your guitar? 

ST: We are endorsed. A good 


friend of ours, Jeff Lantroop, who 

owns Apex Strings. We’ve been 

with Apex now for about three 

or four years. Jeff has taken really 

good care of us, always made sure 

that we’ve got our care package 

right before we go out on tour. I 

play 10 through 42s on all of my 

guitars. I delved into the nines 

for a while. And as I played and 

my grip got stronger, I realized 

that I was wrenching it out of 

intonation just by sheer force from 

my hands. So I’ve gone to tens. 

That’s pretty much what I use. All 

the guys in the band use them. 

Todd, our bass player, has a deal 

with a different string company. 

And I can’t tell you who they 

are right now. There’s a bunch of 

them. But Apex Strings has always 

been great to us, taking good 

care of us. You know, I’m one of 

those guys that I love the brilliant 

sound of brand new strings. And 

I wish that I knew that I changed 

them before every gig. But I get 

lazy when we’re out and we’re, 

you know, night after night. So I 

usually will try to get two or three 

or four shows out of it before I 

start whining to somebody about 

needing to change strings. But I 

got away from tremolos a long 

time ago. We used to use Floyd 

Roses on everything. Now, I’ve 

got a couple of guitars that have 

got Bigsby’s on them. If a Bigsby is 

set up properly, they work great. 

But you’ve got to set them up 

and you’ve got to know how to 

wind the strings and the whole 

stretch and the whole nine yards. 

But I love the sound of a Bigsby. 

I probably prefer it over a Floyd 

Rose than anything, just because 

of the classic sound. 

NEG: Let’s go down the line and 

we get to your pedal system. I’m 

quite interested in what kind of 

effects might you use or was it an 

amp set up 

ST: Like I said, I’m a fan of tube 

amps. A year or so ago, we got 

endorsed by Orange Amps. And 

I’m a tube guy. I’m a tone snob. 

That doesn’t mean I have the best 

tone, but it means I’m always 

chasing tone. And I love what I’ve 

been able to get from the Oranges. 

I mean, I pretty much 12 o’clock 

them and get a great sound right 

out of the box. Yeah. As far as 

pedals are concerned, I don’t use 

a lot of pedals when we’re on tour 

because it’s a point of failure. I 

Just started using the Shure pedal 

wireless, which we brought out on 


tour with us when we were in the 

UK this last time and love those. 

It worked great. I like to have a 

sonic stomp in my pedal chain. 

I like how it allows me different 

voicings. I use a clean boost. I’ve 

got a divided by 13 treble boost 

that I got from a friend years ago. 

And it gives you that tele spank 

with a less Paul if you said it right. 

Yeah. And then, of course, I’ve got 

a Klon pedal on my board right 

now for a little extra grit, a little 

extra sustain or whatever. But 

usually it’s pretty much straight 

into the amp and just roll with 

that. 

NEG: Any other kit that you 

might use on the stage, you know, 

the kind of stuff? 

ST: Well, I’ll give you a funny little 

story. I was telling you about being 

a Les Paul guy. I went probably 

12, 15 years ago into a pawn shop 

here in town. I found a Les Paul 

that just felt like it belonged to 

me. You know how that goes. You 

pick up a guitar and the neck just 

feels right. It feels like it’s made 

for your hand. Yeah. And I found 

one of those Les Pauls and I didn’t 

really pay any attention to the 

serial number on the back. It was 


inked in. And I just figured it 

being a pawn shop, they had done 

their due diligence and they kind 

of knew what they had. So long 

story short, I bought the thing. I 

think I gave about twelve hundred 

bucks for it. American. Brought 

it home. Played it. It’s basically 

become my number two guitar. 

But we followed Ted Nugent on 

tour all summer long last year 

and had an accident where my 

guitar fell out of its case and 

broke the headstock. And when 

we started doing some research 

on that guitar, found out that it 

probably shouldn’t have been on 

tour with me. It ended up being 

somebody had done a refit on 

a 1954 Les Paul and had done a 

great job. Just beautiful. But like 

I said, the headstock broke, not 

just cracked, but broke. And Uncle 

Ted’s luthier on staff, Todd Baker, 

put it back together for me and I 

was playing it back on the stages 

on tour in two nights. And it 

played as good as ever. Brought it 

home. My guy has been working 

on it and said that when it’s done, 

it’ll be stronger than it ever was. 

And unless you’re just looking 

for it, you will never know that 

there’s anything any different of it. 

But that guitar is probably going 

to be retired and it’s going to be a 

recording guitar and something 

that we play here in our rehearsal 

spaces. But yeah, boys and 

girls, always check your serial 

numbers. We’ve got a lot of great 

endorsements. Jeff Carano and 

Jeff Babich with Babich Bridges 

and Full Contact Hardware have 

been super to us for probably the 

last six, seven years. Amazing, 

amazing bridges. I can’t even tell 

you enough about those. And 

then, like I said, we take a very 

minimalistic approach to how we 

make our sounds. We all kind of 

feel like the 70s, the late 60s, all 

the way up through the late 70s 

were the best time for rock and 

roll. And we all grew up through 

that time and we’ve embraced it. 

And we see a lot of similarities. 

We have people tell us that there 

are a lot of similarities in our 

sound. Once we finally accepted 

the fact that we weren’t a country 

band and that we’re not a heavy 

metal band or anything like that, 

that we’re just a good rock and 

roll band that happens to be from 

the South. And like I said, now 

we’re writing the stuff that comes 

from the heart and we love vintage 

tones. And, man, I’d like to think 

it’s working for us. 

NEG: So you’re back over here 

soon (In the UK). 

ST: Yeah, the support has been 

amazing. It’s why we’re looking 

forward to getting back over. 

We’ll be there in July, of course. I 

think our first show is the 17th of 

July. And we’ve got seven or eight 

shows all the way up through, I 


elieve, the 27th is our final show. 

Really looking forward to it. And, 

you know, when we’re talking 

about genres of music, I like to tell 

people that it’s just honest music. 

It’s coming from the heart. And, 

like I said, we’re so fortunate to be 

able to write and perform and play 

what we are all passionate about. 

NEG: Yeah. So, with the writing 

in mind, have you got anything in 

the future that might be coming 

out? 

ST: We are in the process of 

writing our next album right now. 

Our record label, Conquest. Alan 

Bambrough and Cliff Evans, who 

have been just fantastic for us. 

One of the first record labels that 

we’ve ever worked with that the 

guys actually did what they said 

they were going to do. And these 

guys have gone beyond, so they’ve 

been great. But having said all 

of that, yeah, we’ve got the next 

album being written and recorded 

right now. We’re several songs in. 

I think you’re going to dig what 

we’re coming out with. I feel like 

it’s some of the best stuff that we’ve 

ever written. Trying not to be too 

crazy with it and keep our vibe. 

When you start to become a little 

bit noticed on the spectrum, you 

have a tendency to try to write 

towards that direction, thinking 

that is going to keep you in these 

people’s sights. And we decided 

that we’re just going to write what 

comes from the heart. And it’s 

going to be a very diverse album. 

Not so diverse that we’re going to 

be playing opera or anything, but 

it’s cool. There’s some really, really 

good stuff coming out. And I’m 

excited for everybody to get to 

hear it. 


NEG: So this is now the point 

where you can tell the listeners 

and the readers exactly where they 

can find you online. 

ST: The best way to find Hillbilly 

Vegas is Google us. Our big joke 

from the stage is that we love 

to be Googled. We’re on all of 

the platforms, Spotify, Amazon, 

Deezer, just everything. Man, just 

put in Hillbilly Vegas and it will 

come up. 

NEG: Stacy, thank you so 

much for chatting to us a we 

look forward to meeting up in 

Newcastle on 18th July. 

Get up to date with Hillbilly Vegas 

right here. 

www.hillbilly-vegas.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

hillbillyvegasmusic 


They’re back! For the 

second time this year, the 

North East is privilleged to 

welcome back our friends from 

Oklahoma, the one and only 

‘Hillbilly Vegas’. 

Join Conquest Music and NE 

Guitars Magazine at Trillians, 

Newcastle as we enjoy the 

Southern Rock hits like ‘Shake it 

like a Hillbilly’, ‘Long way back’ 

and ‘Hell to pay’. 

Their brand of Southern Boogie 

with shades of Outlaw Country 

and Classic Rock are going to be 

bringing a welcome heat to the 

cold British winter. Conquest 

Music released the album The 

Great Southern Hustle’ to great 

acclaim with four Billboard Rock 

Top 10 singles from it so far. 

Hillbilly Vegas visited the UK 

earlier this year during July 

supported by the Howling Tides 



and with a guest appearance 

from Lorraine Crosby, 

the female vocalist for 

Meatloaf’s ‘I’d do anything 

for love’. 

This November’s show will 

be just as powerful and just 

as exciting, if not, so much 

more, as they rock the 

famous Newcastle venue 

which has become the 

band’s second home over 

here in the UK. 

So from Conquest Music 

and NE Guitars Magazine, 

we advise you all to get in 

WEDNESDAY 

27 NOV 2024 

early and book your tickets 

before they sell out. This 

will be a night to remember. 

For further details and to 

book tickets, go to: 

https://www.gigantic.com/ 

hillbilly-vegas-tickets/ 

newcastle-upon-tyne 

TRILLIANS 

NEWCASTLE 


Remembering...


