Tigertailz

Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album, Bezerk which made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the hit singles "Love Bomb Baby" and "Heaven",.^[1] The band reformed in 2005 to considerable popular acclaim.

Formation and early years

Tigertailz (originally called Stagefright) formed in 1983 after bassist Pepsi Tate and drummer Ian Welch placed an advert in the Cardiff record store, Spillers Records, looking for a guitarist. Jay Pepper answered the advert.^[2] Local guitarist Phil Harling and singer Jim Dovey joined and the band began to write and record demos, although the demos were never released. The band began to get gigs and they started to amass a local following, however lead singer Jim Dovey soon left the band therefore Pepper and Tate placed an advert in the National Sounds magazine and vocalist Steevi Jaimz answered the call and joined the band. Welch left the band in 1984 and was finally replaced with Ace Finchum.^[2]

Commercial success (1987-1995)

Part of the nascent glam metal scene in the late 1980s, Tigertailz first line-up issued their debut album, Young And Crazy, in 1987. The album featured vocalist Steevi Jaimz, guitarist Jay Pepper, bassist Pepsi Tate and drummer Ace Finchum. The debut album also provided their first single, "Livin' Without You".

As the band toured, vocalist Steevi Jaimz was not fully committed to the band, and several instances of fighting were recorded. The band recruited Kim Hooker to replace Jaimz in time for follow-up album, Bezerk which was released in 1990 on the Music For Nations label.

Prior to the release of Bezerk, the band re-recorded "Livin Without' You" with Hooker as vocalist, and released it as a single. Bezerk saw the band breakthrough as a headline act, and delivering three singles, "Love Bomb Baby",^[3] "Noise Level Critical" and "Heaven". The album peaked at No. 36 in the UK Albums Chart.^[1]

They released Banzai!, a collection of B-sides and re-recorded tracks, in 1991 in Japan. They also issued Wazbones in 1995, by which time the Hooker-Pepper-Tate-Finchum line-up had fragmented, and was replaced by the Hooker-Danahar-Tate-Skinner line up. Touring proved successful, but there was insufficient record label interest to sustain the band.

Reunion (2005-2009)

In 2005, the band reformed their classic line-up, with the addition of former City Kidds drummer Matt Blakout, who replaced Andy Skinner. The band won a court order winning ownership of the Tigertailz name from a spin-off band fronted by Steevi Jaimz. This problem resolved, Tigertailz were able to work on Bezerk 2.0.

They completed a short reunion tour of the UK, culminating in some festival dates in Sweden and Spain, playing to over 70,000 people with Whitesnake and Twisted Sister. Kerrang! magazine wrote in praise of the reunion; journalist Steve Beebee describing it as "persistently entertaining, with monstrous melodies that reach delirious peaks".^{[citation needed]}

Bezerk 2.0 was released through Demolition Records on 7 August 2006.

Bass player Pepsi Tate was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007. The band signed a new recording contract with Sanctuary Records, and released Thrill Pistol on 27 August 2007, barely a year after their previous album release. This release was a double album, packaged with the original 1992 version of the Wazbones album, that had never been officially released. Beebee again wrote in praise of the album in Kerrang!, calling on fans to "kindly hail this rejuvenated band for the time-defying devils they are".^{[citation needed]}

Following Tate's death in September 2007, Tigertailz continued to tour with former City Kidds lead guitarist, Glenn 'Nailz' Quinn, playing bass. As well as numerous European festival shows, they supported ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley in the UK, and performed at the UK's Hard Rock Hell Festival in both 2008 and 2009.

Bezerk anniversary (2010)

In January 2010, Tigertailz recruited Sarah Firebrand as their new bass player. They also announced that they would be playing Bezerk, originally released in 1990, in its entirety and in sequence at some subsequent live shows. Some of these performances were recorded for use as a future live album.

After playing a show at the Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff on 17 April to raise money for the Amser Justin Time charity set up in Pepsi Tate's memory, the band headlined the Stockholm Rock Out Festival in Sweden on 1 May.

Following further 'Bezerk Live' dates, Tigertailz replaced drummer Matt Blakout with former Rachel Stamp sticksman Robin Guy. Tigertailz headlined the first night of 2010's Hard Rock Hell and released Bezerk Live - Burnin' Fuel on 6 December. In June 2011, it was announced, via the band's website, that Ace Finchum had re-joined the band.

They were expected to record their next studio album in 2011 but on 23 November, in an interview with Queens Of Steel webzine, [ Queens Of Steel - Tigertailz interview ] Jay Pepper cast doubt on the future of the band, stating that it was "facing a crossroads as to its survival. I don't know if we can survive the latest troubles." Suggesting that Tigertailz might still continue "with a different line-up" the band parted company with Sarah Firebrand in late 2011, this being made public in a statement issued on 9 January 2012 [ ^[4] ]. Frontman Kim Hooker went the same way on 28 March 2012, the remaining members citing 'a total breakdown of relationship resulting from the singer's unprofessional conduct'[ ^[5] ]. They further described themselves as "relieved".

New Line-up (2012)

On 26 June 2012 Tigertailz announced its new line-up, and a European tour for September and October. Joining original members Jay Pepper and Ace Finchum were Jules Millis (vocals), Rob Wylde (guitar) and Jason Sims (bass). The band re-recorded an old song, Fall In Love Again, and filmed a video for it - with all proceeds going towards a charity set up in Pepsi Tate's memory.^[6]

After a tour and an appearance at the Hard Rock Hell festival, this line-up fragmented in 2013. In a statement, Jay Pepper confirmed that there would be no reunion but that he would continue to perform as Tigertailz, and in June 2013 it was confirmed that drummer Matthew Blakout had re-joined the band, with Wylde switching from guitar to bass, and a new EP 'Knives' being prepared for release.

On 7 October 2013, the Classic Rock Magazine website premiered Tigertailz latest video "The Shoe Collector", ahead of the release of the "Knives" EP on 15 October. The magazine described it as a "a major step on Tigertailz’ road back from the brink".^[7]

Band members

Discography

• Young and Crazy (1987)
• Bezerk (1990) UK No. 36^[1]
• Banzai! (1991)
• Wazbones! (1995)
• You Lookin' At Me? (1996) (live)
• Original Sin (2003)
• Bezerk 2.0 (2006)
• Thrill Pistol (2007)
• Bezerk Live-Burnin' Fuel (2010)
• Knives (2013)

Videography

Music videos

• Livin' Without You
• Love Bomb Baby
• Noise Level Critical
• Heaven
• Dirty Needles
• Belly of the Beast
• Falling Down
• Long Live The New Flesh (unreleased)
• I Believe
• Fall In Love Again
• The Shoe Collector

VHS

• Bezerk - Live 1990
• Video Frenzy

References

External links

• Official website
• Tigertailz on Myspace
• Tigertailz biography from BBC Wales
• Metal Sludge interview with Pepsi Tate
• Jay Pepper interview at Love-It-Loud.com
• Ace Finchum interview at Love-It-Loud.com
• Jay Pepper interview at Queens Of Steel