Thunder (band)
Encyclopedia
Thunder were an English
hard rock
band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane
broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes
and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley
to form a new group, namely Thunder. Retaining Terraplane drummer Gary James
(popularly known as 'Harry' James), they completed the line-up with bassist Mark 'Snake' Luckhurst
and guitarist/keyboard player Ben Matthews
. Though the band's main area of support has remained their homeland of the UK, the band also enjoy significant success in Japan.
in 1975. At the age of 14 Danny talked his way into a band Luke had formed with some other boys, he couldn't play an instrument so claimed to be a singer; the band auditioned him and he was deemed good enough to join. The boy he replaced was pushed aside to become a bass player but by a twist of fate would one day become Thunder's manager. The band went on to call themselves Nuthin' Fancy, in following years they played in pubs around the London area and released an independent single ‘Looking For A Good Time’. When Harry James joined after the previous drummer left, the band renamed themselves Terraplane. As Terraplane they played many gigs, including regular gigs at the Marquee Club
and a performance at the 1982 Reading Festival. They were signed by Epic Records
and ultimately released two albums, but they became frustrated by the more pop orientated direction the record company was guiding them in. After a trip to the US showed them that there was a vibrant rock scene developing they realised that there was a place for the sort of music they wanted to make and came back to England to form Thunder.
Thunder were signed quickly with EMI
after performing a demo audition in 1989, and soon began recording their first album Back Street Symphony
. With their producer, Andy Taylor
(of Duran Duran
) they created many blues-rock
and atmospheric ballads, steering away from the melodic power pop
of their previous band. The album was a huge success in the UK, helped by a prestigious appearance opening the 1990 Monsters of Rock
festival at Donington Park
. Their performance at this event was almost universally praised and elevated them to new levels of popularity.
A follow-up album, Laughing on Judgement Day
appeared in 1992 and reached number 2 in the album charts at a time when the grunge
scene was beginning to change the hard rock
landscape. All four singles released from the album were Top 40 successes, and A Better Man
made the UK Top 20 in early-1993. However, this period was the most turbulent in the band's career; Snake quit the band after the subsequent tour and was replaced by Swedish bass player Mikael Höglund
. Meantime, rumours of an approach by Whitesnake
singer David Coverdale
to recruit Luke Morley were circulating (Although in 2002 Danny Bowes stated that "the whole thing was made up" by the band to engineer some press interest). and it would be another two years before the third album appeared.
That album, Behind Closed Doors
was reasonably successful, reaching number 5 in the album charts, despite this it was to be the band's last studio album for EMI
, and they parted company with the label with a compilation: Their Finest Hour... And A Bit, notable for its inclusion of several unreleased tracks, in particular a cover of the Python Lee Jackson
song In A Broken Dream. For personal reasons Mikael Höglund was unable to participate in the recording of the band's fourth album The Thrill Of It All
; Luke Morley handled bass duties and the album was released on the independent B Lucky record label
. The band recruited bassist Chris Childs
for the tour; and he remained with them for the rest of their career..
In 1998, the band released Live. The album was a concert recorded at Wolverhampton and Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. A DVD was released also featuring the video to the album. Later that year two EPs were released containing the single The Only One. One EP featured the studio recording while the other featured the live version. Both EPs contained three extra bonus tracks.
in early 2000, they bowed out on 4 May 2000 with a show at Camden
Dingwalls in London
, which was recorded for the album They Think It's All Over... It Is Now.
Luke Morley returned to the scene the following year with the solo album El Gringo Retro and played a brace of live shows at the Borderline in London, backed by virtually all of his former bandmates (Danny Bowes being the exception). Morley and Bowes reunited in 2002 for the soul
influenced album Moving Swiftly Along.
In 2009, Luke Morley teamed up with Peter Shoulder to form The Union (band)
, who released their first album in 2010 and second in 2011.
