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MARTIN WELLER
- Lead vocals and guitars
Martin is a professional singer, guitarist, award winning songwriter, guitar,
ukulele and vocal coach, band manager, recording and sound engineer, roadie,
publicist, record producer and radio presenter.
He enjoys success performing solo and with his bands CRUSH UK and pop/punk
outfit BobKatZ.
In his 'spare time' he plays snooker, pool, drinks Red Stripe and 'Buckie'
and worries about the world and all the stuff he can't change!
Martin says: "A lifelong passionate love affair with music started when I
heard 'Hello Dolly' by Louis Armstrong in 1960 something. I started playing
guitar aged 11 and have been writing songs since I was 13.
I have had a fabulous life and having grafted and ridden my luck I now play
music full time and will continue to do so as long as my health holds out.
I kicked off my 'music career' proper in 1977 with Jason Rolf and Jon Cozens
in 'XS2' then into 'Synopsis' adding Tim Routledge on vocals.
'Staring into Space' was born in the early 80s with 'Face' Adam Gummer, Alan
Hyde, Val Whittaker and Chris Lee among others coming and going over the years.
'The Fear' (1989) with Brian Viner and Buzz et al was a pretty damned good
hard rock band that took too many drugs and disappeared up its own bum. Along
the way I've been involved in other weird and wonderful projects.
At the end of the last century I wrote, recorded and toured extensively for 6
years as half of the Frampton Weller duo as well as enjoying international
success with the Frampton Weller band & CRUSH UK.
I am well proud of my albums: 'Quiddity', 'Frampton Weller', 'Pay Attention',
'Changing by Degrees', 'Crush', 'Critical', 'Meaning Of Life' and 'the New Big
Thing'.
I have had the immense pleasure to have performed with some of the best in
the business: Led Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, Dean Friedman, Frampton Weller,
Chris Slade, Lara Conley, Lucie Diamond, Counterfeit Stones, T-Rextasy, Wizz
Jones, Benny Gallagher, Leanie Kaleido, Crush, Isaac Guillory, CRUSH UK, Skinny
Molly and more."
"God gave rock and roll to you"
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DAVID CAMERON DUDLEY - Bass, voice and all manner of instruments
"I first noticed how good the guitar could sound around about the time I was
thirteen. This was 1967 and my friends at school used to play all sorts of new
records. I had, until then, only ever listened to the BBC radio and the few
records I had bought were obvious top ten hits, the Beatles, the Bachelors, the
Baron Knights.
But at my friend Mark's house I heard Cream, Traffic and so forth. I had
never heard a guitar sound so colourful and thick and it started to fascinate me
and made me want multicoloured clothes, to burn joss sticks, take "drugs" and be
part of the "in scene" at school. And get a girlfriend!! I had to have an
electric guitar.
Pete Groves and I got together to try songwriting. It was one of the most
exciting periods of my life. I had been playing my tunes at home on my own and
to hear them played by someone else adding a bass line or another guitar or
piano was inspiring.
I have jammed/played/performed with an illustrious and colourful bunch
including: Graham Foster, Erebus, Alan Jones, Malcolm Foster, Roy Wiles, John
Bates, Peter Groves, Martin "Gil" Gillian, Jeff Bench, Pete Atwood……
"My father Ron gave us a lift to my first gig in his Anglia van.
….Ivor Abiks, Rick "Ding" Bell, Uttam Chackravorty, Julie Gulston, Frank
Dymore, Steve Hill, Colin "Dog" Docherty, Percy Josling, Colin Tapestry, John
Butcher, Bill Bloggs, Eddie Williams, Ali Consumer, Graham Foster, Georgina
Nazer, Mark Corsair, Roy Slingerland, Steve Boyce, Freddie Polari, Bert Fung,
Tony Kenna, Gerry Lynch, Chris Coppel, Andy Selmer , Susan-Jane Tanner, Alan
D'Cruz, Bob Crabbe, Ken Lush, Ben Barker, Bob Hawkes, Pete Davies, Tom Hickland,
The Milkman, Kendall Sassoon, Charlie Harper, Tony Conway, Steve Slack, Barry
Farmer, Terry Felstead, Rob Milne, Bobby Ball, Barry Farmer, Simon Tyler,
Turkey, Phil Ward, Rebecca Davies, Melissa-Jo Heathcote, Shelley Boswell, Peter
Groves now AKA Brett Savage, Kenny Alton, Alun Davies, Dana Walker, Cherene
Parsley, Knox, Ricky "Magoo" McGuire, Anthony Thistlethwaite, Vicki James, Ani
Waters, Amanda Gaolbate, Meg Frost, Jane Scott, Martin Frost, Mark Buckingham,
James Furby, Spliffle Delekto, Jeremy Spooner, Mohan Siriwardena, Tony
Schumacher, Sherry Schumacher, Mary Nazareth, Frank Nazareth, Robert Anthony
Vine, "Handsome" Nigel Evans, Wayne Albury, Esther Abraham, Tim Bowen, Francis
Nazareth , Jon O'Brien, Archie Taylor, Hammy Howell, John Hudson, Richard Jones,
Giles Robson, Raul de Pedro Marinero, Kate Blondel, Lorna McCanterbury, Steve
Brown, "Big" Gerry Fenwick, Piers Constanstinople, Mark Kington, Martin Weller,
Sara Corser, Brian Viner, Bing Hobson, James Shepard and no doubt there will be
many more….
