andro Coulton
bass guitar
My love of music started when I was 5 years old watching TV, I played recorder injunior school but never participated much after that at school, but loved the Beatles,Stones, Kinks etc. However at 15 I discovered, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa,Grateful Dead and many other eclectic music. I purchased a catalogue cheap electricguitar when I was 16 and taught myself to play as I found lessons and books tedious.I then picked up a bass for a mate from the shop and I felt at home. I played in theHolmes Street Jug Band and Albatross before joining Witchfynde as their roadie/lighting engineer in 1974 The original bassist left and I joined the Witchfynde lineup on bass in early 1975 culminating in a record deal and the seminal Give ‘Em Hellalbum. I remained in the band until July 1980 when after a meeting I left the band, Ithen formed Malleus 3 days after leaving Witchfynde.After a long hiatus, I began playing again and produced a solo album in 2006, andwent on to form the band ZXY and in 2016 reformed Malleus. Unfortunately mycareer was suspended as I was diagnosed with Myeloma (bone marrow cancer) inFebruary 2017. I managed to get in a Malleus gig in the December of that year afterbeing declared cancer free in Summer 2017. It was from then onwards that peoplebegan saying that I needed to start playing my heritage and get a Witchfynde bandtogether. This had to be hastily sorted as I was asked to bring Andro Coulton’s give 'Em Hell to the British Steel Festival in France October 2019.
Then came the pandemic and lockdown, however we managed to record a 40th Anniversary re-record of the 1980 Give ‘Em Hell/ Getting Heavy single with the Andro Coulton’s Give 'Em Hell line up.
In November 2023 the present line was formed, which I believe sounds as close as I could possibly get to the original Give ‘Em Hell line up and we will be recording anew album shortly.
Dave Murray
vocals
Things started humbly, the first music I remember hearing was on the radio during the early 60’s, all the ‘pop songs’ of the day, but my first real musical influence was Val Doonican. As my musical tastes matured I listened to all the ‘modern songs’ of the day, the ones that parents didn’t understand, mostly Slade one of the first bands I saw live, this was at Sheffield City Hall.
As a callow youth I was drawn into the drinking scene in the town centre and it was there that I came into contact with the incredible musical content of the juke boxes in the various pubs we would frequent. The sheer force and volume of the music would send electricity sparking through my veins and make me feel alive, like I had never felt alive before.
After completing my Physics degree, I returned home and sought out friends I could trust with my ambitions to sing. I was essentially a shy and retiring person, and deep down inside I still am, but with the help of an alter-ego, I blagged my way into my first band Dream Thief. They saw through my bluster but persevered and nurtured my desire. The real test was the very first live gig I did. The first song had a really long intro. as it got closer to my first line, fear grew in the pit of my stomach, I prepared to run away and never be seen again; then it was time, I took a massive breath and basically shouted the first two lines of the song at thetop of my voice. There it was done, I was a singer and it had its hooks into me like a narcotic and I just can’t seem to get away from it now, leading to singing in many bands as follows:
Dream Thief – 1985-1986, Persia – 1986-1988, Asylum - 1988-1989, Skyfire - 1989-1990, Voodoo Groove - 1990-1991, Evolution - 1991-1997, 2000-2009,Dreamline - 1997-1998, Royal Orleans - 2000, Muttley Crew -2011-2012, Mutz Nutz -2012-2016, Crimson Moon -2017, Special Measures -2017-2019, Apostles of Chaos - 2018-2019, Tombstone - 2020, Dreamline II - 2020-ongoing, Blaze - 2020-2021 and Andro Coulton’s Give ‘Em Hell -2021-date.
James Lowe
Lead guitar
I come from a musical family so my passion for music started at a very young age. As a child I would wander through my Dad's record collection and be heavily influenced by guitar based bands such as Wishbone Ash, Cream, Status Quo and Thin Lizzy. As I grew older, and after discovering heavier bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Black Sabbath, my desire to learn the guitar began. So at the age of 11 my parents bought me a Fender acoustic guitar, which I still have, and I was off. My first electric guitar was a black Les Paul copy which I sold my bicycle to buy! This was getting serious!
As my teenage years rolled by and my guitar playing improved I got heavily into Thrash Metal/Death Metal/Rot n Roll so bands such as Slayer, Nuclear Assault, Sacred Reich, Cannibal Corpse, Entombed and Carcass to name but a few began to influence my guitar style and playing.
I'm self taught on the guitar. I haven't had any lessons nor can I read mu-sic scores but I have an ability to hear a piece of music and play it. Some of my guitar heros and major influences on my style and playing include Jeff Hanneman (Slayer), Francis Rossi (Status Quo) & Mike Burston aka Wurzel (Motorhead)
Over the last 38 years of playing I have played in countless bands around the Derbyshire gig circuit that have played covers or original material. Most notable of late I'm still playing with Derby based rock/metal covers band DE666 and 90's BritPop covers band Loaded.
I have also been a recording artist between 2010 to 2017 for Harrogate Theatre's annual pantomime for productions written and directed by my late brother Phil Lowe working with their Musical Director Nick Lacey.
In addition to all this experience I used to be an Artist Liaison/Runner for headline acts at the Leeds Festival working for bands such as Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses, Green Day and Muse which gave me invaluable experi-ence on how a big show is set up and run.
All this knowledge and experience I wish to bring to Andro Coulton's Give 'Em Hell. My approach to the band is maximum respect for their body of work and to play to my best ability and as close to the original as possible. I hope our audiences will love it and enjoy it as much as I do!
Give 'Em Hell \m/ 2023
Shaz coulton
rhythm guitar
I have always loved music from a early age when I did tap and acrobatic dancing securing many certificates and medals and listen to many different genres of music including Country, Motown, and of course Rock.
My first experience was in a band called Malleus, as Lead Singer. Then in 2008 I was asked to play rhythm guitar for a band called Prophets For The Damned. This in itself was a brand new experience for me having never had any guitar lessons as well as the fact that during my time working at Thorntons factory Belper in 1976, I had an accident with a foiling machine slicing off the tip of my left index finger. I also found it extremely hard being Autistic to understand and learn chords therefore needed to find a way to play that I was totally comfortable with.This was achieved by tuning my guitar to open tuning.
I then joined Give 'Em Hell in 2019 on rhythm guitar.
dave Lee
drums
I started playing drums from the age of five and was soon performing in
local cover bands in my home town of Rugby. I then progressed on to more semi-professional bands such as Old Rosie & The Bearcats, playing all around the Midlands and surrounding areas.
During my career, I have supported professional artists from Paul Weller to Boyzone, before joining Andro Coulton's Give 'Em Hell.
My influences are greats such as: Steve Smith and Mike Portnoy however my natural ability allows me to cover any genre of music and my style and enthusiasm often has my peers drawing parallels with Ginger Baker and Keith Moon!