Marseille

BIOGRAPHY

[Dashboard] [Referred Artists] [Search Options]

Marseille (1976-1984, 2008-2014, 2017-2019): a Heavy Metal band from Liverpool, UK.

ormed in Liverpool, England in early 1976, Marseille featured the original members of Paul Dale (vocals), Neil Buchanan (lead guitar), Andy Charters (second guitar), Keith Knowles (drums) and Steve Dinwoodie (bass). The band was originally called AC/DC, and this was problematic because it was during the time the Australian rock band of the same name was gaining success in the UK, forcing a anme change in mid-1976 to "Marseille", a name supposedly chosen because 'Marseille' was a French rough seaport much like Liverpool. Marseille won the first ever UK Battle of the Bands with the finals judged by Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen at Wembley Arena on October 31, 1977. This led the band securing a five-year recording contract with 'Mountain Records' in late 1977, to release their debut album, Red, White and Slightly Blue (1978), including the tracks The French Way and Can Can. Marseille became the first new wave of British heavy metal to play at a big festival in Europe, that being the Bilzen Festival in Belgium, supporting American rock band Cheap Trick.

Marseille gathered a small fan base while promoting their first album as support for other groups such as Judas Priest, Nazareth, Whitesnake and U.F.O.. All tracks on the album were purported to be recorded 'live' so what you hear did not sound manufactured. Despite the single Kiss Like Rock 'n' Roll being produced by Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton, the debut album contained raunchy lyrics and suffered from lack of promotion and limitation of release which stifled its success.

Read All... ⏬

Their second album release, the eponymous Marseille, received radio airplay, extending their fanbase in the UK. Several tracks from the album featured on the "Alternative Top 20 Charts" published in Sounds magazine with other emerging NWOBHM bands such as Saxon, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. Marseille were the first NWOBHM band to tour and have an album released in the United States through 'RCA Records'.

After touring the US with Nazareth and American south coast boogie band Blackfoot during the summer of 1980, the band arrived back in the UK to witness the demise of 'Mountain', their record and management company. With all their equipment still stranded in the US, the band were forced off the road and into a two-year legal battle with liquidators, which precluded them pursuing another recording contract. During this time, Paul Dale, Andy Charters and Neil Buchanan left the band. Charters moved to the US, and Buchanan started a career in television, hosting the CITV program Art Attack from 1990-2007. The two remaining members, Keith Knowles and Steve Dinwoodie later recruited vocalist Sav Pearse and guitarist Marc Railton from local Liverpool band Savage Lucy to complete a third album, Touch the Night, on the 'Ultra Noise' label in 1984. A song from the album, Walking on a Highware became Marseille's first and only single to enter the UK Singles chart, remaining on the chart for a week, it peaked at number 98. However, lack of industry interest in the band caused this iteration of Marseille to split.

In 2003, a two-disc CD aptly titled Rock You Tonight: The Anthology was released by 'Castle Communications', a subsidiary of 'Sanctuary Records Group'.

The original line-up reunited for a short stint of shows 2008, however, Paul Dale soon left and was replaced Nigel Roberts in February 2009. The band recorded an EP, FourPlay which was produced by Neil Buchanan, and released on the 'Gas Station Music' label in 2009. In 2010, Keith Knowles and Steve Dinwoodie stepped down to be replaced by Gareth Webb (drums) and Lee Andrews (bass). The band recorded their first full album in 25 years, Unfinished Business, which was also produced by Buchanan, and later released on September 6, 2010. The album was unveiled at the band's appearance at the Hard Rock Hell festival in December 2010. A full UK tour supported by Exit State followed.

What followed was a set of devastating setbacks. In April 2011, Webb stepped down and was replaced by Ace Finchum (of-Tigertailz) on drums. A few months later, Andrews also left the and was replaced by Kevin Wynn (mid-2011), then by Phil Ireland (late 2011-early 2012), and further by Rob Brooks (2012-2014). The band continued a heavy gig schedule from 2011 to early 2012, and worked on new material for a release in 2012 but this never materialized. The band were featured in several appearances at gigs and concerts, including the 2012 Cambridge Rock Festival and the Hard Rock Hell VI: A Fistful Of Rock in late 2012; however, those appearances were cancelled. A later UK tour planned for November 2013 got delayed until 2014 due to Andy Charters' travel visa problems. A planned EP was to be released in the Summer of 2014 to coincide with the tour, however, those plans were cancelled as well. Both drummer Ace Finchum and bassist Rob Brooks left the band also left.

In 2017, vocalist Nigel Roberts announced that both Neil Buchanan and Andy Charters, the remaining two original members, left due to Buchanan's consultancy work for children's television and Charters still living in the US, with Buchanan being replaced by guitarist Darren Daz Green, as well as the return of drummer Gareth Webb and bassist Lee Andrews, who previously worked on the album Unfinished Business (2010). Under the membership of Roberts (vocals), Webb (drums), Andrews (bass/backing vocals) and Green (guitar) the band split again in 2019.