LIKES
"South London, Tamil food (esp Squid Khottu & Mutton Roti), Lahori Halal food
(esp Nihari & Nan on Sat afternoon), curry goat/ saltfish & ackee from the
Jamaican place on Plough Rd, SW11, Ukuleles, astronomy (e.g. trying to spot
Mercury in the dusk), fancy goldfish culture (especially Black Moors), Polish
beer (now easily available from the local shop), Thatcher's cider, learning
Irish Traditional Music (ITM) from scratch i.e. aurally at sessions- no
recordings or dots, rehearsing when the band does it in Amsterdam, Chelsea FC,
Czech Monkey Boots, Lee Perry, George Martin, Patrick Moore, having a breath of
fresh air, Star Trek, the pubs of Peckham, Tooting & Deptford, cricket (NOT
playing, listening), be-bop, Bollywood culture & music, reels and reggae, public
transport (bus, tube, train, tram), the session at the end of an Irish pub music
session as it winds down and all the six string devil players have gone home,
London (as opposed to England you understand), 24 Hour Church of Elvis, Fender
Jazz Bass, Vox Continental Organs, metereology, Buckfast Tonic Wine."
DISLIKES
"Shutting my hand in Weller's car door and my uke in the door of the Princess
Royal, BlooZ (e.g. strat strumming in the bedroom to Stephen Raymond Vaughan
records) jam & open mic nights, trying to play ITM in C, times when Hughie plays
a B all night on the basses of his box regardless of the tune or key, times when
Rick plays like a "Charlie", being colour blind (Daltonism), purist &
self-righteous pillocks, especially those who have had their minges dipped in
Detol.
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RICK BELL
- Drums, percussion and vocals
Rick's first drum kit comprised a laundry basket, saucepan & lids, (Pearl of
course). Far from being 'washed up', he played drums for the school band
– boom boom.
First musical alliance with Frampton Weller band & Crush bass guitarist Peter
Groves was in 1969.
Rick decided to leave the rock 'n' roll high life behind in 1977 to father
some little Bells – God love 'em.
Enticed out of 'retirement' by Peter Groves in 1983 they started the '60's
retro band Dragonfly.
In 1992 Rick joined the curiously titled 'Guzzle and Root' band where he
first came into contact with Martin Weller & Clive Frampton.
Frampton Weller, 'the duo', played on the same bill as the 'Guzzlers'
on many occasions and Rick's 'simple, quiet but effective style' was noted by
Martin and Clive.
In 1995, after a difference of opinion (no, no, no) Rick left Guzzle and by
chance met up with Martin in the Broadway pub in Wimbledon who invited Rick to
try out for the Frampton Weller band.
Rick introduced Pete Groves to the band and for the next four years the
four-piece built a legacy of great performances, released the 'Frampton Weller'
album released in 1997 to great acclaim and continued until the departure of
Clive in 1998.
His sidelines apart from running and squash and whilst in CRUSH UK he has
joined three of four traditional rock bands that have performed occasionally but
not lasted.
Some of his greatest moments of joy, and there have been thousands, were in
America, where for two pins he would have stayed put and lived the 'American
dream' with all his 'buddies', but he had to get back to Flitwick to June
instead ;)
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CRUSH UK Q&A
Q. How did CRUSH UK come together?
A. Martin ‘recruited’ Rick in 1995 and they worked together in
the Frampton Weller band (1995 - 1997) and then Crush (1998).
Dave replaced Pete Groves (now deceased sadly) on bass guitar who
left the band to care for his gravely ill girlfriend (not the usual musical
differences).
Dave was an old friend of Pete and Rick's with a reputation from
a previous employer (Frank) as "totally unreliable". "I give him 2 weeks", he
said. Nearly ten years later…
Q. You've been together 10 years next year,
has the band changed or evolved in anyway since that time musically etc?
A. Weller’s song writing has shaped the band’s musical direction,
but working closely for so long it often feels like we share a vein when it
comes to pulling the songs together. Rick’s eccentric drum and percussion style
mashed in with Dave’s penchant for Roots Reggae and Garage-y bass style is a
solid if somewhat unconventional foundation for Weller's Power pop rock anthems.