7th May 1951 - 24th August 2023

Remembering 


7th May 1951 - 24th August 2023 

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the world of music lost one of it’s greats. Not 

only was Bernie the genius behind the guitar creativity of legendary rock band, Whitesnake, 

writing or co-writing such anthems as ‘Fool for your loving’ and Here I go again’, but he was also 

an innovative and highly gifted musician in his own right. Despite his career with the Rock super 

group, He also embarked on his own path creating and performing music right up to the end. 

In this issue, along with the guidance and input from Bernie’s label ‘Conquest Music’, we pay 

tribute to the man and his music. We begin by looking into the career of Bernie Marsden from the 

early days to his final incredible albums. I would finally like to say a thank you to Bernie’s team, 

Conquest Music and most especially, Bernie’s Wife Fran, and daughters Charlotte and Olivia, for 

the use of material from berniemarsden.com. 


Remembering Bernie Marsden 

Bernie Marsden is an English 

rock and blues guitarist born 

in Buckingham, England. A 

professional musician since 1972, 

he is primarily known for his work 

with Whitesnake having written or 

co-written many of the group’s hit 

songs, most notably the USA number 

one “Here I Go Again”. Bernie is also 

renowned as one of the greatest rock 

and blues guitarists of all time. 

After a couple of early teen bands he 

formed Skinny Cat at the age of 17, 

acquiring a strong local following. 

Turning professional with UFO in 

1972. His following continued to 

grow across Europe. Leaving UFO 

to join Glenn Cornick’s Wild Turkey 

in 1973, touring the UK and Europe, 

making his first BBC recordings. He 

was “headhunted”by no less than 

legendary drummer Cozy Powell 

to be in his new band Hammer, the 

line up included Deep Purple’s Don 

Airey. Hammer didn’t last long, only 

recording one top ten hit for Mickie 

Most’s RAK Label, and an infamous 

UK tour with Suzi Quattro. Babe 

Ruth was next, making two albums 

for Capitol Records. Cozy Powell 

recommended him for the new Paice 

Ashton Lord group in 1977. Featuring 

Deep Purple founding members 

Ian Paice and Jon Lord. One classic 

recording resulted, “Malice in 

Wonderland” and it was over. 

Bernie’s next gig was to be his 

career defining moment – joining 

and forming Whitesnake with 

David Coverdale. There had been 

a possibility of playing with his 

boy-time hero Paul McCartney and 

Wings, but while waiting, he met 

David Coverdale, and the rest is 

history… 


Remembering 

Bernie played on the first EP, the 

first five albums and a live album: 

Snakebite (1978), Trouble (1978), 

Lovehunter (1979), Ready & Willing 

(1980), Live In The Heart Of The 

City (1980), Come An’ Get It (1981) 

and Saints & Sinners. There was also 

time for two solo albums, “And About 

Time Too” which was top ten in 

Japan! The follow up was “Look at Me 

Now”. His time in Whitesnake, and 

his legacy of songs, remains in the 

forefront of his musical career. 

After leaving Whitesnake in 1981, 

Marsden formed Alaska, making two 

albums in the 1980’s, briefly forming 

MGM with Neil Murray and Mel 

Galley. That band also included Toto 

vocalist Bobby Kimball. 

Into the 1990’s, various versions of 

Whitesnake based music followed, 

“Company of Snakes and M3“ 

produced a couple of albums. 

Bernie then became a solo artist 

and produced several CD albums, 

the critically acclaimed “Green and 

Blues” in 1996” followed by “Big Boy 

Blue, Stacks, Bernie Plays Rory”. 

At the Sweden Rock Festival in 

2011 Bernie Marsden played with 

Whitesnake for the first time since 

1981, thus becoming the only original 

member of Whitesnake to play with a 

later line up, this has happened many 

times since Sweden. 

In more recent years, Marsden has 

been involved in very different 

projects. The most unusual being two 

engagements in 2001 and 2003 at the 

National Theatre in London for Sir 

Nickolas Hytner. He also appeared in 

6 part television series for German tv 

called “Frankie” 

There were two Bernie Marsden 

endorsed guitars for a period in 2015, 

a PRS Bernie Marsden Guitar, and 

the legendary Gibson company made 

a very limited run of his iconic 1959 

Gibson Les Paul Standard, known 

universally as “The Beast”. A limited 

edition of 300 sold out very quickly. 

Bernie owns Number 1! The original 

guitar is now retired, but “The Beast” 

is seen at selected concert halls! A 

guitar played by Joe Bonamassa, 

Warren Haynes, Jared Nicholls and 

other selected luminaries! 

Image: Ramon Remenyi 

After many years self producing his 

music he signed a new record deal 

with Mascot Provogue Records in 

Holland, making “Shine” at Abbey 

Road Studios in London The album, 

released in 2014, features guest 

appearances from David Coverdale 

and Joe Bonamassa. He has also 

produced a blues documentary, 

“A Day in the Delta”, filmed in 

Mississippi. 

In early 2017 Bernie self-published 

his autobiography, “Where’s My 

Guitar: On the Tourbus with the 

Snakeman” to great acclaim from 

fans. The book covers Bernie’s 

musical journey with humour and 

honesty and features many private, 

unseen pictures from his career. 



Outside of making records Bernie has 

played with some of the greatest rock 

and roll musicians of all time. Playing 

alongside Robert Plant, Paul Weller, 

Jon Lord, Gary Moore, being part of 

the Ringo Starr Band, Cozy Powell, 

Rory Gallagher, Jack Bruce, Warren 

Haynes, Joe Bonamassa. His stories 

and recollection of recording and 

playing live with Ginger Baker alone 

could be another book. 

In 2021, Bernie Marsden teamed up 

with Conquest Music to release his 

next solo album, Kings, a tribute to 

Albert King, Freddie King and B.B. 

King. Kings reached number 18 

in the UK Albums Chart and was 

followed quickly by the release of 

Chess, inspired by the Chicago based 

Chess label. In 2021, Marsden was 

crowned The Lord of The Blues at the 

HRH Awards. 

Marsden continued to play solo 

shows, mainly festivals in Europe 

and the UK, joining Joe Bonamassa’s 

Blues Cruises, and also took a show 

on the road playing the Whitesnake 

album Ready an’ Willing in its 

entirety in the autumn of 2019. 

On the evening of 24 August 

2023, Marsden died from bacterial 

meningitis, with his wife Fran and 

two daughters, Charlotte and Olivia 

at his side. He was 72. 

Understandably, the world of music 

was deeply saddened at Bernie’s 

passing which led to a whole hos of 

tributes from the stars: 

Joe Bonamassa: 

“I am truly heartbroken,” said Joe 

Bonamassa. “Bernie Marsden was the 

kindest soul. I met him on 

May 4, 2009 at my Royal Albert Hall 

debut. A big moment for me. After 

the show he approached me and was 

the first person to say ‘Great gig… 

Hi, my name is Bernie Marsden.’ I 

was in awe of him as I was in awe that 

entire day. “There would be many 

wonderful times with Bernie to come. 

As our friendship has grown over the 

past 14 years, I have found Bernie to 

be a great encourager, a confidant, 

a brilliant writer and most of all…a 

dear friend. He was “the best of 

the best” and championed so many 

young careers while being such a 

brilliant musician on his own. I never 

saw him happier than the time we 

camped out at Abbey Road Studios 

for a month writing music together 

for what would become the Royal Tea 

album. So much talent wrapped up in 

such a wonderful human being. 

“Humble, kind and larger than life, 

I will always cherish my time with 

him and regret the moments we won’t 

have together. This is such a great loss 

to me personally and a tremendous 

loss to the music world. He was a 

superstar in every imaginable way. 

“My sincerest heartfelt condolences 

go out to Fran and his family.” 

“I’ve always had the utmost respect 

for him as a musician – I would say 

underestimate Bernie Marsden at 

your peril, because as a singer he’ll 

kick your ass, as a player he’ll kick 

your ass and as a songwriter he’ll 

definitely kick your ass!” 

Neil Murray: 

“I knew Bernie as a friend and 

musical colleague for almost 50 

years, starting when I stood in for 

Cozy Powell’s Hammer bassist Clive 

Chaman on quite a few shows, 

progressing through gigs and 

recordings with Whitesnake, 

MGM, the Moody Marsden Band, 

Company Of Snakes, M3 Classic 

Whitesnake and 

Image: 

Bernie’s 

Ramon 

own band, 

Remenyi 

as well as many ‘function band’-type 

performances. Since Bernie’s passing, 

I’ve realised that I probably had the 

most enjoyable times of my life when 

I was with Bernie, both musically and 

personally. Although I have worked 

with many other famous musicians 

and singers, I think I had the most 

satisfaction and the most fun playing 

with him. We’ve lost a great character, 

a brilliant guitarist, singer and 

songwriter.” 

Ian Paice: 

“My first meeting with Bernie 

was in the Paice, Ashton & Lord 

collaboration. When he came into 

the audition, he was like a breath of 

fresh air. Confident, talented and very 

funny. He got the job immediately. 

When I joined Whitesnake it was 

great to be working with him again. 

