"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> SWINGDON'S CHARRED HEARTS
By: Gary Eagling
CHARRED HEARTS STARTED LIFE IN SWINDON IN 1981, ORIGINALLY CALLED THE CORPSES, THE NAME CHANGE TOOK PLACE IN 1983... AS 15 AND 16 YEAR OLDS THEY WERE FORMED AFTER THE DEMISE OF THEIR OTHER BANDS THE BCGs AND STATIC ANNOYERS. THESE FOUR URCHINS FOUND A COMMON BOND IN THEIR MUSIC TASTES AND STREET DRINKING. LIKE MANY TEENAGE PUNKS FROM THE PROVINCES, A THATCHERITE ENGLAND MADE THEIR MINI-REBELLION EASY. FOR FIVE YEARS THEY PLUGGED AWAY AND PLAYED WITH BANDS SUCH AS THE SUBHUMANS, CHUMBAWUMBA, NEWTOWN NEUROTICS, RUBELLA BALLET AND ACTION PACT. THEY WERE FOLLOWED BY THEIR LOYAL "CORPSES BARMY ARMY"(HEY NEVER ACCEPTED THE NAME CHANGE". HOWEVER BY 1986 THEY REALISED THEY WERE TREADING WATER AND CALLED IT A DAY.
A CHANCE MEETING OF ALL FOUR ORIGINAL MEMBERS IN 2000 PUT INTO MOTION THE IDEA OF A ONE-OFF REUNION. IN EARLY 2001 THEY WERE BACK REHEARSING AND IN MARCH,2001 THE ORIGINAL LINEUP OF DERMOT FULLER, PAT LUSZCS, EAMONN TREANOR AND DAVE SIMPSON PLAYED A TRIUMPHANT REUNION GIG AT THE VICTORIA, SWINDON. QUEUES WENT DOWN THE STREET AND THE BAND REALISED THIS WASN'T TO BE A ONE-OFF AFFAIR. THEY PILED ON THE LIVE WORK AND RELEASED THE "GOOD BOYS" EP.
IN 2005 THEY STARTED REHEARSING THE LP "THE TRIUMPH AND THE TRAGEDY", HOWEVER ON THE EVE OF RECORDING GUITARIST, PAT LEFT THE BAND. DAVID MARX STOOD IN ON GUITAR DUTIES FOR THE ALBUM.THE FOLLOWING YEAR LEE FELLOWS JOINED THE BAND FULLTIME ON GUITAR. LEE HAD BEEN ONE OF THE "CORPSES BARMY ARMY" SO KNEW WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT. LATER THAT YEAR DRUMMER DAVE MOVED AWAY WITH WORK AND LEFT THE BAND. THE SOLUTION WAS RIGHT UNDER THE BAND'S NOSES THOUGH AND THE SINGER'S SON, SAM FULLER TOOK UP HIS PLACE BEHIND THE KIT.
AFTER 27 YEARS CHARRED HEARTS WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE IT'S MOST DYNAMIC LINEUP AND WERE PROVIDING SOME KICK ASS LIVE PERFORMANCES. GIGS/TOURS WITH THE LIKES OF UK SUBS, THE BUSINESS, 999, SUBHUMANS, GOLDBLADE, SHAM 69, PETER AND THE TEST TUBE BABIES AND LOADS MORE FOLLOWED. IN 2009 THEY PLAYED THE REBELLION FESTIVAL AND EVEN HAD A FORAY INTO SCANDINAVIA. 2009 ALSO SAW THE RELEASE OF SONIC PUNK SINGLE "PERSECUTE ME".
LATER THIS YEAR A RETURN TRIP TO "REBELLION" BECKONS,MORE RECORDING WORK IS ALSO PLANNED.DATES IN FRANCE ARE ALSO CONFIRMED FOR LATE JUNE AND A MINI-TOUR OF GERMANY THE END OF SEPTEMBER ARE ALSO SORTED. SO AFTER 29 YEARS CHARRED HEARTS HAVE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING!!