Tygers of Pan Tang


Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perform. The name is derived from Pan Tang, a fictional archipelago in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné fantasy series whose wizards keep tigers as pets.

Biography

Early days, 1978–1983

The Tygers of Pan Tang were formed by Robb Weir , Richard "Rocky" Laws, Jess Cox and Brian Dick. They played in working men's clubs and were first signed by local independent label Neat Records before MCA gave them a major record deal. After several singles, they released their first album, Wild Cat, in 1980. The album reached No. 18 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release.
Subsequently John Sykes was added as second guitarist. Jess Cox had a falling out with the others and quit, to be replaced by Persian Risk vocalist Jon Deverill. This lineup released Spellbound in 1981.
Sykes quit after the release of the third album, Crazy Nights, to audition for Ozzy Osbourne's band. He was replaced by ex-Penetration guitarist Fred Purser, who had to learn the set in two days before touring.
Tygers of Pan Tang's fourth album, The Cage, was released in 1982. The band then had a disagreement with MCA, who were not prepared to promote them unless they agreed to play more cover recordings. They subsequently tried to break free from their contract, but MCA's demands exceeded the willingness of any other record company to pay to free the band, and the band broke up in frustration.
John Sykes later achieved success with Thin Lizzy and then Whitesnake.
Songs for a new album were demoed by the same line-up which completed the previous album. It was supposed to be called "Square One". The label did not approve the material and, in consequence this line-up dismembered. Songs from this aborted album ended up appearing later, in 2018, under the name "Purser Deverill".

Reformation, 1985–1987

In 1985, Jon Deverill and Brian Dick reformed the band with Steve Lamb on guitar, Neil Sheppard on guitar, and ex-Warrior, ex-Satan member Clin Irwin on bass. Dave Donaldson later replaced Clin Irwin. Meanwhile, Robb Weir and Jess Cox formed the spin-off band Tyger-Tyger.
The reformed Tygers of Pan Tang released The Wreck-Age in summer 1985 through Music for Nations, and Burning in the Shade in 1987, through Zebra Records. Burning in the Shade received poor reviews and they disbanded again.
Various compilations and live albums were produced by the band's two first labels, Neat Records and MCA.

Latter days, 1999–present

During the 1998 Wacken Open Air festival, Jess Cox joined on stage with Blitzkrieg, playing three old Tygers songs. The audience's response was positive, and a year later, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tygers of Pan Tang and the 10th Wacken Open Air, the band was invited to play on the main stage. Brian Dick and Rocky were unable to join the band, but the Tygers did perform. Recordings of their performance resulted in the Live at Wacken album.
In 2000, Robb Weir reformed the band as the only original member. The other musicians were Tony Liddell, Dean Robertson, Brian West, and Craig Ellis. They released Mystical through Z-Records. They toured in several festivals, but eventually were dropped by Z-Records in 2002, due to poor record sales.
The band went on to produce the split album with Girlschool and Oliver/Dawson Saxon on Communique Records, and in 2004 released Noises in the Cathouse with new singer Richie Wicks who although a singer by trade was at the time still playing bass in Angel Witch.
Later that year, Richie Wicks left and was replaced by Italian vocalist Jacopo Meille. Wicks later joined Shadowkeep, appearing on their 2008 album The Hourglass Effect, before leaving in 2009. As of 2010, he was the vocalist in Heavenly Hell, a Dio-era Black Sabbath tribute band, and in 2013 he commenced fronting the band Black, White & Purple with fellow ex-Angel Witch guitarist Keith Herzberg and current Praying Mantis drummer Gary MacKenzie, along with Shadowkeep's ex-bassist Mark Fielden.
Jon Deverill went on to work as an actor under the name of Jon De Ville, and as of October 2007 was performing in 'The Sound of Music' at the London Palladium with television star Connie Fisher.
In October 2007, the band issued a limited edition five track EP titled Back and Beyond, which featured reworkings of three Tygers songs from the early 1980s, along with two new tracks taken from their forthcoming album. Animal Instinct was released on 19 May 2008, the first with vocalist Jacopo Meille.
On 2011 bassist Gavin Gray return in the band to replace Brian West.
On 15 July 2011 it was announced that Tygers Of Pan Tang have signed an agreement with Rocksector Records for the worldwide release of their next studio album, with a current working title of "Ambush", provisionally planned for February/March 2012. The album came out on 24 September.
In January 2013, the band announced via their official website that guitarist Dean Robertson had left the band and that they had begun the search for a replacement. The following month, the band announced Micky Crystal as their new guitarist. In April 2020 it was announced that Micky Crystal had left the band. Shortly after an interview emerged online where Micky stated he left due to poor management and that he was being used to write songs and do "the hard work" claiming that Robb Weir had little to no involvement in the bands 2019 album "Ritual" He also went on to quote John Sykes who had also expressed similar feelings after he had left the band. In May 2020 the band announced via Facebook that they would be holding auditions for a new guitarist. In July 2020 the band announced via it's official website that it would be releasing a remaster of it's 2012 album "Ambush" to be released via Mighty Music in the fall.

Members

Current members

Studio albums