He told me that at the PAL audition 

he was so nervous inside, that his way 

to get through it was to put on the 

complete physical reverse of his inner 

feelings. Super confident! Of course, 

by the WS time he was established in 

his own right not only as a musician 

but a great songwriter. I never 

laughed so much on the road with the 

“Snakes”, and a lot of that was down 

to Bernie”. 

Phil Campbell: 


Remembering 

‘Bernie was a lovely man, a wonderful 

guitar player and musician and his 

contribution to rock music was 

immense. I valued our friendship and 

will miss him dearly’ 

Steve Lukather: 

From the first time I met Bernie I 

knew he was a special person. He was 

a great musician and kept the pure 

original UK blues guitar style alive 

yet in his own way, whether it was 

the early Whitesnake or his many 

other projects thru the years as an 

incredible player and songwriter and 

singer. Tone and touch and taste. 

That was Bernie. His kindness and 

humour I will never forget! The fact 

he liked me touched my heart and I 

miss him! 

I imagine he is plugged into an angels 

Marshall stack playing his heart on 

a Les Paul God made for him. It’s a 

thought I wanna keep. Luke 

RIP Bernie or as I called him ‘ 

Bernard’ 

Rick Wakeman: 

Bernie was not just a great guitarist 

and songwriter, but also an extremely 

nice guy and great fun to be with. 

He lived for music, (and guitars of 

course), and has left an indelible 

mark within the history of rock 

music. I truly miss him but I 

am grateful for all the music and 

memories he has left with us. 

Rob Cass: 

In 1986 Bernie brought me over 

from Dublin to join his band Alaska 

in London and my life was forever 

changed… Touring the world, 

recording in amazing studios, Bernie 

had made my dreams come true.. 

Many years later I produced his 

album Shine at Abbey Road Studios 

and we got very close.. Then getting 

him on Jack Bruce’s album, working 

with Ginger Baker & many other 

incredible musicians, too many to 

mention.. It was thrilling.. Bernie 

was a joy to work with. Always funny 

but focused.. In my opinion he was 

one of the best blues rock guitar 

players of all time.. I recorded him 

for Pete Brown’s album which I was 

producing only a few months before 

he passed.. Even though he was very 

ill he still played beautifully… But 

that was Bernie, a brilliant musician 

and music lover to the end.. The real 

deal and my dear friend. 

Donal Gallagher: 

Recall first meeting gentleman Bernie 

back in the 70s, his band had been 

signed up by our then agents Quarry 

Productions ( above the old Marquee 

Club), he enthused about my brother 

and I said “well he’s down the 

corridor, why not say hello yourself ”. 

Once introduced, Rory and Bernie 

were like magnets and all headed 

down to The Ship pub, on Wardour 

Street. Over the years, the two 

guitarists would meet on the road 

and bond together in musio language. 

Following my brother’s passing, dear 

Bernie was one of the first musicians 

to call and to pay tribute to Rory, 

on the phonecall Bernie asked if he 

could play my sibling’s Stratocaster, 

so, at the Buxton Opera House tribute 

concert, I had no hesitation in 

letting Bernie be the first guitarist 

to perform with the instrument 

and Marsden did Rory’s orphaned 

guitar proud. In guitar heaven I’m 

sure the two musicians are jamming 

and discussing the merits of their 

instruments. Bless you Bernie, it’s sad 

to see you ‘hit the road again’ but you 

leave wonderful memories and music 

with us. 

Don Airey: 

‘We knew Bernie Marsden for 

nearly 50 years. He was the most 

affable of men. Funny, dedicated 

to his family and friends, adept in 

his youth at soccer, and at snooker 

in his middle age, but first and 

foremost a music biz pro with an 

amazing talent for playing guitar. 

Last time we worked together 

was at our charity bash in Great 

Gransden performing a half hour 

blues set - “Crossroads”, “Hoochie 

Coochie Man”, “Same old Blues” 

“Here I go Again” - that brought 

the house down, the crowd to 

it’s feet, and a tear to everyone’s 

eyes such was the intensity of his 

playing.nGod bless you Bernie for 

all you gave to so many people. 

We’ll miss you’. 



David Coverdale: 

A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom 

I was honoured to know & share a 

stage with. Bernie…once a Snake… 

always a Snake. 

Peter Frampton: 

Bernie was a treasure of a human 

and a passionate guitar player I have 

admired for so long. 

Elkie Brooks: 

I was very honoured when Bernie 

sent me the recording of the song 

‘Place in my heart’. He was a fine 

musician and songwriter and would 

often be a special guest in my band. 

Bernie always envisaged ‘Place in my 

Heart’ with just me singing it but my 

son Jermaine and his wife Joanna 

who manage me and also produce 

my albums saw it as duet with Bernie 

and how right they were. It has to be 

one of the most soulful songs I have 

ever sung. What a privilege to sing 

alongside Bernie’s beautiful vocal 

timbre. Thankfully Bernie managed 

to hear our version of his song before 

he passed away and gave it much 

approval. Bernie will be very missed. 

May he rest in peace. My sincerest 

love and respect. Elkie X 

Doug Aldrich: 

Bernie Marsden was such a humble 

sweet person, you could hear it 

in every song he wrote and every 

note he played. His was a legend of 

the British hard rock guitar sound. 

Grateful to have known him. 


Article by 

Danny Mayes & 


Images 

Courtesy of 


28 38 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

DEAD BY JULY 


As we look forward to the release of Paul 

Di’Anno’s new album ‘The Book of the Beast’, 

we take a look at his career including his time 

with rock giants Iron Maiden and we ask about 

his music background and influences 

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 39 29

PAUL 

DI’ANNO 

Interview by Daniel Mayes 

Images courtesy of 

Paul Di’Anno, 

Cliff Evans, 


At NE Guitars, we are fast 

getting a reputation for 

chatting with legends of the 

music world. This month certainly is 

no different. 

Thanks to our friends at Conquest 

Music, we get the chance to write 

about, analyse and interview the 

great Paul Di’Anno formerly of Iron 

Maiden, Killers and Battlezone. Not 

only do we get to chat to a Legend 

but we are also really pleased to 

introduce the newest journalist to the 

NE Guitars Magazine team, Daniel 

‘Danny’ Mayes, or as we affectionately 

know him as ‘Bass Buffoon’ as he 

is the Bass Guitarist in one of our 



endorsed bands ‘Acoustic Buffoonery’. 

Danny is taking the reins on this 

article and has set the questions for 

Paul to answer. But before we get 

into the interview, let’s find out a little 

more about Paul Dianno. 

Paul Andrews is a British singer 

better known by his stage name Paul 

Di’Anno. His nearly half-centurylong 

career began explosively with 

Iron Maiden, when with the EP ‘The 

Soundhouse Tapes’, and the albums 

‘Iron Maiden’ and ‘Killers ‘ forever 

cemented the foundations of heavy 

metal. With timeless hits like ‘Iron 

Maiden’, ‘Remember Tomorrow’, 

‘Running Free’, ‘Phantom of the 

Opera’, ‘Killers’, ‘Wratchild’, Murders 

in the Rue Morgue’, ‘Purgatory’ etc., 

they influenced numerous musicians 

and bands and were responsible for 

the creation or development of many 

subgenres in metal music. 

Paul is known as one of the most 

productive singers, who has a 

huge number of albums and other 

releases behind him, either as a solo 

artist or a member of bands such as 

Gogmagog, Di’Anno’s Battlezone, 

Praying Mantis, Killers, Rockfellas, 

Architects of Chaoz or Warhorse. 

In all his incarnations, Paul always 

knew how to find a way to the fans, 

with numerous hits, uncompromising 

singing, which is confirmed by his 

successful career and furious live 

shows around the world. 

For the last eight years, Paul faced 

serious health problems that almost 

ended his career, but thanks to his 

loyal fans and his strong will to 

overcome the disease, Paul is on a big 

world tour again, and he recorded a 

new album with the Paul D’Anno’s 

Warhorse band, released in mid-2024 

for Brave Words Records. 

This icon of heavy metal with the 

heart of a punk rock rebel never 

spared himself in his life, but he 

always gave everything for music and 

fans, which is why they have followed 

him faithfully for almost fifty years. 

So ahead of the release of Paul’s new 

album ‘The Book of the Beast’, I 

threw a few questions at Paul to 

find out a little more about the 

album and the man himself. Yes, 

this is a little bit of a baptism of 

fire for my first interview for NE 

Guitars but it is one that I have 

taken on with relish. So without 

further ado... 

NEG: What was your inspiration 

for the new album? 

PD: The Book of The Beast is a 

collection of songs that I wanted to 

put together that represented the 

recordings that I made after my 

days with Maiden. A lot of my other 

albums never got much attention as 

I was only known as the old singer 

from Maiden but I was really proud 

of the albums I made after leaving 

Maiden. I recorded some great stuff 

with Battlezone and Killers that 

never received the promotion they 

deserved but now Conquest Music 

have helped me to put this album 

together and I’m really excited to 

get it out there for my fans. 

BATTLEZONE 


NEG: Who/what is your favorite/the 

best musician/band to work with? 

PD: I’ve worked with so many great 

musicians over the years on many 

different albums and projects. The 

list is very long but I had really great 

chemistry with the Battlezone guys 

who helped me find my direction 

after a period out in the wilderness. 