UK arena shows in late 2002. They returned in November 2003 with a new album called Shooting at the Sun
released on their own label - STC Recordings
.
Their second self-released album, The Magnificent Seventh
spawned a top 30 single, "I Love You More Than Rock And Roll" in March 2005, reaching #27 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Their resurgence can be traced through the venues booked for their live tours. In 2006 Thunder returned, for the first time since the days of the EMI released Back Street Symphony
album, to headline the Hammersmith Apollo
at the end of a 12 date UK tour.
The band also took part in the return of the Monsters of Rock festival in 2006 at Milton Keynes, sharing the bill with Deep Purple
, Alice Cooper
, Journey
, Queensrÿche
, Ted Nugent
and Roadstar
. Hailed as one of the stars of the show Thunder justified their reputation as one of the best British live acts.
The band released their eighth studio album on 30 October 2006, entitled Robert Johnson's Tombstone. It follows Thunder's traditions of good honest blues rock albums, with big riffs and big sing-along choruses.
The single "The Devil Made Me Do It" taken from this album reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart on the 10 December 2006, and the video, produced and animated by Andy Doran, also enjoyed significant success on its first week when uploaded to the YouTube site, and has received airplay on Scuzz
TV.
Thunder undertook a European Tour in early 2007, their first in nearly 12 years, playing small venues in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Italy. A further UK tour took place in November and December 2007.
In February 2008 it was announced Thunder would be the opening act on the second leg of Def Leppard and Whitesnake's co-headline UK arena tour. The second leg in July 2008 opened in Cardiff International Arena before heading to Liverpool Arena and Nottingham Arena.
Thunder released their ninth studio album 'Bang!
' in the UK on November 3, 2008 through their own STC label and in mainland Europe via Frontiers Records on 7 November 2008. While writing the album they released three limited edition EPs, Six Of One,...Half A Dozen Of The Other and The Joy Of Six.
Thunder announced a decision to split ("hitch up our wagons and ride into the sunset") on 28 January 2009 via their website. The band cited outside interests as the reasons for the split with members of the band playing in other bands when not touring with Thunder. Bowes mentioned the stresses of managing a website for the band, along with management and vocal duties taking their toll, added to the decision to split. Many tributes from classic rock websites and radio shows were published along with well wishes from fans. The band played at Download-2009 (Tuborg stage) on Sat 13 June 2009, toured Europe and Japan before returning home for the British leg of their farewell tour in July 2009, their final full gig was played at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 11, however the band made an appearance at the Rock of Ages festival in Germany on July the 31st. Their very final appearance took place at the Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth
where thanks to another band pulling out they were able to arrange a place on the bill at late notice. On Saturday the 1st of August 2009 at around 11pm Thunder took to the stage in a packed Bohemia tent and played a short final set.
in July 2011.
Thunder will play on the Sunday and will be 3rd on the bill below Dream Theater
and Black Country Communion
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane
Terraplane (band)
Terraplane were a 1980s pop rock band from London, England. Five musicians, they released two studio albums before disbanding in 1988. The band featured three musicians who would go on to form the hard rock act, Thunder.-Biography:...
broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes
Danny Bowes
Danny Bowes was the lead singer with the rock act, Thunder. Previously, he was a member of Nuthin' Fancy, 1980s group Terraplane, as well as occasionally playing the odd gig or two with his group Danny and the Doowops...
and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley
Luke Morley
Luke Morley is the lead guitarist and co-songwriter for the rock band The Union. From 1989 to 2009 he was the guitarist, chief songwriter and producer for the hard rock band Thunder...
to form a new group, namely Thunder. Retaining Terraplane drummer Gary James
Gary James
Gary Milton James, popularly known as 'Harry' James is the drummer for themelodic rock band Magnum,although he is best known as the drummer for the now defunct hard rock band Thunder....
