Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Rising ia a heavy rock band initially formed in 1980 by Pete Bangert (guitar), Jack Bunker (vocals), Chris Hamilton (bass) and Danny Spencer (drums). The formation of the band coincided with an underground resurgence of heavy rock which became known to pundits and journalists as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).
However that trend was not apparent until later and that was not the reason that Phoenix Rising was formed. Like a number of other musicians at that time, the guys were fed up with the commercialised punk, new wave, romantic music that was all-pervasive. They were just a group of musicians who wanted to get back to the roots of British Rock and make their own contribution to the legacy.
This line-up produced a number of recordings on vinyl, tape and video, some of which were later re-captured onto CD. They continued gigging until late in 1985.
In collaboration with our friends at the German High Roller Records label there is a
new limited edition release by Phoenix Rising on vinyl LP
of a Live Session from Radio Hallam. See the album link on the right
for more info and how to purchase a copy.
Phoenix Rising was re-formed in 1991, after the untimely death of the original drummer Danny Spencer, with the express purpose of raising money for the Leukaemia Research Fund. The new line up was Pete Bangert (guitar and synth), Mel Day (vocals), Gordon Henderson (drums) and Nick Parfrey (bass).
By this time Pete had added a guitar synth to his equipment and this added a whole new dimension to the sound and capabilities of the band. This line-up continued gigging regularly as a unit into the late 90’s.
Here is some rare video footage of the original band in action. The quality is poor but it gives a flavour.
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