When I formed Killers with guitarist 

Cliff Evans and drummer Steve 

Hopgood in 1991 I thought we were 

going to really hit the big time. We 

signed a major label deal and toured 

the world but then Grunge happened 

and the whole game changed. That 

really kicked us in the nuts. For 

my ‘Nomad’ solo album I hooked 

up with a Brazilian guitarist called 

Paolo Turin and we straight away hit 

it off writing songs together for the 

album. He was a good friend and 

unfortunately succumbed to Covid a 

few years ago. RIP Brother. 

NEG: Is there a tour coming up 

following your album release? 

PD: I will be back out on the road 

again in UK and Europe starting on 

October 30th in Edinburgh with 7 

UK shows then across Europe for 

another 23 shows before taking a 

break for Christmas. In 2025 I’ll be 

heading back to South America and 

we’re now just about to confirm a 

tour of Canada so it’s going to be 

a busy year for me. All tour dates 

are on my website htpps://www. 

pauldianno.co.uk 

NEG: Where was/is the best venue/ 

crowd/played? 

PD: Brazil has always had the best 

audiences for me. I have a very 

special connection with my Brazilian 

fans and was resident in Curitiba 

for a while so it’s always been like a 

second home for me. I can’t wait to 

get back there. 

NEG: What inspired you to become 

a singer? 

KILLERS 

PD: I never could keep my mouth 

shut for five minutes so it just came 

naturally. I’m a noisy f****r! 

NEG: How did you find the 

explosion of Iron Maiden? 

PD: We really grafted on the live 

gigging circuit to get ourselves in 

a position where we could move 

ourselves up a notch. We’d jump 

in our van and play anywhere and 

give the punters the full show. The 

turning point though was when Rod 

Smallwood entered the picture to 

manage us and we secured a major 

label deal. The rest is history as they 

say. 

NEG: What do you do to look after 

your voice? 

PD: Patron Tequila, Benson & 

Hedges and the occasional naughty 


nose treat. It’s worked so far! 

NEG: Looking back, how would you 

describe nwobhm? 

PD: It was an exciting time as the 

punk movement was still thriving 

but it seemed to be getting heavier 

as those punk musicians got better 

at playing their instruments. I liked 

the punk attitude but wanted to bring 

that into a more rock environment 

which resulted in the Iron Maiden 

sound. There were some great 

bands emerging from those early 

NWOBHM days. Angelwitch, 

Samson, Praying Mantis, Urchin. 

Maiden were at the top of the tree 

though. No doubt about that! 

NEG: Who is your pick for the 

greatest voice ever? 

PD: Too many to choose from. James 

Brown and Johnny Rotten. 

NEG: What was it like coming up 



and gigging during the early days? 

PD: It was very exciting as there was 

no way of knowing what you were 

up against back then. There was no 

internet to source from so you were 

reliant on your wits and just winging 

it but you learnt fast. I think that’s 

what gave us a real edge back then. 

You learn from your mistakes and 

you took the hard knocks. All that 

comes out in the music you play. 

Bands these days just don’t have to 

deal with those sort of problems but 

they do have a bunch of other shit 

they’re up against. I prefer the old 

school ways of learning your trade. 

NEG: Which artist do you think is 

under rated? 

PD: That would be Me! 

NEG: Paul, thank you for speaking 

to us at NE Guitars Magazine. 

The Book of the Beast 

Not only do we get to chat with the 

man but we have also been given the 

opportunity to preview the brand 

new albm. 

Paul Di’Anno releases a new album, 

‘The Book of The Beast’, via Conquest 

Music on September 27th 2024. The 

vinyl double album (available in 

Blood Red, Virgin White and Cold 

Steel coloured vinyl) and 2-disc 

CD/DVD include five previously 

unreleased tracks, along with a 

carefully curated collection of 

songs that distills many of the best 

moments from Di’Anno’s fascinating 

and formidable career. The CD/DVD 

also includes rare live, promotional 


and acoustic video footage. 

Deep cuts from albums going back 

to Paul’s Battlezone, Killers and Solo 

days have been painstakingly remastered 

to give them a more up to 

date and polished production plus 

some of Paul’s rare acoustic, rehearsal 

and demo recordings have been 

added as a special bonus. 

Perhaps the most interesting addition 

to this album is the unexpected 

reworking of two Iron Maiden 

classics, but with a dark twist. 

Both Remember Tomorrow and 

Wrathchild have been treated to a 

facelift with Paul duetting alongside 

Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), ZP 

Theart (Dragonforce) and Lidya 

Balaban (Crowley). 

KILLERS 



Finally, we need to just tell you that 

Paul will be playing at the Riverside 

in Newcastle on 31st October 2024 

but if last year is anything to go by, 

tickets will sell out quick, so get yours 

while they are still there. Paul is also 

playing other venues across the UK, 

details of which can be found on his 

website along with plenty of other 

information on past releases plus 

merch from his store. 

Check it all out here. 

https://pauldianno.co.uk/ 

https://www.conquestmusic.co.uk/ 

Announcement: Conquest Music 

21 October 2024 

“On behalf of his family, Conquest 

Music are sad to confirm the death of 

Paul Andrews, professionally known 

as Paul Di’Anno. Paul passed away at 

his home in Salisbury at the age of 66. 

Despite being troubled by severe health 

issues in recent years that restricted 

him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul 

continued to entertain his fans around 

the world, racking up well over 100 

shows since 2023. 

Conquest Music are proud to have 

had Paul in our artist family and ask 

his legion of fans to raise a glass in his 

memory.” 


Award winning Flattley Boutique 

Effects Pedals are hand built in the UK . 

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28 www.flattleyguitarpedals.com 


Willie 

Dowling 

The 21st 

Century 

Renaissance 

Man 

Article By 



Images Courtesy of 


Willie Dowling likes to describe his life 

as a series of failures, each slightly less 

spectacular than the last. 

Willie is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, 

composer and producer for his own 

bands, as well as for other artists and has 

also spent years composing music and 

songs for film and television. 

A musical director and session musician 

of high regard, Willie has toured 

extensively and recorded with artists as 

diverse as Midge Ure, Shane MacGowan, 

Sinead O’Connor, Dr Hook, The 

Wildhearts, Hot Chocolate, Andy Taylor 

and the Quireboysamongst others. 

Willie has fronted, written and produced 

albums for his previous bands, had Top 

40 hit singles, appeared on Top of The 

Pops and TFI Friday and performed on 

the major festival stages in the UK and 

Worldwide. He was the founder member 

of influential rockers The Grip, mid 

1990’s ‘quick-flash and gone’ Honeycrack, 

followed by SugarPlumFairies, Jackdaw4 

and The Dowling Poole. 

In addition to band/artist production 

and touring work, Willie Dowling is 

a renowned composer for film and 

television in a wide variety of styles and 

genres. 

He wrote songs and underscore for the 

return of the legendary satirical puppet 

show ‘Spitting Image’, and over the years 

has worked on many other TV shows 

and films for such luminaries as Steve 

Coogan, Rob Brydon, Stephen Fry, 

Rik Mayall, Lenny Henry, Alexander 

Armstrong, Ben Miller, Vic Reeves, Bob 

Mortimer, and many more. 

Willie Dowling has written a musical that 

performed in London’s West End. 

As a key participant in the Tony Hawks 

best seller ‘One Hit Wonderland’, 

Willie produced and recorded with 

such nobility as Sir Tim Rice & the 

late Sir Norman Wisdom. The result of 

this strange cocktail was a chart hit in 

Albania! 

Recently he composed a critically 

acclaimed album of classical music 

inspired by memories of his upbringing 

in the North East of England – 

“Reflections On Northumbria”. 

Living in rural France now, Willie and his 

wife live a life of near agricultural selfsufficiency. 

Willie is as happy harvesting a 

crop of Aztec Broccoli with his pets at his 

ankles, as ever he could be hogging the 

stage at Wembley Stadium. 


Willie Dowling 

Raised in Northumberland, despite 

not being old enough to order a pint, 

Willie honed his piano playing and other 

performance skills in the restaurants and 

plush hotels of Newcastle, before taking 

a National Express Coach on the day of 

his last A-level examto pursue his career 

in London. 

His first band venture in London was 

to join the seminal punk rock outfit 

Chelseaon lead guitar, a band which 

launched the careers of Billy Idol 

(Generation X) and Tony James (Sigue 

Sigue Sputnik and Sisters of Mercy). 

Before long, Willie formed his own 

band The Grip and very soon they were 

headlining legendary venues such as The 

Marquee. Their powerful performances, 

catchy songs with intelligent lyrics had 

the music press championing them as 

the next big thing. 

Despite the inevitable dreams of 

stardom, Willie was smart enough 

to have a side hustle of writing and 

recording music for adverts to bring 

home the dough. More often than not it 

would be with Andre Jacquemin, long 

time collaborator with the Monty Python 

team, and also the man who taught 

Willie his way around a recording studio. 

Perhaps the reason why he is not a 

household name, Willie Dowling’s 

music has always been a difficult one 

to pigeonhole. Largely because of the 

diversity of ideas, styles and influences 

he brings to bear on his work. Combined 

with challenging and thought-provoking 

lyrical themes that could paint Willie as 

a protest singer, he has often operated on 

the fringes of the genre specific radio and 

press juggernauts. 

