Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Rising ia a heavy rock band initially formed in 1980 by Pete Bangert (guitar), Jack Bunker (vocals), Chris Hamilton (bass) and Danny Spencer (drums). The formation of the band coincided with an underground resurgence of heavy rock which became known to pundits and journalists as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). That trend was not apparent until later and that was not the reason that Phoenix Rising was formed. Like a number of other musicians at that time, the guys were fed up with the commercialised punk, new wave, romantic music that was all-pervasive. They were just a group of musicians who wanted to get back to the roots of British Rock and make their own contribution to the legacy.
This line-up produced a number of recordings on vinyl, tape and video, some of which were later re-captured onto CD. The original lineup continued gigging until late in 1985. Phoenix Rising re-formed in 1991 after the untimely death of their original drummer, Danny Spencer. The purpose of the reformation was to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund. Following the shakedown gigs, the new gigging line up was Pete Bangert (guitar and synth), Mel Day (vocals), Gordon Henderson (drums) and Nick Parfrey (bass). This line-up continued gigging regularly as a unit into the late 90’s.
The original band line-up have recently reformed in the studio to finish off a long-postponed studio album, which was on the tapes since they disbanded in the mid 80’s. This album which they are calling ‘After The Fire’ contains definitive recordings of their extensively gigged first album material. Visit the Phoenix Rising Website for current news, discography and more biographical information.
Phoenix Rising Releases
Please click on the covers for details or purchase information
Here is some rare video footage of the original band in action. The quality is poor but it gives a flavour.
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