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Spear Of Destiny

Band, *1982 GB
Rock and Alternative

Spear of Destiny is a British rock band, founded in 1983 by singer and songwriter Kirk Brandon (born 3 August 1956 in London) and bassist Stan Stammers (born 19 May 1961). It has had an ever-changing line-up through the years. Formed by Kirk Brandon and Stan Stammers after the demise of 'Theatre Of Hate' with an original line-up that includes Chris Bell and Lascelles James for the 1983 album 'The Grapes of Wrath'. There have been many changes in the musical style and in the musicians that make up the group, with only Kirk Brandon being the constant member. Others who have been in the lineup include, Mickey Donnelly, Neil Pyzer, Alan St. Clair, Dolphin Taylor for the albums of 'One Eyed Jacks' and 'World Service'. Pete Barnacle, Steve Barnacle, Marco Perron (Marco Pirroni) and Volker Janssen for the album 'Outland'. The final album of the 80's "The Price You Pay" had Kirk Brandon in Guitar and Voices, Pete Barnacle in Drums, Volker Janssen in Keyboards and Chris Bostock in Basses. HISTORY Formed in 1983, the band's original line-up consisted of Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers, Chris Bell and Lascelles James. In late 1983 this line-up was superseded by Dolphin Taylor on drums, Alan St Clair on guitar, John Lennard on sax and Neil Pyzer on keyboards and additional saxophone. In 1984 John Lennard was replaced by Mickey Donnelly on Saxophone. Spear of Destiny recorded one session for John Peel (recorded 22 November 1982, transmitted on BBC Radio 1 on 29 November 1982). "The band played a punk-influenced form of power rock, which often had an anthemic feel." Their second album, One Eyed Jacks was released in 1984. It reached No. 22 in the UK Albums Chart Spear of Destiny’s reputation in the mid-1980s depended to a greater extent on their live performances. In 1985, their album, World Service reached the UK Top 20. Founder member Stan Stammers left in 1986. In the wake of the release of the fourth album, Outland (1987) and its Top 15 hit "Never Take Me Alive", the band began achieving some chart success and staging sell-out concerts, including a support slot to U2 at Wembley Stadium. However, ill fortune struck on the eve of the band’s appearance at the Reading Festival, as Brandon contracted Reiter disease which obliged the band to put all their plans on hold for nearly a year. Spear of Destiny have had 10 UK Singles Chart entries. Four reached the Top 50 but only one made the Top 20 - "Never Take Me Alive" (1987). In addition to Brandon and Stammers, past members of the band in the 1980s included former Gillan drummer Pete Barnacle, former JoBoxers bassist Chris Bostock, former Adam and the Ants guitarist Marco Pirroni, and former Tom Robinson Band and Stiff Little Fingers drummer Dolphin Taylor. Brandon is also a member of the supergroup, Dead Men Walking. THEATRE OF HATE/SPEAR OF DESTINY Theatre of Hate was a post-punk / goth-rock band formed in Clapham, Great Britain in 1980, directed by Kirk Brandon (ex-Stigmata and The Caine), from the ashes of the punk band The Pack, formed in 1978 by Kirk Brandon (vocals, guitars), Simon Werner (guitar), Jonathan Werner (bass), and Rab Fae Beith (drums, ex-the Wall), later replaced by Jim Walker (ex-PIL), which was characterised by a raw sound that sometimes resembles Warsaw (pre-Joy Division), and they published on the Rough Trade label two singles, Brave new soldiers and King of kings, and an EP, Long live the past, which would appear after the band split, All were issued on the cd comp with The complete singles of the Pack/Theatre of Hate, released by Anagram Records in 1995, and more recently the small label Almafame released the CD Dead Ronin, containing all the songs written by Brandon and The Pack in this period, and two unpublished live videos. After their second Peel session, in August 1981, Theatre of Hate entered the studio with producer Mick Jones to record their first studio album (and participate as a second guitarist), Westworld, released in February 1982. Shortly after the album was recorded, the new guitarist Billy Duffy (from The Nosebleeds) joined the band, and then the drummer Luke Rendle was replaced by Nigel Preston. The album reached number 17 in the list of albums of the United Kingdom and also generated the single Top 40 Do you believe in the Westworld ?, and included other good songs, like Judgment hymn, Love is a ghost and Conqueror. In February of 1982, Theatre of Hate published another album in direct, He who dares wins: Live in Berlin, recorded in September of 1981. Billy Duffy later left the band to join Ian Astbury in Death Cult. Theatre of Hate continued for a short time before splitting up later that year, after releasing the singles The Hop and Eastworld. A second studio album, Aria of the devil, was recorded, and was not published until 1998, as well as other unpublished demos of these recordings that were released as Ten years after in 1993. Brandon took over Spear of Destiny with the Bass player Stan Stammers. The album compilation Revolution was launched after the breakup of the group, spending three weeks on the British charts, reaching the number 67. Nigel Preston joined his former bandmate Billy Duffy as a drummer for The Cult, participating in his 1984 album Dreamtime. Theatre of Hate reformed in 1991 for the Return to 8 tour, with a lineup that included the members of the original band Brandon, Stammers and Lennard, with the addition of Pete Barnacle on drums and the guitarist of Spear of Destiny / The Mission, Mark Gemini Thwaite. A live recording of the London Astoria show with this lineup, Theatre of Hate Act 4, was later released on CD by Plastic Head Records. In 1994, the group consisting of Brandon, Stammers, John McNutt and Art Smith entered the Mix-O-Lydian studios of Boonton, New Jersey, with Brad Morrision, to record a new album under the name of Theatre of Hate. Retribution was not published until the beginning of 1996 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Love is a ghost, published by Receiver Records in 1999, is a direct from the era that offers one of the best moments of his short career. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Westworld, Theatre of Hate was reformed on a one-week tour that culminated in the Islington Academy in April 2007. The album was reissued, with the addition of new songs. Of the original lineup, only Stammers was unavailable, due to the conflict of schedules and family commitments in the United States, where he resided, being replaced by Craig Adams, former bassist with,The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission,and briefly the Cult, joining Brandon, Guthrie, Lennard and Rendle for the meeting. In May 2012, the original Theater of Hate lineup composed by Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers and John Lennard, augmented by Adrian Portas on guitar and Mike Kelly on drums, gathered for three concerts to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Westworld, celebrated in Bristol, London and Crewe.