In what seems like a musical journey that 

has taken him almost full circle, Willie’s 

new album The Simpleton is released 

autumn 2024, and is an album of piano 

driven songs. 

“It’s something of a departure from the 

intricate, multi-layered productions of 

the albums that I’ve made for the past 

couple of decades”, says Willie. 

“When I was just a kid - in fact from the 

age of 15 to 21 - I used to play piano and 

sing in hotels and restaurants, initially in 

Newcastle where I grew up, and then in 

London when I moved there, aged 18. I’d 

play everything from cheesy standards 

to Tom Waits and Billy Joel, largely as 

background noise to wealthy people 

sucking up soup. I came to hate it, and for 

the sake of my sanity I quit aged 21 and 

started The Grip, and there began a long 

history of bands I lead,all doomed to end 

up in the folder marked ‘Noble efforts 

who also ran’” 

”During lockdown I found myself 

wondering whether I could still write a 

stripped down, piano-driven song as I’d 

used to do all those years ago, and I wrote 

the song The Simpleton.To my surprise, 


I found I enjoyed the experience so much, I ended up writing 

an album of piano songs, with enough left over for a huge 

puddingshould I fancy a wee bit more.” 

So why the gloomy outlook you might ask? The Simpleton 

seems to be going down well, and just in this last year 

you’ve toured supporting Hillbilly Vegas, Quireboys and the 

remarkable Cats in Space,surely things are looking up? 

“Well, there’s that old trope about life, regarding whether one 

views their cup as half full or half empty. 

I tend to take the view that it’s likely someone else’s cup and 

I’m probably not even allowed to drink from it. I accept that 

this may be evidence of the misanthrope and that it may not be 

entirely healthy. 

But then expecting the worst means one is rarely disappointed, 

and anyway, it likely makes for a more memorable quote...” 

Witnessing Willie Dowling perform live is far more than just 

watching a sequence of great songs played well. His selfdeprecating 

and acerbic wit that precedes each song is as funny 

as many of the comedy greats that he has worked with. You can 

see Willie Dowling perform The Simpleton on tour as special 

guest to Cats In Space: 

December 

11th Milton Keynes, The Stables 

12th Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill 

13th Newport, Newbridge Memo 


Willie Dowling 

15th London, Islington Assembly Hall 

February 

7th Wolverhampton, Giffard Arms 

9th Wakefield, Venue 23 

10th Newcastle, The Cluny2 

11th Edinburgh, Bannermans 

13th Bournemouth, Anvil 

14th London, 100 Club 

15th Ballymena (NI), The Diamond 

20th Birmingham, The Asylum 

21st Bedford, Esquires 

Spring 2025 will see the retail release of The Simpleton, 

backed by headline shows around the UK. If there is such 

a thing as a 21st Century Renaissance Man, then it must be 

Willie Dowling. Independent of thought and actions, he is 

a thinker, composer, poet, musician, comedian, gardener… 

A Man For All Seasons. You can hear tracks from The 

Simpleton on Willie’s YouTube page www.youtube.com/@ 

WillieDowlingMusic and keep up with live shows and other 

information at www.williedowling.com Pre-orders for 

his Bandcamp release of The Simpleton openon the 1st of 

October. The album will be available on CD and as digital 

download from the 1st November. You can hear tracks from 

The Simpleton on Willie’s YouTube page www.youtube.com/@ 

WillieDowlingMusic and keep up with live shows and other 

information at www.williedowling.com 


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www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 


AXE IN FOCUS 

TENNESSEE TEL 

By East Durham Guitars 

and the signature Telecaster ashtray 

bridge with an angled single coil giving 

you that signature twang and sparkle, 

and a meaty humbucker in the neck 

which is absolutely divine! It seems that 

the mission statement for this guitar 

was to be as natural as possible as the 

only bit of plastic 

I was lucky enough that when collecting 

the Flattley DG FUZZ, Paul let me play 

and then borrow this stunning piece of 

kit to carry out my work here testing, 

reviewing and road testing the gear 

passed our way! 

So here is the Editors personal 

EDG Telecaster Style Guitar 

custom made for his Country 

Gigs. But Before he takes it 

out on the road I managed to 

get my hands on it for a test 

run. Oh Joy!! 

Review & Images 

Manny Mayes 

Personally I’m not a Tele man. Much 

preferring the curves of a ‘Les Paul’ 

or a ‘Super Strat.’ However, ‘The 

Tennessee Tel’ Made by Ricky over at 

East Durham Guitars (EDG) really 

broke the mould with this one. 

Incorporating an arm and belly cut 

onto this makes it a much more 

comfortable and playable piece of kit. 

The bolt on necks got a lovely C shaped 

profile that tapers the higher up the 

neck you get, allowing for both strong 

and accurate rhythm and quick, clear 

and snappy lead playing. 

‘The Tel’ boasts 6 wilkinson inline 

tuners, a volume and tone pot, a 3 way 

selector switch (neck mid and bridge) 

‘The Tennessee Tel’ was gifted to Paul 

by the boys at EDG to commemorate 

their collaboration between This Mag 

and EDG. It’s one of a kind, maybe 

never to be replicated (hopefully not!) 

as this bit of kit is astounding! I’ve 

played it every day, both unplugged and 

cranked! 

Unplugged, she sings. You’re able to 

hear every note clearly even in a busy 

home environment so being able to 

happily play away unplugged and still 

hear what I’m doing has been great! 

The benefits of this has been when I’ve 

not had time to set up and plug in, I’ve 

been able to happily twang away at the 

strings, playing along with the radio 

and practising my favourite tracks! 

Having perfect clarity whilst unplugged 

just goes to show that the build and 

setup quality out the factory is of a 

much higher standard than even some 

of the most expensive big brands! 


Tennessee Tel 

As soon as I plugged in, I just started 

Chicken pickin’ immediately learning 

Jerry Reed’s Amos Moses! Now when 

put through the dirty channel and the 

aforementioned DG FUZZ, that’s a 

different story! She screams! Played 

with conviction and purpose, you can 

get the very best blues and southern 

rock solo tones with the gain only at 

4 or 5. The neck pickup is warm, clear 

and very thick sounding, allowing 

‘The Tel’ to be a versatile piece of kit, 

switching it up from the usual twang to 

a rhythm monster, chunky and strong 

this can chug away in the background 

of a band or break through with 

Slash-esk solos. The clean tone is really 

awesome, every note can be picked 

out and nuanced to the feel of the song 

you’re playing. 

All in all if ‘The Tennessee Tel’ is an 

example of what to expect from the 

luthiers at EDG, I hope to get my hands 

on one for me soon. Because I’m sad to 

see her go. 

Not having to adjust intonation, neck 

relief, string heights or pickup height 

has been great, Less work, more play! 

I’ve had her a little over 2 months now 

and its yet to go out of tune! 

Starting with my absolutely favourite 

part of this axe, the fretboard! I couldn’t 

tell you what ‘tone woods’ she’s made 

of but its absolutely beautiful! A single 

piece of wood, with two tones instantly 

draws the eye, its just gorgeous! And 

plays pretty well too when you’re not 

admiring it! Accent with black inlays 

to not take away from the perfect 

imperfection of it just shows how a 

skilled luthier can make any old bit of 

wood into a thing of beauty. The neck 

leads to the body which looks to be 

made from rescued and pieced together 

wood which again looks stunning! 

Speaking of the materials this is made 

of, it seems that Ricky at EDG wanted 

to keep this guitar as natural as possible 

because even the electronics cavity 

is covered by a wooden plate rather 

than plastic. This does bring me to the 

only thing I don’t like about the guitar, 

which is that it doesn’t seem to have a 

finish on it, and the way I play live, I’m 

too scared to take it out and properly 

road test it at a gig due to the blood, 

sweat and beers that end up all over my 

gear during shows. 

I’m not sure what pickups are in it, they 

could be cheap unbranded aftermarket 

rubbish, could be high end supplier 

exclusives, or even hand wound by the 

boys at EDG! Whatever they are, they 

sound great! 

The bridge allows for everything and 

anything you could want, clear and 

crisp cleans with a punchy high end! 


Redline hail from Birmingham 

UK, the ancestral home of metal, 

and that bleeds into the very 

DNA of their sound. 

Armed with a dual guitar sonic assault, 

a granite and steel rhythm sectiona and 

soaring powerhouse vocalist, Redline 

drag you in with their addictive blend 

of rip-roaring Hard Rock and classic 

British Heavy Metal. 

Having formed nearly twenty years ago, 

with a shared passion for hard rock 

and motorcycling, Redline have been 

rocking crowds and sharing the stage 

with the legends of British Heavy Rock. 

Three studio albums and countless 

festivals have build a solid and loyal 

fanbase. 

Their albums ‘Ignition’, ‘Vice’ and ‘Gods 

& Monsters’ showcase their massive 

power, with each release taking you on 

an adrenaline-fueled ride through a 

burning landscape of earth-shattering 

guitars, thundering rhythms, and 

soaring vocals. 

Perhaps Redline’s most anthemic song 

“King Of The Mountain” has become 

the soundtrack to the Isle Of Man TT 

Motorcycle Races. The song has been 

used on all the television coverage of 

the event and has now been broadcast 

to over 32 million people worldwide. 

