Del Amitri
Del Amitri’s easy blend of Beatlesque pop and country-rock has made them a worldwide road and radio staple since the mid-’80s. Formed in Scotland in 1982 by bassist/vocalist/songwriter Justin Currie and longtime guitarist and collaborator Ian Harvie, the duo released Sense Sickness on a small Glasgow indie label the following year. Through heavy touring and positive word of mouth, the band — which now included drummer Paul Tyagi and guitar player Bryan Tolland — managed to impress the suits at Chrysalis Records enough to offer the fledgling group a recording contract. Their Hugh Jones-produced self-titled major-label debut was released in 1985 amidst a tidal wave of hype, but their signature blend of new wave and country-folk isolated audiences and critics alike, resulting in their inevitable departure from the Chrysalis family. Del Amitri rebounded with a self-financed U.S. tour that broadened their network of fans and landed them a deal with A&M. In 1987 the quartet expanded by one, adding keyboardist Andy Alston and replacing Tolland with David Cummings and Tyagi with Brian McDermott, and began work on Waking Hours. Released in 1989, the Gil Norton/Hugh Jones-produced LP yielded the band’s first British hit, “Kiss This Thing Goodbye,” a song that also found success in the U.S. In 1992 the group charted with “Always the Last to Know” from the Change Everything album, but it wasn’t until the release of 1995’s Twisted and its infectious hit “Roll to Me” that Del Amitri could declare global victory. Their follow-up, Some Other Sucker’s Parade, relied heavily on the adult alternative jangle pop that made Twisted such a success, but failed to generate any lasting hits. Hatful of Rain: The Best of Del Amitri, a much-needed career-spanning anthology that collected the prolific yet spotty group’s best tunes, was released in 1998 along with a companion CD, B-Sides Lousy With Love. Del Amitri released the soulful and melodic Can You Do Me Good? in 2002.
Kris Dollimore
During a career in music, spanning four decades, Kris has graced some of the world’s greatest stages and has played with many international bands and artists. These include The Godfathers, The Damned, Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Thunders, Adam Ant and Del Amitri.
His guitar skills have always been admired, in whichever genre he has played. Now those skills are honed to perfection and they need to be. He has chosen a field where his playing is at it’s most exposed. A man, a guitar and sometimes a voice. No room for error and nowhere to hide. With largely an acoustic repertoire, a fair portion of that being instrumental, in the vein of John Fahey and Jack Rose, precision playing is expected and delivered.
Kris took the decision to perform as a solo artist 16 years ago and has toured relentlessly, travelling the UK and Europe, earning a hard core following of loyal fans which is growing by the day. This is backed up by the success of his first four albums, “02/01/1978”, “Now Was The Time”, “No Ghosts In This House” and “All Grown Up”, which all received great reviews from the music press, both at home and abroad. “All Grown Up” was featured on Radio 2’s Blues Show, and a track from the album reached number 4 in the iTunes Blues chart.
Kris burns with a passion for his music and wants to bring it to as many people as possible. If you know him from his past life, don’t fear change. Follow Kris down new roads and you’ll feel all the richer for it.