Ivory Tower

Ivory Tower was formed in the early eighties, I can't give an exact date as I wasn't in the original line up. However Bob Beeson, the drummer that I presently play with was. Bob was a student and got together with some college mates and set up the band sometime guess around 1982. I hadn't even heard of them but they had done some gigs around the area, most likely college bashes.

Bob and the founding bass and keys players left around 1984 and this was the beginning of the bands finest hour. Gordon Styles age 19, the leader of the band and virtuoso guitarist and Paddy the vocalist wanted to continue and enlisted the talented Mike Bowes also 19 to play keyboards. Soon after a drummer who's name will be familiar with students at Middlesbrough College, Mike Tester (not a made up name) then aged 21. These guys could really play but one important member was missing, the bassist!

Up to this time, I was 20, I had been a bedroom bass player and only dreamed of getting on the stage but somehow the lads had heard about me. So one evening I get a knock on the door and Mike Bowes was there. He'd pulled up in his Ford Capri so all the curtains were twitching. Anyway he said to me

"Alright you play bass don't you"

I replied yes and next thing he said was,

"Come on then we need you in our band, get yer bass we're practising now"!

Incredible.

So after some months of practise and the loss of Paddy who was replaced by Bill Norris who had tremendous power in his vocals, we were ready to gig and our debut was at Peppermint Park - a nightclub on Prince Regent St Stockton. This was amazing all of our friends were there and somehow we pulled off a great gig.

We were off, gigging around the area.

The Queen Catherine at Osmotherly was a regular haunt. Other gigs included Sunderland Mayfair supporting John McCoy ex Gillan a completely unmatched gig. We supported Pendragon ( still going I think) at The Swan Ballroom in Billingham, a great venue at the time I used to go every Tuesday to see some well known bands. We were mates with local band Northwinds and they gave us a slot at Marske WMC. We went all the way to Scarborough to play to about 10 people at the Lemon Tree!!! Great! Not much changes.

I would say that the high point of our short career was to open the Cleveland Live Aid show at the Stockton Racecourse and play to probably our biggest crowd ever. A good day and well supported by the local bands.

As with many bands its difficult to get four or five people together who are best friends and so things started to go wrong and we played our final gig at a bar in Mbro called Ossies in September 1985.

I can't remember where that was, Corporation Rd ??

One of the best things to come from that band was the recording session at Important Studios with Steve Daggett. Three tracks on cassette of our favourite tunes one of which is Crystal Visions an epic 8 mins long. Vocals are by Gordon.

I still get a thrill when I listen to it. Have a listen on the site jukebox.

Write up by Paul Simpson for North East Live   

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