The music from their album ‘Vice’ is 

also featured on the official video game 

of the TT Races, ‘Riding On the Edge’ 

(BigBen Interactive). 

Redline are going from strength to 

strength with new drummer, Jeff 

Williams, pushing them forward to 

reach new heights of precision and 

power. Redline are quickly becoming 

one of the hardest rocking live bands in 

the UK. 

While writing and recording for their 

new album, Redline has released a hard 

rocking version of the disco classic, 

FAME. The song sounds like it was 

born to be metal. 

With Redline there are NO LIMITS. 

Redline are: 


Redline 

Kez Taylor – Vocals 

Ade Yeomans - Guitars & BV’s 

Chris Basener – Guitars 

Steve ‘Reg’ Hill - Bass & BV’s 

Jeff Williams – Drums 

The IoM TT connection Formed 

sometime back in the mid-noughties, 

Redline was at that time just a studio 

project. The motivation behind it came 

from a passion for bike racing with a 

particular focus on the Isle of Man TT 

races. The first songs were all about the 

TT – ‘King of the Mountain’ and ‘No 

Limits’ were written about the races and 

the pure exhilaration of being there to 

witness the speed, bravery and noise of it 

all first-hand. Ade has been to the races 

every year for the last couple of decades 

and it’s about as close to a religion as he 

gets. 

‘King of the Mountain’ was picked up by 

North One Television and became 

the theme tune for the TV coverage 

of the TT races for many years, heard 

by race fans around the globe. It is the 

anthem of the Isle of Man TT and has 

a resurgence on Spotify etc. every year 

around race week! 

Redline have played live on the Isle of 

Man twice during the races in 2014 and 

2015. They will return! 

Full Throttle Pinball Machine 

What do KISS, AC/DC, Guns & Roses 

and Redline have in common? They 

have all appeared on pinball machines! 

When Heighway Pinball wanted to make 

a pinball table based on bike racing they 

did their research and found Redline via 

‘King of the Mountain’ and the ‘VICE’ 

album. 

Initially planning to use a couple of the 

songs on parts of the game, they ended 

up using the whole album throughout 

the game which builds and builds to a 

crescendo of mayhem and excitement, 

much like the ‘VICE’ album itself! 

We were incredibly proud to be 

asked to participate and thrilled to be 

immortalised by such an iconic modern 

artform. 

https://www.redlinebhx.com/ 



Mickey Jupp 

Mickey Jupp 

The Greatest Songwriter 

You’ve Never Heard 

Article by 



If you have beenbrave enough to take 

on the challenge of driving westbound 

on England’s steepest road, Hardknott 

Pass, then as the elevation and blood 

pressure gradually drops to safer levels, 

you will find yourself in the tiny village 

of Boot. 

It’s advisable to pop into The Boot Inn 

for a wee something to settle the nerves 

and with luck,you might just catch the 

sight of an old man, quietly sipping on 

his pint of Dizzy Blonde. 

This could be Mickey Jupp, the greatest 

British songwriter that you’ve never 

heard. 

Born in Sussex during the last months 

of World War Two, Mickey Jupp started 

his musical journey in the early 60’s 

around Southend-On-Sea and was a 

hugely influential figure in the UK R&B 

and Pub Rock scene in the 70’s. His UK 

R&B outfit, Legend, recorded albums 

for Bell Records & Vertigo, including 

the famous Red Boot album, which 

inspired future legends such as Paul 

Weller, Dr Feelgood, Nick Lowe, the 

Kursaal Flyers and arguably the whole 

pub rock movement. 

Legend split up in 1972, just a handful 

of months before the pub rock scene 

really gained momentum in the 

London venues and music media. 

This same pub rock scene that was 

the incubator for the punk movement 

that was to explode into being in 

1976, nurturing musicians such as Joe 

Strummer and Ian Dury. 

As Jupp is occasionally heard to mutter, 

“That’s the story of my life”. 

Ever the reluctant pop star, Mickey 

Jupp then spent a few happy years 

well away from the world of music, 

contentedly working in a builders’ 

merchant, before being persuaded to 

form a band again by Lee Brilleaux, of 

the then hugely successful Dr Feelgood. 

A solo career followed for Mickey, 

with albums released on big record 

companies such as A&M, Chrysalis 

and Stiff, as label after label tried to 

introduce Mickey Jupp’s incredible 

ability as a songwriter and singer to 

the masses. Sales success never really 

materialised, despite working with 

premier league producers such as 

Nick Lowe, Mike Vernon (Fleetwood 

Mac), Godley & Crème (10CC), Tony 

Visconti (David Bowie) and Francis 

Rossi (Status Quo). Critically acclaimed 

albums were released, but with little 

chart impact. 

“A star who, for some reason known 

only to God and the fates, has been 

passed over while lesser men achieve 

fame”NME 


Despite being described by the iconic 

guitarist and some time executioner in 

Game of Thrones, the late, greatWilko 

Johnson as “… the best white singer I’ve 

ever heard”, it is as a songwriter that 

Mickey has found greater success. 

Over the years, Mickey Jupp songs 

have been hits when recorded by 

artists ranging from Dr Feelgood, Elkie 

Brooks, Ricky Nelson, The Judds, Gary 

Brooker, Chris Farlowe, Dave Edmunds 

and Nick Lowe. 

In 1983, his brother offered Mickey 

the chance to live in a little cottage 

in Eskdale. In their youth, the Jupp 

brothers had spent many a happy 

holiday staying with their grandmother 

in the lake District, so he moved to 

Boot, and never looked back. At that 

time, in the music industry, you were 

supposed to ‘stay close to London’ 

to maintain a career, but once more, 

Mickey Juppturned his back on showbusiness. 

Nestled in the beautiful valley of 

Eskdale, Boot has less than 20 

permanent residents and is the perfect 

place for a man who has never actually 

wanted to be famous. 

“All I’ve ever really wanted to do is 

write songs” says MickeyJupp. 

So for a few years he ran his little 

art gallery in Boot, selling his own 

sketches and paintings, along with 

the customary tourist bric-a-brac, 

but all the while was still writing and 

recording his songs using primitive 

equipment at home. 

Over the decades, this has resulted in 

Mickey amassing well over 500 new 

songs at his cottage in the Lake District. 

The vintage equipment did not stop 

him in crafting exquisite recordings 

that showcase his stunningly soulful 

vocals, subtle guitar work and tasteful 

piano playing. His razor sharp wit and 

cunning wordplay is evident in each, 

perfectly pitched line. 

To raise much needed funds, from time 

to time, Jupp would compile some of 

these recordings and burn them onto 

CDRs for sale to his facebook fans. He 

called them his Favourites series. 

It was these humble,home madereleases 

that came to the attention of a little 

independent record label who felt these 

recordings and songs were far too good 

to be restricted to a small corner of the 

Lake District. 

Long time admirers of MickeyJupp, 

Conquest Music had been trying to 

persuade him for years to let them 

make this treasure trove of amazing 

songs available to the wider world. 

Mickey finally relented and assigned 


Mickey Jupp 

this treasure trove of recordings to 

Conquest Music for a ‘proper’ release, 

but only on condition that there will 

be little promotion, no touring and no 

appearances on TV. Not even ‘Later… 

With Jools Holland’(who might well 

cast an appreciative eye at Mickey’s deft 

Boogie Woogie piano licks). 

Jupp admits, “The money was useful, 

but the most important thing was to 

find a good home for the songs.” 

Up Snakes, Down Ladders, released 

August 2022,wasthefirst new studio 

album from Mickey Juppin nearly 

four decades, and kicked off of a series 

of lovingly remastered and curated 

collections of his home recordings 

called The Boot Legacy. 

Hallelujah To Amen came out in 

September 2023 as the second album 

in The Boot Legacy series and delivered 

the Heritage Chart Number 1, Stuck 

Behind a Maserati. The title track, 

Hallelujah to Amen is destined to be 

the ultimate song of commitment at 

weddings of the future. 

Scheduled for release in December 

2024, Times Like These is the third 

incredible collection from the Mickey 

Jupp archive of unreleased gems. 

From the opening track, God and 

Johnny Walker through to the closer of 

this 16 song set, Wrong Food, Mickey’s 

razor sharp pen and soulful tones tell of 

heartbreak and loss, life’s journey, the 

trials of a musician, right through to 

the rock and roll panacea ‘a little shot 

of what the doctor’s got’. 

Rock and roll, blues, country ballads, 

rhythm and blues and sweet, sweet 

soul… 

Times Like These is another collection 

of great songs from Mickey Jupp. 

“Not a wasted word nor a pointless 

chord. Mickey Jupp is a total original.” 

– 9/10 Classic Rock. 

His soulful voice, even at 80 years old, 

is sweeter than it ever was, and his 

song-writing skill, like that of only the 

finest of wines, just gets better over the 

years. 

So back in that quiet corner of The 

Boot Inn sits the cult songwriter, 

Guv’nor of the Southend Scene and 

Godfather of Pub Rock, Mickey Jupp. 

Maybe he is overhearing a word or 

phrase that he might craft into another 

lyrical gem. Perhaps working on 

that elusive third verse, or is he just 

thinking about his beloved Shrimpers, 

Southend United? The man who never 

wanted to be famous, here in the Lake 

District, has found something close to 

contentment. 

