Ghoad - A Tribute to Saxon

Ghoad are the only Saxon Tribute Band from the UK. Their set list comprises of classic Saxon tunes from the 80s and 90s and 00's such as Denim and Leather, Wheels of Steel, Forever Free, Motorcycle man, Yesterdays Gone, Never Surrender, Strong arm of the Law, Power and the Glory plus many more. With individual influences ranging from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Rush, Kiss, Metallica, Deep Purple, Manowar, BLS, Saxon and AC/DC, Ghoad promise a show of excitement, energy and outstanding musicianship. Ghoad have one firm intention in mind - to be the best Saxon Tribute band on the live circuit.

Ghoad were formed in November 2002 by Sy Verrall (Lead and Rhythm guitarist) with lifelong friend and bass player Nigel Godden. Paul Johnson (Drums) Steve Brook (Guitar) and vocalist Paul Kemp were recruited soon after and the legacy of Ghoad was born. Sadly after a short spell with the band vocalist Paul kemp quit the band due to health and personal problems but not before recording our first ep titled Red skies. Steve Brook a talented young guitarist from Kent was next to jump ship from the band again due to personel reasons, Guys you are sadly missed and we wish you all the best for the future. December 2003 saw the arrival of talented vocalist James 'Jimmy Slingback' Fuller. James brought a whole new sound to the band and was featured on our next ep ' Afterlife' James stuck with us for the following 3 years and helped lay the foundation for what you hear as Ghoad to this day. James left the band in July 2006 much to our dismay and shock. His vocal slot was then filled by Rey Garcia who joined the band in July 2006. Rey, an ambitious and hard working vocalist from Crawley, Sussex stayed with us for a year but sadly work commitments got the better of him and he quit in 2007. Now with the departure of Rey, Ghoad were in turmoil for 3 or 4 months and it even looked as this may of been it for the band! but.....alas, we were rescued by the now current and extremely talented frontman Noel Morgan. Noel, who harks from Bristol originally, has brought the band right where it should be, kicking ass and rocking stages around the country. A passionate vocalist with the delivery and style not unlike the late great Bon Scott from AC/DC and Biff Byford from Saxon. In June 2009 we have now seen the departure of long time serving drummer Paul Johnson. Paul stayed with us through thick and thin but was let go due to non comittment to the band. Late June 2009 saw the arrival of drummer Alan Bristow for a brief spell with us, however, due to ongoing family comittments, another band and an ongoing injury Alan's spell was very brief leaving us about a month later!!! We are now pleased to announce that we have got the best drummer Ghoad has ever had which was all down to a chance phone call! We welcome with open arms ex Tobruk drummer Al Vallence. Al has been there and done it! Having secured a record deal in the early 80's Al and Tobruk played many gigs supporting such great bands as Manowar and Judas Priest! which is pretty dam cool with us! Al has brought a new and refreshed energy to the band that has been missing all these years and his stage antics are second to none! We wish Paul, Alan and all our ex members the very best of luck in any projects they take and thank them for the contributions they made to the band.

A 4 track E.P. entitled 'Red Skies' was recorded during the summer of 2003. It includes two original songs which were penned by the band at that time, as well as two covers by Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. This has since been followed up by the 4 track E.P. release Afterlife comprising of 4 original tracks. The 2 CD's have received rave reviews from their rapidly growing fanbase and are available for sale at every gig. Ghoad have set their sights high for the coming months and are currently writing new material for their highly anticipated new release......stayed tuned folks!.....The start of 2010 has proved to be very promising for the band we have signed up with Pyroflash Management and Promotion so hopefully we can now branch out and show what people are missing! We also had special guest slots offered by Limehouse Lizzy (The top UK Thin Lizzy Tribute Band) playing at The Whiterock Theatre, Hastings and The Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. Ghoad was recieved with great enthusiasm and support so many thanks to Limehouse Lizzy for providing us with this opportunity, here's to many more shows in the future! On another note, Ghoad have decided to add another dimension to their shows by providing an alternative set list. As from April 2010 Ghoad will be available as a Saxon tribute band performing the great work Biff and the boys have provided us with over the years. We have been very fortunate to be offered to play at 'The Saxon Forum alternate St.Georges Day Gig at The Green man Hotel in Wembley alongsde the great great band Fury UK, all proceeds are going to the 'Help for Heroes' charity so we are looking forward to this show and it will be our first airing of the Saxon set. Watch this space for more developments on this. June 2010 also has seen the arrival of good friend and guitarist Charlie Male. Charlie will be performing with Ghoad mainly for the Saxon shows but where we can fit in he will be there!! Having played guitar for over 20yrs Charlie is a formidable guitarist bringing the rhythm section of the band up to where it should be. We look forward to many years working with Charlie and know that this has opened up a whole new chapter for the band! His first appearance looks set to be at The Green Man Festival August 21st and 22nd so hurry and buy your tickets!