Tygers Of Pan Tang – Past And Beyond
During the reign of the NWOBHM in the UK, several bands were immeasurably superior to others. One such band was Tygers Of Pang Tang. The Tygers released some of the best hard-rock albums of the 80's, and it seemed at the time that the band couldn't put its foot wrong, but that ended abruptly – and the band disappeared – seemingly never to appear again.
Surprisingly enough, that changed in 1999, when band founder Rob Weir and ex-vocalist Jesse Cox reformed to group for what seemed like a one-off show in the world's biggest metal festival – Germany's Wacken Open Air. Since then Weir has kept the band alive, putting together a new line-up, lately releasing a EP called Back and Beyond, and a new full length later this month. Robb was kind enough to update us on the band's current affairs, while also reflecting on the band's past.
Hey Robb, I'd like to start with your new EP, "Back and Beyond", is it released by now?
Hi Alon, thanks for your interest in the Tygers and greetings to all Rock & Metal fans in Israel. The new EP has been on sale via our official website and the reaction and feedback from the fans has been tremendous.
Why did you choose to self-release it?
The EP started as promotional material to showcase Jacks' Voice (Jacopo Meille) to prospective record companies, agents, venues, promoters etc. The fans were quick to hear about the CD on the internet and we had loads of enquiries so we had a further 1000 produced and put them general sale.
Why "Back and Beyond"?
The title was a play on words because of the re-recorded songs and brand new material together.
How would you describe its music, in comparison with your classic material?
The new material is very much in the style of our classic albums from the 80's, this was a direction the band wanted to explore because this is what we do best and this is also what the fans wanted. We make sure at every gig we meet and greet the fans and listen to their feedback. This is always taken on board and considered in every move the band makes.
I understand there's also a full length release in the works, when is it due to be released?
The new album will be called "Animal Instinct" is set for release mid April 2008. The album will consist of 11 tracks and will be mixed again by Ben Matthews of Thunder. We are on track to hit all timescales. Our Management is very keen we deliver on our promises regarding timescales to the fans.
This is your first release with vocalist Jacopo Meille, how well would you say does he fit the Tygers' sound?
Jack is arguably one of the best Hard Rock Vocalists around today and his contribution to this band is exceptional. He has every quality possible as a frontman with an unbelievable vocal range. He just suits the classic hard rock style perfect. The new album will be jacks show peace and both his and the Tygers fan base is going to explode.
With the hard rock and metal scenes being so different than what they were when the band started out, did you try and update your sound, or did you go for the back-to-roots approach?
I think the last album, "Noises from the Cathouse", has a modern feel and on reflection maybe it was a bit too radical for the Tygers. Don't get me wrong there are some excellent songs on there but it just doesn`t have that Tygers sound of catchy choruses, hooks and dueling soloing. The new album has the Tygers 80's feel going on right from the opening cut. This really is the album the fans have been waiting 25 years for.
Back in history now, do you remember how did the band start out?
The Tygers first started back in 1978 when I put an advert in the local University press for a bass player and a drummer. I originally was going to form a 3 piece band, kind of like Rush crossed with ZZ Top! I got together with Brian & Rocky and we played with me singing. We quickly found we really needed a front man as I felt trapped to the mike. (I like to run around, and still do today!) so we recruited Mark Butcher, who lasted about 25 shows and left to join another local band doing the club scene. Then Jess Cox auditioned and was asked to join. This line up recorded the Wildcat album.
Why did you choose the name you did for the band?
Rocky came up with the name from a sci-fi book he was reading at the time. The book was called, "Stormbringer", by Michael Morecook. In the book there were the cliffs of Pan Tang guarded by tigers, so we put the two things together and I think a very memorable name was born.
You started out rather early, even compared to many other NWOBHM groups, what were the influences that drove you to make the kind of music you did?
Great question! My influences have always been in the hard rock field although people did not have a name for this kind of music then! I was originally brought up in the rock n roll era with Bill Hayley and the Comets, Elvis and Little Richard. Then came Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Status Quo, Uriah Heep, Ted Nugent and many more and my world came alive.
What do you recall from the band's signing with Neat records at the time?
It was a very exciting time; everybody wanted the Tygers. There was so much going on, tours, song writing and all sorts of plans for the future.