Looking out of the window he muses, 

“look at the beautiful hills. After 40 

years I still think - wow, I live here.” 

Up Snakes, Down Ladders and 

Hallelujah to Amen are available now 

on CD, LP and Digital services via 

Conquest Music. 

Volume 3 ofThe Boot Legacy series, 

“Times Like These” is released 

December 2024. 

www.conquestmusic.co.uk 



COVER MY TRACKS 

Article by Conquest Music 

Edited by NE Guitars Magazine 

Images by Nick Oliver 

The NE Guitars Magazine Conquest Special is proud to introduce 

a unique band in the shadow of a wonderful album release last 

year. Under the Conquest label, The Ugly Guys continue to 

impress crowds throughout the UK with their own brand or music. 

Southend-based, UK Country quintet & 

purveyors of Cosmic Americana Music, 

The Ugly Guys released their latest album 

‘ Cover Your Tracks’ on 25th August 2023 

on Conquest Music. 

They teased us with their three track, EP, 

‘Rolling in the Deep’ in June 2023 as a 

taster to their album, with the lead track 

being a skilful country-tinged cover of 

Adele’s international chart-topper. It has 

received strong support at radio, and has 

wet the appetite nicely for the full set of 

songs. 

Cover Your Tracks brings us 15 great 

songs that have been given the special 

country blues reinterpretation by The 

Ugly Guys. 

Writers as diverse as Bee Gees, Chuck 

Berry, John Hiatt & Mickey Jupp have 

been given the Ugly Guys treatment, 

resulting in a delightful collection of 

brilliant songs presented complete with 

Pedal Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo and 

Paul Shuttleworth’s distinctive vocals. 

The tracks were initially recorded 

as a means of keeping sane during 

the desolate months of the Covid-19 

lockdown. From a selection of the band’s 

favourite songs, each musician recorded 

their performance from home. Studio 

wizard and multi-instrumentalist, Steve 

Oliver would pull the recordings together 

and post them on YouTube, for no reason 

but so the band and friends could enjoy 

the covers. 


The Ugly Guys 

As life returned to some type of normal 

after the pandemic, The Ugly Guys 

realised they had a great collection of 

tracks. Independent label, Conquest 

Music also spotted this and persuaded 

the band to record a few more songs and 

turn it into an album, ‘Cover Your Tracks’. 

The founder members of The Ugly Guys 

— Paul Shuttleworth and Vic Collins 

— have been making music together 

since 1969, when they founded one 

of England’s first country rock bands 

Cow Pie. Paul and Vic went on to form 

The Kursaal Flyers in 1972 and were an 

integral part of the ‘Pub Rock’ scene that 

was flourishing in the UK at that time. 

The Kursaals were one of the few bands 

to break out of the pub rock scene when 

in 1977 they enjoyed a hit single with 

their Phil Spectoresque pastiche ‘Little 

Does She Know’. 

Fast forward to 2003, when a chance 

meeting led Paul and Vic to explore the 

prospect of forming a new band to play 

the cosmic country music they both 

loved. A call to guitarist and multiinstrumentalist 

Steve Oliver quickly 

formed the nucleus of the new band, 

which they named The Ugly Guys, taking 

the moniker from a much-loved Kursaal 

Flyers song. 

The Ugly Guys are Paul Shuttleworth 

– Lead Vocals, Steve Oliver – Guitars, 

Mandolin, Banjo Keyboards & Backing 

Vocals, Vic Collins, Pedal Steel, Guitars 

and Backing Vocals, Nevil Kiddier – Bass 

Guitar & Backing Vocals, Bob Clouter – 

Drums. 

In the words of the song, The Ugly Guys 

play on and on and on… 

You can get Cover Your Tracks here: 

https://slinky.to/CoverYourTracks 

Websites: https://conquestmusic.co.uk/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ 

theuglyguys 


THE BOOK OF REVALATIONS 

Since NE Guitars Magazine collaborated with Conquest Music, one band has so far 

eluded us. Thankfully, to join in the celebration of the Conquest Special edition, we 

are excited to feature an exclusive interview between Alan Bambrough of Conquest 

with Gerard Freeman of The Book Of Revalations. This stunning interview reveals 

Gerards influences and perspectives right up to the release of their debut album, The 

Plumes Of Enceladus. This is one story you will definitely want to read. 

Interview by 

Alan Bambrough,Conquest 

Music & Gerard Freeman. 

Images courtesy of Conquest 

Music & Book of Revalations 

Hello Gerard, how are you and what 

are you doing right now? 

Hi, I am doing very well thanks. Just 

working on the final touches of my 

second album. Due out in Spring 2025. 

Maybe you would like to introduce 

yourself briefly, as most readers 

probably don’t know you yet. I only 

recently came across your album The 

Plumes Of Enceladus. 

I‘m Gerard Freeman. I live in London, 

and have been writing and playing 

music for many years ever since getting 

a recorder for my 9th birthday! My first 

guitar followed in my teens and then 

there were piano lessons and even a 

year of violin lessons, but I couldn’t get 

on with the classical 

stuff when I was younger; I wish I had 

applied myself more seriously, 

especially to the piano, as they would 

be significant assets to what I am doing 

now. Sadly, that‘s the impetuousity of 


youth; I wanted to skip the hard work 

and get to the stage where I could play 

songs that I related to at the time. The 

guitar was different though, I didn’t 

go down the classical route but sought 

out other players, much better players, 

who could play the traditional Folk 

songs, but also the Pop hits of the day. 

I found the guitar a very accessible 

instrument, and I would spend every 

waking hour practicing; not seeing it 

as a chore; but enjoying the challenge 

of trying to figure out song chords, 

what made a good melody, and most 

importantly how harmonies were 

constructed. 

Your album, The Plumes Of Enceladus, 

should appeal to all retro prog fans. 

Why have you only recently released 

your debut album? 

I spent one summer with a friend of 

mine who was a massive Genesis fan. 

We hit upon the idea of recording a 

version of The Musical Box (off the 

Nursery Cryme album by Genesis). 

This was back in the day when there 

was no such thing as Ultimate Guitar, 

which meant many hours of playing 

the song and going over sections again 

and again until we thought we’d got it 

right (easier said than done). It started 

as a bit of an academic exercise, but 

soon became a 

labour of love as we delved into the 

complex rhythms, the multiple 12 

string guitars weaving in and out, the 

clever orchestration and the intricacies 

that make it, unequivocally, a Genesis 

song of great musicianship and, at the 

same time, a beautiful 10 m 26 s of 

sheer joy. After doing this, I thought 

I would have a go at writing my own 

songs in the same style, and that was 

the origins of what I’m doing now. I 

wrote and recorded the album, and put 

it on You Tube, where it was heard by 

Cliff Evans (guitarist with Tank and 

Killers). He, with his partner, Alan 

Bambrough, of Conquest Music 

decided it was worthy of taking to 

Book of Revalations 

the next level and getting it out as an 

album. We did a 5 track digital EP first 

(released 21/12/2021 – geddit?) and 

then the album was released in April 

2023. 

Let me guess what your favorite band 

is… 

So Genesis are obviouly right up there, 

but if pushed I would have to elevate 

Peter Gabriel, as solo artist, to the top 

spot. The Gabriel-era Genesis, and the 

amazing work he has done since has 

been consistently of an extremely high 

quality and he is my musical hero, 

not least for his glorious lyrics which 

always strike a chord. 

The band name is the first hidden clue, 

right? 

It is fairly obvious where my influences 

lie, and I didn’t think there was any 

point in trying to disguise that, so 

yes, the name had to have a passing 


eference to the mighty Genesis. 

Is “The Book Of Revelations” actually 

a band or more of a project? 

Strictly speaking it is my project, I 

played all the instruments (except 

drums, for which I have to thank Russ 

Wilson), but I do now have anama zing 

band of musicians around me so that I 

can bring the music to a live audience. 

How did “The Book Of Revelations” 

actually come about? 

So I had, after reproducing The 

Musical Box, what I thought was an 

elementary understanding of how the 

early Genesis sound was moulded and 

fashioned; so it started there. I knew I 

wanted to capture all the elements of 

Prog; the intoxicating combination of 

Rock, Orchestral and Folk music with 

lyricism and poetry convoluted with 

complex rhythms 

and less than common time signatures. 

For the lyrics, I delved into Classical 

Greek mythology, where there are 

literally thousands of great stories 

covering every aspect of the human 

condition; life, death, love, sex, crime, 

war, intrigue, family loyalties, greed 

and avarice to name just the best ten! 

All of which are dutifully 

addressed on the album. There is the 

wonderfully evocative story of 

Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and The 

Chthonic Deities of Vengeance; and the 

opening suite in 5 parts based on the 

story of Prometheus and his struggle 

with the Gods, led by Zeus. Both 

stories, as told here in “Malice 

A Forethought” and “The Chthonic 

Deities of Vengeance”, have at their 

core the common theme of the struggle 

of the underdog against the odds, 

who finally emerges triumphant; a 

reasonable metaphor for life, don’t you 

think? 

Who supported you in the creation of 

‘The Plumes Of Enceladus’? 

