Tygers Of Pan Tang
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Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the
new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...
movement. They formed in 1978 in
Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around eas ...
, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perform. The name is derived from Pan Tang, a fictional archipelago in Michael Moorcock's
Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
fantasy series whose wizards keep tigers as pets.


Biography


Early days, 1978–1983

The Tygers of Pan Tang were formed by guitarist Robb Weir (born Robert Mortimer Weir, 1958), Richard "Rocky" Laws (bass), Jess Cox (vocals) and Brian Dick (drums). They played in working men's clubs and were first signed by local independent label
Neat Records Neat Records was a British independent record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. A key figure in the establishment of t ...
before MCA gave them a major record deal. After several singles, they released their first album, ''
Wild Cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...
'', in 1980. The album reached No. 18 in the
UK Album Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
in the first week of its release. Subsequently
John Sykes John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in ...
(formerly of Streetfighter, later in
Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
,
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...
,
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
, and Blue Murder) was added as second guitarist. Jess Cox had a falling out with the others and quit, to be replaced by
Persian Risk Persian Risk are a Welsh heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era formed in 1979 and hailing from Cardiff, Wales. The brainchild of ex-Stoned Soul Party guitarist Phil Campbell, he recruited vocalist Jon Deverill, second ...
vocalist Jon Deverill. This lineup released '' Spellbound'' in 1981. Sykes quit after the release of the third album, ''
Crazy Nights ''Crazy Nights'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Ge ...
'', to audition for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's band. He was replaced by ex- Penetration guitarist Fred Purser, who had to learn the set in two days before touring. Tygers of Pan Tang's fourth album, ''
The Cage The Cage may refer to: Sports * West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City * Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
'', was released in 1982. The band then had a dispute with MCA, who were reluctant to promote the band unless they agreed to record more cover versions (following the band's hit with " Love Potion No. 9"). The band tried to terminate their contract, but MCA's release terms exceeded what other record companies were willing to pay to acquire the band. In frustration, the group chose to disband. Jess Cox released his solo album ''Third Step'' in 1983. John Sykes later achieved success with
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...
and
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
. Songs for a new album were demoed by the same line-up which completed the previous album. It was supposed to be called ''Square One''. The label did not approve the material and, in consequence this line-up disbanded. Songs from this aborted album were issued in 2018 under the name Purser Deverill.


Reformation, 1985–1987

In 1985, Jon Deverill and Brian Dick reformed the band with Steve Lamb (formerly of Sergeant) on guitar, Neil Sheppard on guitar, and ex-Warrior, ex-Satan member Clin Irwin on bass. Dave Donaldson later replaced Clin Irwin. Meanwhile, Robb Weir and Jess Cox formed the spin-off band Tyger-Tyger. The reformed Tygers of Pan Tang released ''
The Wreck-Age ''The Wreck-Age'' is the fifth studio album by British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang, produced in 1985 on Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a ...
'' in summer 1985 through
Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment. Launched in 1 ...
, and '' Burning in the Shade'' in 1987, through
Zebra Records Zebra Records is an American independent jazz/fusion record label originally based on Encino, Los Angeles. In 1985, it reached a distribution agreement with Enja Records to distribute their music in the United States, including the music of David ...
. ''Burning in the Shade'' received poor reviews and they disbanded again. Various compilations and live albums were produced by the band's two first labels, Neat Records and MCA. ''First Kill'' is one such compilation album, released on vinyl in 1986 by Neat Records, then re-released on CD by Castle Classics in 1992. All the songs are live demo recordings, without overdubs, made at Impulse Studios in 1979/80 as demos by the original line-up.


