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STOP PRESS !!!
Tate have finally caught a fresh guitarist, the stunningly talented Paul Rogers,
of well know Manx Flute Rock Band 'Skeeal' !
Rehearsals are underway and sounding great.
A launch for the new album - "Love & War" is imminent.
To order a copy of the album, please email on
[email protected]
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TATE! are a 4 piece rock band with their roots firmly in the Isle of Man, though the individual members are from surprisingly differing backgrounds, guaranteeing a diverse range of influences should an analysis of their music be attempted.
The evolvement of the TATE! line-up and sound has been turbulent, the core members of the band are as follows, we are currently recruiting a couple of new members to add to the live band:
Mark Cleator Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Phil Reynolds Bass guitar/Backing Vocals/Effects
Martin Rigby Drums/Percussion/Backing Vocals
Historically, the Tate! story began around 1983 when Mark and Phil ‘formally’ met due to a less than healthy interest in Ultravox – though that is where the musical similarities stopped.
After a short burst of teenage activity in a band called Standing Tactics, they parted company musically (remaining as close friends) and shot off at tangents. Phil being the king of local Indi, while Mark pursued Rock God status.
Fourteen (!) years later, after what seemed like hundreds of bands between them slipping under the bridge, Mark went Solo, using nothing but guitar and voice to bludgeon his newly developed singer song-writing style onto the unsuspecting Manx Public. After a few years of proving the worth of his songs, and after much nagging, Phil agreed to play Bass, and with him came Martin, a young (Ed: heh, not any more!) enthusiastic drummer with enough youth on his side to make Mark and Phil still feel vaguely valid. The six months previous to this line up had seen a small number of gigs under the ‘Mark Cleator Band’ banner, using two well known Manx musicians Trevor Parkes (Drums) and Martin Jones (Bass). Martin damaged a finger seriously delaying rehearsals and in good rock’n’roll fashion he (and Trevor) were swiftly replaced for more energetic performers!
Quickly, the band was named TATE! and went out as a 3 piece performing rockier versions of the aforementioned acoustic numbers, to varying degrees of success (it is NOT cool to like TATE!, though a black market trade in Tate-Wares would not be an unreasonable expectation given the many favourable comments behind closed doors!)
In early 2000 TATE! acquired a very talented Jazz guitarist, Darren Wilkinson, who elevated then band into ‘serious muso’ territory, adding a new dimension to the quirky melodies and honest lyrics being delivered by the band which had already become very tight indeed, thanks to the angular arrangements introduced by Mark from his acoustic days.
A concert at the Cavern, Liverpool (www.redlyon.com/cavern) was very well received, but shortly after, Darren had to leave the Island, and therefore the band.
During this time Mark was running sound company in Northampton, and the band lay dormant until his return to the Island in late 2002. A new guitarist, Steve Courtie, was taken on and after a short period of rehearsals the band performed a number of well received low key gigs, including a premier of the now infamous 'Goblin Opera'.
In 2003 recordings began for an album of the well formed songs Tate! had been peddling since it's inception.
However, these recordings were frought with delays, and whilst always on the burner, the album has been on a 'low setting' for over three years.
With a concerted final push the album was finished before the end of 2006 and has been mastered ready for release. Artwork was completed in february and it is hoped that the final product will be available shortly after July 2007.
While being a melting pot of styles and guest musicians, the album maintains an overall feel distinctly unique to Tate!, whilst paying homage to the many musical influences affecting the band.
Though (like many bands claim) not falling into any particular category, the new album entiltled 'Love & War' promises to be a unique listening experience to those who venture deeper into it's depths.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2006, and due to untenable stresses outside the scope of the band, Tate! once again lost another guitarist, Steve, who added some fine moments to what promises to be a quite popular album.
Tate is currently rehearsing with a view to promoting the album before again dissapearing into the murky depths of recording land to produce the follow up 'Goblin Opera'.
To be continued...
