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Stampede

Stampede was formed in 1981: a cult hard rock outfit which exploded onto the British rock scene, signing to Polydor Records and immediately receiving favourable press attention.

Song writing duo Reuben and Laurence Archer had already made inroads into the music scene prior to STAMPEDE around 1979, with previous music projects Lautrec, Lionheart and Wild Horses, completing touring with the likes of Saxon, Whitesnake and Def Leppard and appearing at prestigious venues such as London’s Marquee.

After keyboardist Alan Nelson moved on, Stampede played the 1982 Reading Festival with what then became the definitive four-piece line-up: Reuben Archer (vocals), Laurence Archer (guitar), Colin Bond (bass) and Eddie Parsons (drums).  The Reading and Mildenhall Festival sets from that year were recorded on The Rolling Stones mobile studio, the result of which was the first Stampede album released by Polydor; the Official Live Bootleg.

The band completed a residency at the Marquee at this time, as well as two tours with Gary Moore,. Although live the band preferred the tighter feel without keyboards, Magnum’s Mark Stanway was brought in on keys later on for the recording of their first studio album Hurricane Town (1983).

Polydor also released a 4 track EP; Days of Wine And Roses, a single of the same name, and a further 2 singles; The Other Side, and Photograph.,  which received considerable airplay on BBC Radio, Capital Radio and across Europe and Japan.  Stampede also appeared on many compilation albums between 1981 and 1983.

The band continued to tour, completing a residency in Portugal. Other notable appearances included live sessions for the BBC Tommy Vance Friday Rock Show, Fluff Freeman’s Capital Radio Rock Show, BBC In Concert, and several TV slots.

Prior to The band’s Reading appearance, Reuben broke his leg badly and soon quit the music business to form his design company, whilst Laurence went on to join Phil Lynott in his new band Grand Slam, and later UFO to record High Stakes and Dangerous Men and UFO: Live in Japan.  Bassist Colin Bond went on to work with Meat Loaf and Bernie Torme, and also formed his widely acclaimed tribute band, Beach Boys Inc.

NEW HORIZONS

Stampede’s reunion in 2009 was a unanimous decision by the three founder members; Reuben Archer, Laurence Archer and Colin Bond.

The original 2009 reunion gigs and first stages of recording featured Clive Edwards on drums.  As with Laurence, though, the difficult recording schedule and travelling distances involved made it logistically impossible to organise.  Luckily for the band, though, Reuben found in Steve Graystone a drummer who could fall in with the awkward recording schedule and at the same time proved to be the powerhouse required.

Together with new helping hands – including hot-shot guitarist Rob Wolverson and guitarist Chris Clowsley – the band crafted a worthy and impressive, long-awaited follow-up to ‘Hurricane Town’, called ‘A Sudden Impulse’ released on Rock Candy Records in May 2011. This record harnessed all the promise of the original band, but with the experience of years crafting their art in numerous studios and on the live circuit.

The band had a fantastic comeback year in 2011 promoting the new record and completing a UK tour with Y&T, dates with Anvil and Praying Mantis as well as an appearance at Hard Rock Hell V.

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THE BAND

[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Reuben Archer” role=”Vocals” image_id=”163″]
[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Colin Bond” role=”Bass” image_id=”181″]
[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Laurence Archer” role=”Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals” image_id=”182″]
[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Rob Wolverson” role=”Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals” image_id=”161″]
[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Chris Clowsley” role=”Guitar / Backing Vocals” image_id=”162″]
[wvc_team_member image_style=”portrait” name=”Neil Ablard” role=”Drums” image_id=”184″]
© 2020 Reuben Archer