Tigertailz

Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album, Bezerk which made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the hit singles "Love Bomb Baby" and "Heaven".The band reformed in 2005 to considerable popular acclaim.

More than two decades after the release of 'Bezerk' - an album that defined the whole turn-of-the-decade glam metal zeitgeist - Tigertailz roll on to new and fairer horizons. Greater challenges met head-on by bigger riffs, sharper solos, melt-yer-brain vocals and hooks heavy and dark enough to reel in not only 'Jaws' but all the sequels too.

New five-track EP 'Knives', to be released soon by Scarlet Records, is the first new music from Tigertailz in almost six years, a new dawn that sees the band step it up on every level. Founder member Jay Pepper has reunited with long-time drummer Matt Blakout to create – with singer Jules Millis and bassist Rob Wylde – a savage statement of intent. Matt, who has recently played with Mott The Hoople star Verden Allen, returns to the band at a pivotal moment in its history. A time when it sounds hungrier than ever, and when the 'Knives' are most definitely sharpened.

Tigertailz may already have the distinction of being the only UK band to share in some of the success of hairspray heavies like Mötley Crüe, L.A Guns and WASP, but they only achieved it by being unique, by not following others and by doing it their way. Extremity in everything - in music, in image, in art, in life...

First making a splash with their 1987 debut, the snotty, street-smart 'Young And Crazy', the Tigertailz name made rock headlines with their follow-up 'Bezerk', an album that delivered a series of popular singles, including infectious bubblegum classic 'Love Bomb Baby', a song that seems destined to remain their calling card. As sales went through the roof, 'Bezerk' kept Tigertailz on the road for what seemed like an eternity. Their long-awaited follow-up, 'Wazbones', was however sunk by endless record company problems. That, and the onset of grunge, eventually sent the band into hiatus...

In 2005, with the music scene beginning to look something like fun again, the core members of Tigertailz reunited. As record companies hurried to re-release their older material, the band prepared their comeback album 'Bezerk 2.0'. They were back, playing massive festivals like Sweden Rock, Gods of Metal, Lorca Rock Festival and Kobetansonik, supporting the likes of Kiss, Crüe, Whitesnake and Velvet Revolver.

Even better was to come, on the back of the fantastic 'Thrill Pistol', the heaviest album the band have made, and an indicator of their current direction - British metal, twisted up with street punk and savagely singable, glamtastic melodies. Not only that, but its release finally enabled them to release the fabled 'Wazbones' as a second, bonus CD – free with every copy of 'Thrill Pistol'.

Regrettably, 2007 was to be remembered for the passing of bassist and co-founder Pepsi Tate, a terrible blow that almost forced the band to quit. After much soul-searching, it was decided to bite back, continuing to keep alive the great tradition that Tate had been such a powerful exponent of. In 2010, the band prepared for the next phase in its rollercoaster story - the 20-year celebration of 'Bezerk', a live album, and two festival headline slots (including the UK's Hard Rock Hell).

With a rejuvenated and enthralling new line-up hitting the news in 2013, the road rolls on for a hungry, revitalised Tigertailz. From a band that has survived challenges so bizarre that most wouldn't even believe it, expect blow-your-mind live performances, and in 'Knives' some new generation Tigertailz music to rally the clans. In fact, a competition to win a signed copy of the new EP attracted over 10,000 'hits' in less than three hours! It's a resurgence to make fans young and old proud of this classic Welsh metal band. The best advice right now is to brace yourselves...

Words: STEVE BEEBEE, 'KERRANG!'