     
Members
PortraitCraig Adams
b *1962 GB
PortraitMarco Pirroni
g *1959 GB
PortraitAdrian Portas
g
PortraitKirk Brandon
g, voc *1956 GB
PortraitMark Gemini Thwaite
g *1965 GB
PortraitLascelles James
sax GB
PortraitNeil Pyzer
key, sax GB
PortraitDolphin Taylor
dr, voc *1958 GB
PortraitStan Stammers
b *1961 GB
Alan St. Clair
g
PortraitChris Bell
dr GB
PortraitPete Barnacle
dr *1959 GB
PortraitMickey Donnelly
sax, perc GB
PortraitSteve Allan Jones
key, bvoc
PortraitPhil Martini
dr, bvoc
PortraitMike Kelly
dr
Popular Tracks   
Never Take Me Alive on Time Of Our Lives - The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny
Liberator on One Eyed Jacks by Spear Of Destiny
Rainmaker on One Eyed Jacks by Spear Of Destiny
The Wheel on The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny
So In Love With You on Time Of Our Lives - The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny
Mickey on The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny
Prisoner Of Love on One Eyed Jacks by Spear Of Destiny
Young Men on One Eyed Jacks by Spear Of Destiny
Come Back on The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny
Flying Scotsman on The Best Of Spear Of Destiny by Spear Of Destiny

