OK then. Continuing the trawl through the NWOBHM days, here’s a band for ya! Vardis. Oh yes. Who remembers Vardis then? Shame on you if you were around in those far away halcyon days when bands like this were springing up in every nook and cranny. However Vardis had more talent and musical ability that most, although like many of their counterparts of the time didn’t make it as big as they should have done.
Vardis originated in Wakefield (that’s in Yorkshire folks) sometime around 1978 until disbanding in the mid-80s. In between that time they build up a healthy following and some recording output which is now quite hard to find. Main man Steve Zodiac (Fireball XL5 anyone?) could most certainly play guitar and play it very fast. Might have something to do with their debut album being called 100MPH.
In addition to Zodiac (that’s clearly a non-de-plume in case you were wondering dear reader) the band was made up of Alan Selway (bass) and Gary Pearson thumping the tubs. Frantic gigging soon gained them a reputation of a live act not to miss not least because of Zodiac’s guitar work but also his stage look. Barefoot, bare chested, long blond hair. Musically it was somewhere between Motorhead, Hendrix and a bit of glam too.
An attempt to capture the frenetic live shows was made with the release of 100MPH – a debut live album. Got them noticed too and they took the stage at the Heavy Metal Holocaust held at Port Vale’s football stadium in 1981 with such heavy metal luminaries as Ozzy Osbourne, Triumph and Mahogany Rush.
A second album was released by the name of The World’s Insane though then the not-unfamiliar rock band curse of “management difficulties” started to eat away at things with the end coming a few years later. Vardis dissolved in the mid 1980s amid lengthy legal disputes with former management.
I have some recollection of seeing Vardis on a couple of tours supporting bigger names. One of them might have been Hawkwind, one might have been Rory Gallagher though I am happy to be corrected if I’ve got that wrong. Well, it was over thirty years ago…..!
Thanks to the modern wonder of the CD re-issue both 100MPH and The World’s Insane are available and most certainly worthy of exploring (if you’re new and want to know what proper rock music’s all about) or a old fart like me and want to reconnect to your youth.
>> PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE VARDIS RE-ISSUES <<
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