The Ghosts of Lovers

In 1989 Steve Pegrum and Stuart Emmerton set about forming a band based around their mutual love of the 'musical trinity' of Johnny Thunders, Lords of the New Church and Hanoi Rocks. Johnny and The Lords were still around at this time and regular visits to their shows inspired both Steve and Stuart no end.Things began to take shape quite quickly, and, after many late, late nights at establishments like the St Moritz, the line up slowly started to gel. After an initial line up didn't last (although it did feature future Ghost Steve Perry), things started to happen when Steve and Stuart met French expatriate and Rock and Roll Guitarist Guy Bourseau at The Ship pub one night. Meeting Vocalist Kevin MacDonald in the same establishment cemented the line up and after one rehearsal the band knew they'd found something special.
Combined with Steve's set of songs, Kev and Guy began to write some excellent new songs in Guys Clapham flat. Stuart Emmerton, however, was to leave the band around the same time, due to musical differences and a desire to concentrate more on his work in the fashion industry, and a replacement - Kevin Sargeant - was duly drafted in. At the commencement of 1990 the band named itself The Ghosts of Lovers and began writing songs and formulating a set, rehearsing vigorously in Wandsworth, South London.
This line-up constituted the 'classic' Ghosts of Lovers, as was later revealed on their first recording. As an interview during the period for Submerge fanzine revealed, their aesthetic vision was detailed: "The chimera of eclectic sources are the spirit of Altamont where Rock and Roll met dark forces beyond its control, black leather, chain-smoking, courting crucifixion, crushed velvet, Berlin, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Herman Hesse, Manhattan, Christiane F, and The New York Dolls".
The band truly was a 24/7 lifestyle band, and could regularly be found hanging out at Steve's nightclub of the period 'Station to Station' in Soho, and at the Electric Ballroom, The Astoria, The St Moritz, and when surfacing before the day was out, Portobello Road and Kensington Market, checking out the latest designs from Johnson's, Western Styling and Red Balls on Fire, or the latest Rock and Roll Records at Plastic Passion or Garageland.
Later in the year, a demo was recorded at RMS Studios in Crystal Palace in September 1990, with tracks consisting of 'Tonight', 'Iona' and a live recording of 'Don't be Afraid', with Iona being released as a flexi-disc with the aforementioned Submerge fanzine. Things looked positive for The Ghosts of Lovers, and the songwriting chemistry between the members was really starting to take off. A great photo session was undertaken by the band later that year, providing some immortal shots. However, in early 1991 Steve Perry left the band for varying reasons.
The band then started rehearsing solidly, at the Music Complex in Camberwell, South London. They undertook another photo session and recorded a 'live' demo in April 1991 in Purley (with tracks: 'Another Time', '(Requiem For) Candy', 'Light of my Sanity', 'Sea of Madness', 'That Girl', 'So Lonely', 'Sweet Sensitive Young Thing' and 'Souls on Fire') and then played a great concert at the 'Let there be Rock' festival at the Drill Hall in Lincoln on Saturday, June 29th 1991.
The concert was blistering and should have really commenced the Ghosts ascent, although sadly the band, which had been plagued with personnel problems from the start, was about to fall apart. Almost immediately after the concert, musical differences emerged which ultimately led to the dissolution of the band in the summer of that year.
Steve Pegrum and Guy Bourseau would, in 1992 start a band called 'Hearts of Darkness' which featured Billy Ingram on Bass, and which would continue until late '96/early '97. Guy was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and sadly died that November. He was a truly exceptional talent and was loved by everyone who knew him.
Steve Pegrum would, after the Hearts of Darkness's dissolution, spend a lot of time travelling before picking up the sticks again, first recording some solo-material at the turn of the century, before joining genre-defying rockers 'Leopardskin Nuclear Bomber', whilst simultaneously returning to his roots (Heartbreakers, Ramones, Damned, New York Dolls) by joining original reanimated '77 punk band 'The Machines' in 2006.
Stuart Emmerton would dedicate himself to work with the fashion industry before travelling around the globe several times and having many near-death experiences, Kevin Sargeant would commence a series of degrees focussing on his love of ancient cultures, Steve Perry would play briefly with Steve and Guy again in The Hearts of Darkness, and Vocalist Kevin MacDonald would go to sing in a couple of bands before settling down in North London.
All the members of The Ghosts still miss Guy Bourseau, and that's why this page was put up - so his music can be heard still. They never achieved what they had hoped for, but the journey at least was as an interesting one, and there is still always the music...