Q. For those who haven't heard your music how
would you describe it?
A. Essentially Power pop rock, but with a variety of styles,
beats, subtlety, beauty, anger and raw passion all in the mix.
Q. Where are you all based?
A. Weller – Dawlish, Devon. Rick – Flitwick, Bedfordshire. Dave –
Wimbledon, London. Somewhat geographically challenged, but it works.
Q. As a band who would you say are your
main inspirations musically and why?
A. CRUSH UK’s main musical inspirations are:
(i)
The English song writing & studio experimenting beat groups of the sixties
(Beatles/ Kinks/ Yardbirds) because they thought outside the 12 bar rock'n'roll
box.
(ii) The Marshall bothering guitar players of the seventies
(Jimmy Page/ Peter Frampton/ Mick Ronson) because they introduced guitar parts
as opposed to solos (not that they didn’t do the occasional full blown ten
minute Fender-fest!).
(iii) English punk (Damned/ Adverts/ Clash/ Sex Pistols) because
it gave our generation a kick up the arse.
(iv) Jazz, reggae, hip hop, funk, baroque, pop, folk,
metal…anything except the dreaded blues!
(v) The new generations of bands and songwriters like the
Kaiser Chiefs and Artic Monkeys that keep the whole rock and roll genre moving
forward.
Q. You've worked with some of music's
well-respected acts such as Led Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, Dean Friedman,
Frampton-Weller, Captain Sensible, UK Subs, Counterfeit Stones and T-Rextasy,
etc.... Who have you enjoyed working with the most and why?
A. The experience of playing with one’s music ‘heroes’ is
unbelievable and all Weller’s dreams came true in 1990 when he sang lead vocals
with Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones along with AC/DC’s Chris Slade on
drums a ‘Supergroup’ if ever there was one ;).
Dave’s spell with Charlie Harper’s UK Subs and Urban Dogs gave
him an insight of the underbelly of rock and roll which was interesting and very
enjoyable.
Rick was in his element during the Frampton Weller years. He
adored playing with Clive Frampton, but touring the States with CRUSH UK rocked
his world.
Q. You've recently released your new album
Quiddity which you have written and recorded yourself. Is it more satisfying as
an act to be part of the whole process of the album making?
A. Totally satisfying. Weller has always produced CRUSH UK albums
with no little help from Dave, but actually recording, engineering and managing
the whole process is the real deal.
Q. Why the name Quiddity?
A. Previous working titles: ‘Kings of the hill’ and ‘Kimotherapy’
just didn’t fit in the end.
This recording captures the ‘essence’ of inspirations that caused
Weller to write the songs so ‘Quiddity’ fitted perfectly. This is the way it is.
Q. It says on your website that there has been a
lot of 'barriers to overcome' to write the latest album... Could you tell me
more please?
A. Since our last album ‘The New Big thing’ 2003 life has been
rather full and challenging.
A double whammy for Weller. Cancer diagnosis, operation to remove
a dodgy bollock, chemotherapy to kill off an abdominal tumour and redundancy
from the NHS came in a spell from September 2004 to March 2005.
Post cancer Martin “gave up the day job” and attempts to make a
living playing music, pursuing a solo career, driving CRUSH UK, recording other
artists and in 2006 he hooked up with the remnants of the OtherZ to form the
BobKatZ.
All the emotions; anxiety, depression and joy of surviving a life
saving episode had a profound effect.
Rick and Dave not only had to endure a period of uncertainty
regarding whether the band would continue, but also experienced their own
physical and emotional traumas.
It’s called life, but when it happens to you it is somewhat
different than reading, or hearing about other people’s misfortunes. We are
delighted that it all worked out and we feel inspired to make the most of the
chances we get.
Q. Martin, you are also involved in the BobKatZ,
is it difficult dividing your time etc between the two etc?
A. Not at all. I am a good manager :)
Performing solo, promoting CRUSH UK, writing, teaching guitar,
getting my songs published, recording myself and other artists are my main
priorities.
The BobKatZ are an excellent local pub band that fit around my
other projects currently.
A perfect blend.
Q. What do you think of the music scene in the
south west?
A. Opportunities for bands/artists in the SW are excellent.
The live music scene is healthy currently and venue managers on
the whole are really supportive and switched on.
I love the music fans, most of who seem to be able to embrace the
variety of musical styles.
I feel proud that all my acts are helping to improve the quality
of live music in the Region and raise the game continually.
Q. Where do you see the band going in the next
couple of years?
A. Health permitting CRUSH UK will be ‘out there’ doing what we
do best and promoting ‘Quiddity’ in the UK, Europe and America as well as
writing, recording and enjoying the whole process.
Want to ask a question?
Contact
damian@crushuk.com and we’ll see what we can do
J