Latter days, 1999–present

During the 1998
Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...
festival, Jess Cox joined on stage with
Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
, playing three old Tygers songs. The audience's response was positive, and a year later, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tygers of Pan Tang and the 10th Wacken Open Air, the band was invited to play on the main stage. Brian Dick and Rocky were unable to join the band, but the Tygers (now Jess Cox and Robb Weir, backed up by Blitzkrieg guitarist Glenn S Howes, bassist Gavin Gray, and drummer Chris Percy) did perform. Recordings of their performance resulted in the ''Live at Wacken'' album. In 2000, Robb Weir reformed the band as the only original member. The other musicians were Tony Liddell (vocals), Dean Robertson (lead guitar), Brian West (bass), and Craig Ellis (drums). They released ''Mystical'' through Z-Records. They toured in several festivals, but eventually were dropped by Z-Records in 2002, due to poor record sales. The band went on to produce the split album '' The Second Wave: 25 Years of NWOBHM'' with
Girlschool Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 yea ...
and
Oliver/Dawson Saxon Oliver/Dawson Saxon was an English heavy metal band formed in 1995 by former members of Saxon, guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist Steve Dawson. Following Steve Dawson's decision to retire from performing in October 2021, Graham Oliver, Gav ...
on Communique Records, and in 2004 released ''Noises in the Cathouse'' with new singer Richie Wicks who although a singer by trade was at the time still playing bass in Angel Witch. Later that year, Richie Wicks left and was replaced by Italian vocalist Jacopo Meille. Wicks responded to the announcement of Meille in which Weir took aim at Wicks. Wicks responded to Weir on a Blabbermouth comment board commenting "I enjoyed my time with the band AT the time but it pains me to have to defend myself like this. I WILL NOT be judged by anyone from the TYGERS and will certainly not be labelled unprofessional by people no more pro than me!." Wicks later joined
Shadowkeep Shadowkeep are an English heavy metal band formed in Guildford in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen (ex-Intense and Sire) and Nikki Robson (also formerly of Sire). History Early recordings In October 1999, Shadowkeep recorded their debu ...
, appearing on their 2008 album ''The Hourglass Effect'', before leaving in 2009. As of 2010, he was the vocalist in Heavenly Hell, a Dio-era
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
tribute band, and in 2013 he commenced fronting the band
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
,
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
& Purple with fellow ex-
Angel Witch Angel Witch are a British heavy metal band which formed in London in 1976 as part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement. Biography Formation The band formed, originally under the name of Lucifer, of guitarist and vocalist ...
guitarist Keith Herzberg and current
Praying Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...
drummer Gary MacKenzie, along with
Shadowkeep Shadowkeep are an English heavy metal band formed in Guildford in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen (ex-Intense and Sire) and Nikki Robson (also formerly of Sire). History Early recordings In October 1999, Shadowkeep recorded their debu ...
's ex-bassist Mark Fielden. Jon Deverill went on to work as an actor under the name of Jon De Ville, and as of October 2007 was performing in '
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
' at the
London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
with television star
Connie Fisher Connie Fisher (born 17 June 1983) is a British actress, singer and TV presenter, who won the BBC One talent contest, '' How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'' On 15 November 2006, she opened to excellent reviews in the part of Maria von Trapp ...
. In October 2007, the band issued a limited edition five track EP titled ''Back and Beyond'', which featured reworkings of three Tygers songs from the early 1980s, along with two new tracks taken from their forthcoming album. '' Animal Instinct'' was released on 19 May 2008, the first with vocalist Jacopo Meille. On 2011 bassist Gavin Gray return in the band to replace Brian West. On 15 July 2011 it was announced that Tygers Of Pan Tang have signed an agreement with Rocksector Records for the worldwide release of their next studio album, with a current working title of "Ambush", provisionally planned for February/March 2012. The album came out on 24 September. In 2013, guitarist Dean Robertson was replaced by Micky Crystal.In 2015, Jess Cox formed "Jess Cox's Tygers of Pan Tang" and made festival appearances across Europe, as well as a tour of South America. 2016 saw the band release the self titled album "Tygers of Pan Tang" which featured the track "Only The Brave." This was followed up in 2019 with the album "Ritual." In 2020, Micky Crystal left the band. Crystal stated in an interview that he had left due to poor management also claiming Robb Weir had little, to no involvement, in the band's 2019 album, ''Ritual''. It was noted that John Sykes had expressed similar feelings in a Kerrang interview from 1984. On May 28th 2021 the band released the compilation "Majors & Minors." In 2021 bassist Gav Gray left the band and was replaced by Huw Holding.


