About Me
Here is a brief history of Blind Allez, as taken from our main website site. . . . . . .The band were formed in the early 1980's by a certain guitarist by the name of Mr Joolz Gizzi. He joined up with vocalist Peter Scallan and recruited bassist Cami Morlotti.The lads started writing a rehearsing accoustically in a bedroom just off Abercromby Street, Calton, Glasgow until they decided it was time to get serious, at which time they started auditioning for new members.Friend and neighbour Chris Bowes was recruited on guitar and all that was left to do was to find an ass kickin drummer.After answering an advert in a local newspaper, Alan Thornton was auditioned for the job of drummer and was promptly asked to join the band.The boys rehearsed and gigged with this line-up for a short while before Chris left the band due to family commitments and the hunt was on for a replacement. The boys hunted high and low for the right man with the right sound.Enter Ian murray, recruited (nicked) from local band Cannes. The line-up was complete. It was at this point that they decided to change the monicker of the band from the origonal Blind Alley to Blind Allez, an '80s thang to attempt to be a bit cool, (it didn't work . . . . lol). But the name remains that way today.After rehearsing in a dingey, damp studio under a railway arch in the West End of Glasgow, the band started to gig, and gig they did. They played anywhere and everywhere they could get a gig, places such as The Venue-Glasgow, The Preservation Halls-Edinburgh, The Heathery Bar-Wishaw, The Ponda Rosa-Linwood, The Doon Castle-Glasgow, some crappy club in Dundee and, ultimately, in May 1985, the band secured a spot at the Radio Clyde Kelvingrove Rock Festival with such acts as Lion Rampant, Able Ganz, Zero Zero and Glasgow . . . . . . . . and stole the show. Ironic, as, sadly, this was to be the last time Blind Allez were to play together for 21 years, as both Peter and Ian parted company with the band and went to other projects.Ian went on to form local rock outfit 'Five Past Midnight', while Peter joined another local band 'Chasar' before going on to work on a couple of projects with heavy rock monsters 'Samson'.This was, of course, not the end of the band. They went on to recruit Mark Rankin and David Aitken and, after changing the name of the band to Phobia, continued to write new material and play live until, in 1986, they secured a management contract and eventually, in 1987, a recording contract with A&M Records, changed the name of the band to GUN . . . . . . . . and the rest is history!!After Gun split, Mark continued to work in the music industry and is still heavily involved to this day.Joolz and Dante continued to write kick ass toons, opened a great little Italian Bistro called Gizzis Ristorante Ronaldo, Cambridge Street, Glasgow, and eventually went on to form Glasgow band El Presidente.Cami stayed in music, playing with a number of Glasgow bands such as Glasshouse and Usual Suspects and sessioning live regularly.Alan turned his hand to vocals for a while, although still drumming, he sang with a few bands in England and also performed backing vocals with Glasgow band Slide on their debut album. He has drummed and sung with such artists as Cliff Moore and Dr Chocolate, and more recently performed drums on 9 tracks of the debut El Presidente album, also contributing backing vocals.But now the Boys are back, back to basics and are planning to start gigging on a regular basis. So watch this space, they may be playing a shithole near you . . . .