Track list and 30sec audio provided by


Band Membership
Discography



Title Artist Year Type
Mr Livingston I PresumeSpear Of Destiny2018Single
TontineSpear Of Destiny2018Album
Second LifeSpear Of Destiny2018Album
Second LifeSpear Of Destiny2018Single
King Of KingsSpear Of Destiny2017Album
31Spear Of Destiny2014Album
Thirty Years And CountingSpear Of Destiny2013Album
Ministry Of Broadcast - Live At The BBC 1980-84Theatre Of Hate, Spear Of Destiny2013Compil.
The Singles 1983-88Spear Of Destiny2012Compil.
Omega PointSpear Of Destiny2012Album
Artificial SunlightTheatre Of Hate / Spear Of Destiny2011Compil.
The Singles CollectionSpear Of Destiny2008Compil.
Imperial PrototypeSpear Of Destiny2007Album
Live At Barrowlands - Glasgow '85Spear Of Destiny2006Album
Sods And OddsSpear Of Destiny2006Album
Manor Mobile SessionsSpear Of Destiny2006Album
The SessionsSpear Of Destiny2006Album
Live At The Forum London'88Spear Of Destiny2006Album
Live At The Ace - Brixton 1983Spear Of Destiny2006Album
Outlands - The DemosSpear Of Destiny2006Album
Live At The National - London '87Spear Of Destiny2006Album
Elephant DazeSpear Of Destiny2006Album
In Performance At Her Majesty's RequestSpear Of Destiny2005Album
LoadestoneSpear Of Destiny2005Album
In Concert: Do You Believe In The Westworld?Spear Of Destiny2004Album
LoadestoneSpear Of Destiny2004Album
The Best Of Spear Of DestinySpear Of Destiny2004Compil.
Live: The Hacienda Manchester England 1983Spear Of Destiny2004Album
Morning StarSpear Of Destiny2003Album
The Best Of Spear Of DestinySpear Of Destiny2003Compil.
VolunteersSpear Of Destiny2000Album
Live '83 The PreacherSpear Of Destiny2000Album
Uphill BackwardsSpear Of Destiny1999Album
The Best Of Spear Of DestinySpear Of Destiny1998Compil.
Psalm 2Spear Of Destiny1998Album
Psalm 3Spear Of Destiny1998Album
Psalm 1Spear Of Destiny1998Album
Psalm 4Spear Of Destiny1998Album
Psalm 5Spear Of Destiny1998Album
ReligionSpear Of Destiny1997Album
Time Of Our Lives: The Best Of Spear Of DestinySpear Of Destiny1995Compil.
BBC Radio One Live In ConcertSpear Of Destiny1994Album
Live At The Lyceum 22.12.85Spear Of Destiny1993Album
Sod's LawSpear Of Destiny1992Album
Black Country Girl / Babylon TalkingSpear Of Destiny1992Single
The CollectionSpear Of Destiny1991Compil.
Radio RadioSpear Of Destiny1988Single
So In Love With YouSpear Of Destiny1988Album
The Price You PaySpear Of Destiny1988Album
Strangers In Our TownSpear Of Destiny1987Single
In Concert-413Spear Of Destiny1987Album
Was That You?Spear Of Destiny1987Single
The TravellerSpear Of Destiny1987Single
OutlandSpear Of Destiny1987Album
S.O.D. The Epic YearsSpear Of Destiny1987Compil.
The Outland VideosSpear Of Destiny1987Album
S.O.D. The Epic YearsSpear Of Destiny1987Album
Never Take Me AliveSpear Of Destiny1987Single
The Wheel / Flying Scotsman / Prisoner Of Love / LiberatorSpear Of Destiny1986Single
Come BackSpear Of Destiny1985Album
The Revolution's OverSpear Of Destiny1985Album
Mickey / Up All NightSpear Of Destiny1985Single
World ServiceSpear Of Destiny1985Album
All My Love (Ask Nothing)Spear Of Destiny1985Album
LiberatorSpear Of Destiny1984Single
One Eyed JacksSpear Of Destiny1984Album
Prisoner Of LoveSpear Of Destiny1983Album
Flying ScotsmanSpear Of Destiny1983Single
The WheelSpear Of Destiny1983Single
Grapes Of WrathSpear Of Destiny1983Album
Bottom Drawer E.P.Spear Of DestinySingle
Lord Of The TearsSpear Of DestinyAlbum
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Acknowledgements
To all the music fans that are contributing on Discogs, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Thanks to Franz Flückiger for providing Storygram used to visualize band membership.
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