Do you remember how did John Sykes join the band?
After recording the "Wildcat" album we felt we needed another guitar player to thicken our sound when we played live. So we auditioned 80 guitar players and John got the job. John was a phenomenal guitarist and together I would like to think we came up with Riffs that have become classics over the years.
What are your recollections from the music scene in the UK at the time? What do you think made the NWOBHM as big as it was back then?
NWOBHM was not just music, it was a way of life for the fans, and to me it was a scene that will never be repeated. Every weekend there would be gigs, bands thrashing out tunes in packed out venues. The fans would discuss the latest news and Tours in Sounds or Kerrang magazine, argue about who was the best drummer, guitarist, vocalist etc. On a Saturday every record store would be packed, kids just hanging out. The lyrics in the Saxon song Denim & Leather is just how it was. It was magical in the UK at that time.
How different were things for the band once you signed to major label MCA records?
We had a record company advance and lets face it money helps almost any situation! Straight away we were signed to ITB in London, which was at the time probably the biggest music booking agent in the world, so we found ourselves opening up for the Scorpions, Saxon, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard to name but a few. All things that would not have happened without Record company support happened. They drive you hard but it's worth it in the end, you become a professional band earning a living from your music, and living the dream.
What is your fondest memory from the time the band's success was at its peak?
Out selling the Scorpions when we played in Osaka in Japan on the same night. We played on one side of town and they played on the other, but we were both staying in the same hotel and our promoter told us we had out sold them. Never thought that would happen!!! To be serious though, I loved the entire time, it was a dream come true for me and the memories I have from that time will be treasured and never forgotten.
What can you tell us about what happened when MCA dropped the band, as far as I understood; because of your reluctance to perform more cover songs?
Well we decided to leave MCA because they would not listen to our ideas. They were very head strong in that they wanted a pop rock band for America. That was definitely not what we wanted to be, we knew we were a good band that most of the Rock world liked, we had sold over 1.5 million records and the material we were writing was cutting edge stuff for the time which I think would have lifted our popularity ten-fold . We had written a 5th album which we played them but they were having none of it and insisted we became a covers band!! So we walked out, heads held high.
How did the band come back to life in 1999?
Jess Cox rang me out of the blue asking me if I would be interested in playing at the Wacken festival in Germany to celebrate 20 years of the Tygers. He told me he had asked all the other members, but only Jess and I were available to play. We recruited 3 members from Blitzkrieg and went out to Germany to play. It was only on the plane journey out there Jess told me that we were headlining.
During the years of the band's inactivity, did you think about reforming it?
After the band disbanded everybody went their own separate ways and found success in other fields, if the subject was ever brought up there did not seem to be any real interest from the other band members. It was only after Wacken and the fans interest that finally gave me the confidence to put something back together. The Tygers was my baby and love the band; I just wanted to keep the band & music alive.
What do you think about the current state of hard rock and metal in the UK, and the Americanization of it in the last few years?
Rock music has taken several interesting turns over the last 25 years all positive I think. There is a big gap in the market for straight ahead British Hard Rock, with only a few bands flying the flag. I can see a turnaround in 2008 and more bands taking this direction because the fans want to hear music that was such an important part of their lives. There is also a lot of interest from younger fans because the parents have passed down the memories they had to them. The new album is a real treat, I know you would expect me to say that but you need to check it out, I am more proud of this than any other Tygers releases.
How has the local music media in the UK treated the band since its return?
Very well. We have had fantastic reviews of both the live shows and the "Back and Beyond" EP. The band is on fire at the moment live, it's like we all believe we are 19 again. It's a very exciting and challenging time and we are really looking forward to 2008, I think it will be an historic year for the Tygers.
Finally, what do you plan for the future of the band? Where would you like to see it going?
We have a great management team who plan everything. We know what we will be doing from now to 2009 and they ensure we are meeting the demands of the fans. We will be touring the UK and Europe throughout 2008, we have been put forward for a number of Summer Festivals too, and then we will release a Back & Beyond 2 EP in November time. 2009 will see more touring further afield and writing for another new album release for the summer. Maybe we can play some shows in Israel? All the best Alon, thanks for your questions and hope to see you and all our fans in Israel in the near future!