As I said earlier, it would not have 

happened without Conquest Music; but 

I also have to thank the editor of Prog 

Rock magazine in the UK, Jerry Ewing, 

who also expressed his interest in the 

album and encouraged the record 

company to see the project through to 

completion. 

THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS 

CNQ 020CD 102CD 

℗ & © 2022 CONQUEST RECORDS LIMITED All rights reserved. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting prohibited. 

Chapter One 

The Plumes of Enceladus 

Is ‘The Plumes Of Enceladus’ a concept 

album? Please briefly explain the 

history of the album? 

Enceladus is the 6th largest of Saturn’s 

62 moons and after the discovery of 

liquid water issuing from its South Pole 

it became a focus for SETI (Search for 

Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). This was 

the first liquid water detected anywhere 

in the Universe other than on Earth; 

and as we know 

life is not possible without this essential 

element, so it conjured up the prospect 

of life elsewhere in our Galaxy, a 

monumental discovery if it turns out to 

be the case. The Plumes of Enceladus 

anticipates their findings with parables 

of redemption and rebirth, indeed, new 

life. 

Basically the album consists of 3 songs. 

How would you describe the music? 

Well, in a nutshell, I think it‘s best 

described as Prog Rock in the style of 

early-Genesis. I wanted to include all 

the aspects of Prog, from the English 

Folk music tradition, through Rock, 

in its many guises and Classical 

Orchestral music. The wonderful thing 

about music is that these 

genre can sit together comfortably; 

the weaving in and out of styles and 

form, the complex rhythms and time 

signatures all combine to allow the 

space and time to develop ideas and 

themes with very few contraints. The 

Greek mythological references of the 

lyrics also bring a wonderful lexicon 

to the genre of Prog; the people, the 

places, the Deities and the convoluted 

storylines which lend themselves to 

the eloborate treatment that fits so 

perfectly with the music. 

‘The Plumes Of Enceladus’ has the 

addition of ‘Chapter One’. Doesn’t that 

mean we can hope for more music? 

How far are you? 

Chapter Two will be released in Spring 

2025. The Plumes Of Enceladus’ is 

available on CD and digital services. 

https://www.conquestmusic.co.uk/ 

artists 

https://thebookofrevelations.org/ 


Book of Revalations 


IN Focus 


In Focus - Thieves of Liberty 

We were delighted to hear that a great North 

East band was going to be supporting our 

friends, Hillbilly Vegas in November so when 

the opportunity came up to find out more about 

the lads, we jumped at the chance. So it is with 

pleasure that NE Guitars Magazine along with 

Conquest music welcome our Sunderland stars 

to our hall of fame. 

Article By Paul George & Thieves of Liberty 

Images Courtesy of Adam Kennedy, Thieves of Liberty 

Thieves of Liberty are 

an Award-Winning 

Modern Rock band from 

Sunderland, UK. 

Known for their energetic and 

captivating live shows, crowds all 

over the UK have fallen in love 

with the band. 

Their sound has been described 

as a blend between Bon Jovi, Van 

Halen, Queen and Extreme with a 

Geordie Jay Buchanan (Rival Sons) 

at the helm. 

The band have been tearing up 

the typical industry rulebook by 

making consecutive appearances 

at a number of prestigious festivals 

including Firevolt & Wildfire, as 

well as gracing the stage alongside 

industry titans such as; The 

Darkness, Reef, Wayward Sons, 

Skid Row, Marisa and the Moths & 

many more. 

So, as we said above, the Thieves of 

Liberty supported Hillbilly Vegas 

at Trillions, Newcastle on 27th 

November. At the time of writing 

this article, that date is still in the 

future so I had to rely on a little 

homework and the magic of the 

interweb to find out just what kind 

of a band they were. I can tell you 

now, I wasn’t disappointed. The 

guitar work is superb, typical of a 

professional and well established 

rock band with ultra powerful 

vocals giving a balance that many 

bands miss. When you consider 

their past and struggles to make 

it, you have to take your hats of to 

them. 

They have also, just recently 

released their debut album ‘Shangri 

La’ which I took a listen to. ‘Great 

Music Stories’ announced the 

album as Octobers Album of the 

month and said Thieves of Liberty 

can play, they hold nothing back 


and they do it with a big smile on their 

faces. This is what rock n roll is all about. 

Forget the streams, the social likes, the 

fads and the paid-for follows, it’s time 

for a re-set of what really matters folks – 

good music well played.” 

Yeah, it’s really that kind of an album. I 

must admit, Rock isn’t my favourite genre 

which means any rock album that I listen 

to has to capture me from the start. Well 

the first track I listened to was the title 

track ‘Shangri La’ and I actually found it 

very easy to listen to. The band is super 

tight across the board allowing the song 

to flow unhindered without overbearing 

noises from unneccessary fills. I could 

seriously go on about how good this 

album is but really, you need to hear it for 

yourself. All I will say, it’s bloody good. 

We also got the opportunity to have a 

chat with the lads prior to meeting up 

with them at the gig. In typical NEG 

style, we chucked a few questions at 

them. 

NEG: Tell me how Thieves of Liberty 

started? 

TOL: It was a dark and stormy night, 

Kieran and James had just recently 

become colleagues at a music studio in 

Sunderland. James had actually heard 

bad things about Kieran previous to 

them working together, but his scrawny 

charm worked its magic and a beautiful 

friendship blossomed. The pair decided 

to form a supergroup (consisting of 

just two normal people from unknown 

origins). They then went on to recruit 

Liam, Pete & Tom and thus Thieves of 

Liberty was born. 

NEG: Where does the name “Thieves of 

Liberty” come from? 

TOL: Sadly, there’s no great backstory 

to the name. We just threw words around 

that we thought sounded cool and 

eventually the combination ‘Thieves of 

Liberty’ came out. It’s worked out well for 

us though so it turned out to be a good 

decision. 

NEG: How would you define the band? 

(Genre’s, styles etc) 

TOL: We’re five different personalities 

with five different music tastes and that 

makes us hard to define as a collective, 

but we like that as it makes us unique. As 

a result of this, our music is incredibly 

varied and our sound is somehow both 

modern and classic at the same time. 

Everything pivots around the rock genre, 

but we like to push the boundaries and 

infuse elements of other styles, from 

jazz to metal and everything in between, 

there’s something for everyone. Who 

are your influences? We have an eclectic 

mix of influences, spanning from the 

early sounds of cavemen banging bones 

on walls to the rock legends of today. 

Some of the big names which have had 

a direct impact on our sound include; 

Shinedown, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, 

Alter Bridge & Rival Sons. There’s plenty 

more, but we’d be listing them for hours! 

NEG: Being a guitar and guitarist 

magazine, we are always interested in the 

guitars and rigs that bands use. Tell us 

about what you use? 

TOL: We’ve got a bit of a Yin and 

Yang pairing with our guitarists. Kieran 

is a modern gear lover whereas Liam 

swears by the classics. Kieran runs two 

PRS guitars, a Tremonti 2012 USA 

Model and a Custom Built McCarty 

594, through a powered Kemper with 

a Marshall profile into a Marshall 1960 

cabinet. Liam prefers what he calls ‘a 

real amp’, his Marshall JCM 800 100W 

2210 head through his Marshall 4x12 

with greenbacks in. His guitars are a ‘57 

Reissue Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop/ 

Murphy Lab and a 2004 Gibson Les Paul 

Standard Gold Top. 

NEG: We see you’re playing Trillians 

supporting Hillbilly Vegas soon. Tell us 

how that has happened and how you feel 

about it? 

TOL: We’re incredibly excited to be 

playing alongside Hillbilly Vegas on 

November 27th at a great local venue 

in Trillians. They’re a band who we’ve 

heard a lot of great things about so we’re 

looking forward to seeing what they do 

on the stage. We’ll make sure to get the 

crowd well and truly warmed up for 

them too. 

NEG: What has Thieves of Liberty got 

coming up in the future? 

TOL: We’re heading out on a full UK 

Tour early next year with our friends 

Sons of Liberty for ‘The Tour of Liberty’! 

We’re heading to all of the far corners 

of the UK so we’re sure to see a lot of 

familiar faces and hopefully pick up 

plenty of new fans along the way. Then 

after that, we’d love to get back in the 

studio to start working on the second 


In Focus - Thieves of Liberty 

album. 

NEG: Are there any albums on the 

horizon? 

TOL: Yes! Our debut full-length album 

‘Shangri-La’ launches on November 

15th. It’s an album which has been a 

long time coming, we spent over 18 

months recording it in the pursuit of 

perfection. It was really important to us 

that we captured the energy of our live 

shows in the recordings, so we stressed 

over the little fine details, but in the end 

we’ve created something we’re incredibly 

proud of. We’re not saying it’s the 

greatest debut of all time but.. Guns N’ 

Roses are starting to sweat. 

NEG: Where can our readers find out 

more about ‘Thieves of Liberty’’? (Social 

Media, websites etc.) 

TOL: You can find us on all social 

media @thievesofliberty and all 

information about gigs, merch 

and music can be found at www. 

thievesofliberty.com. 

NEG: Guys, thank you very much 

for talking to us here at NE Guitars 

Magazine. 

I would like to personally thank Adam 

Kennedy for co-ordinating the interview 

and also for supplying NE Guitars 

Magazine with all of the information 

and images. Top job, Adam! Many 

thanks. 


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