Members

Current members *Robb Weir – guitar, backing vocals (1978–1982, 1999–present) *Craig Ellis – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2000–present) *Jacopo "Jack" Meille – lead vocals (2004–present) *Francesco Marras – guitar (2020–present) *Huw Holding - bass (2021 - present) Jess Cox Tygers of Pan Tang * Jess Cox – vocals (2015–present)


Discography


Studio albums

*''
Wild Cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...
'' (1980) *'' Spellbound'' (1981) *''
Crazy Nights ''Crazy Nights'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Ge ...
'' (1981) *''
The Cage The Cage may refer to: Sports * West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City * Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
'' (1982) *''
The Wreck-Age ''The Wreck-Age'' is the fifth studio album by British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang, produced in 1985 on Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a ...
'' (1985) *'' Burning in the Shade'' (1987) *''Mystical'' (2001) *''Noises from the Cathouse'' (2004) *'' Animal Instinct'' (2008) *''Ambush'' (2012) *''
Tygers Of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perf ...
'' (2016) *''Ritual'' (2019)


Compilation albums

*''Tygers of Pan Tang'' – 1982 *''The Best of Tygers of Pan Tang'' – 1984 *''First Kill'' – 1986 *''Hellbound'' – 1989 *''Singles'' – 1992 *''On the Prowl: The Best Of'' – 1999 *''Detonated'' – 2005 *''Big Game Hunting (The Rarities)'' – 2005 *''Bad Bad Kitty'' – 2005 *'' Majors & Minors'' - 2021


Live albums

*''BBC in Concert'' – 1981 *''Live at Wacken'' – 2001 *''Live at Nottingham Rock City'' – 2001 *''Live in the Roar'' – 2003 *''Leg of the Boot: Live in Holland'' – 2005


EPs

*''Back and Beyond'' (2007) *''The Wildcat Sessions'' (2010) *''The Spellbound Sessions'' (2011) *''The Crazy Nights Sessions (30th Anniversary Special Edition)'' (2014) *''A New Heartbeat'' (2022)


Singles

*"Don't Touch Me There" / "Burning Up" / "Bad Times" – 1979 *"Rock 'N' Roll Man" / "All Right on the Night" / "Wild Cats" – 1980 *"Suzie Smiled" / "Tush" – 1980 *"Euthanasia" / "Straight as a Die" – 1980 *"Don't Stop By" / "Slave to Freedom" (live) / "Raised on Rock" (live) – 1981 *"Hellbound" / "Don't Give a Damn" / "Don't Take Nothing" / "Bad Times" – 1981 – No. 48 UK *"The Story So Far" / "Silver and Gold" / " All or Nothing" – 1981 *"Love Don't Stay" / "Paradise Drive" – 1981 *"Do It Good" / "Slip Away" – 1982 *"Making Tracks" / "What You Sayin'" – 1982 *"Paris By Air" / "Love's a Lie" – 1982 – No. 63 UK *"Rendezvous" / "Life of Crime" – 1982 – No. 49 UK *" Love Potion No. 9" / "The Stormlands" – 1982 – No. 45 UK *"Lonely at the Top" / "You Always See What You Want" – 1983 *"Only the Brave" - 2016 *"White Lines" / "Don't Touch Me There" - 2019


See also

*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands The late 1970s–early 1980s period in the United Kingdom introduced a movement of young musicians, generally identified as the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM). The movement spawned more than a thousand hard rock and ...


References


External links


Tygers of Pan Tang
on
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Full discography and band photosAudio interview with the Tygers of Pan Tang from Hard Rock Hell Festival 2011Audio interview with Robb Weir and Jack from Hard Rock Hell Festival 2008Richie Wicks Blabbermouth articleInterview with Micky Crystal on his departure from Tygers of Pan Tang
{{Authority control English heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 Musical groups reestablished in 1985 Articles which contain graphical timelines Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups Music for Nations artists