(popularly known as 'Harry' James), they completed the line-up with bassist Mark 'Snake' Luckhurst
Mark 'Snake' Luckhurst
Mark Luckhurst, and nicknamed Snake was a founding member of the British hard rock band Thunder, playing bass on their first two albums. Backstreet Symphony and Laughing on Judgement Day. He parted company with the band at the end of 1992 citing 'personal differences'...
and guitarist/keyboard player Ben Matthews
Ben Matthews
Ben Matthews was the guitarist and keyboard player with the hard rock band Thunder. He is also an experienced studio engineer and mixer; he worked with progressive rock act Mostly Autumn as studio engineer on their 2005 album Storms Over Still Water. He also guested on their 2006 live album...
. Though the band's main area of support has remained their homeland of the UK, the band also enjoy significant success in Japan.
Early years
Luke Morley and Danny Bowes first met at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham CollegeHaberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College is an Academy secondary school located. in New Cross. The school was formerly a Grammar school, then a comprehensive City Technology College and now an Academy operating between two sites near New Cross Gate in South-East London...
in 1975. At the age of 14 Danny talked his way into a band Luke had formed with some other boys, he couldn't play an instrument so claimed to be a singer; the band auditioned him and he was deemed good enough to join. The boy he replaced was pushed aside to become a bass player but by a twist of fate would one day become Thunder's manager. The band went on to call themselves Nuthin' Fancy, in following years they played in pubs around the London area and released an independent single ‘Looking For A Good Time’. When Harry James joined after the previous drummer left, the band renamed themselves Terraplane. As Terraplane they played many gigs, including regular gigs at the Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
and a performance at the 1982 Reading Festival. They were signed by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and ultimately released two albums, but they became frustrated by the more pop orientated direction the record company was guiding them in. After a trip to the US showed them that there was a vibrant rock scene developing they realised that there was a place for the sort of music they wanted to make and came back to England to form Thunder.
Thunder were signed quickly with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
after performing a demo audition in 1989, and soon began recording their first album Back Street Symphony
Back Street Symphony
Backstreet Symphony is the first album by Thunder. The band was signed with EMI after performing a demo audition in 1989, and soon began recording their first album. It was released in early 1990...
. With their producer, Andy Taylor
Andy Taylor (guitarist)
Andy Taylor is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station....
(of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) they created many blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
and atmospheric ballads, steering away from the melodic power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
of their previous band. The album was a huge success in the UK, helped by a prestigious appearance opening the 1990 Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
festival at Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
. Their performance at this event was almost universally praised and elevated them to new levels of popularity.
A follow-up album, Laughing on Judgement Day
Laughing on Judgement Day
Laughing On Judgement Day is the second studio album by English Hard rock band Thunder. Released in August 1992, the album remains the band's most successful in terms of chart position, reaching number 2 on the UK Album Chart in September of that year and later being certified 'Silver' by the BPI...
appeared in 1992 and reached number 2 in the album charts at a time when the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
scene was beginning to change the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
landscape. All four singles released from the album were Top 40 successes, and A Better Man
A Better Man
"A Better Man" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in February 1989 as the lead and debut single from his debut album, Killin' Time. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas. When "A Better Man" went to No...
made the UK Top 20 in early-1993. However, this period was the most turbulent in the band's career; Snake quit the band after the subsequent tour and was replaced by Swedish bass player Mikael Höglund
Mikael Höglund
Mikael Höglund is a Swedish bass player, previously of the bands Tryckvåg, Great King Rat and Thunder, appearing on the 1995 album Behind Closed Doors, Live Circuit and Their Finest Hour...and a bit....
. Meantime, rumours of an approach by Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
singer David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
to recruit Luke Morley were circulating (Although in 2002 Danny Bowes stated that "the whole thing was made up" by the band to engineer some press interest). and it would be another two years before the third album appeared.
That album, Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors (Thunder album)
Behind Closed Doors is the third album by English band Thunder. The follow-up to the Top 5 album Laughing on Judgement Day, the album was released in 1995...
was reasonably successful, reaching number 5 in the album charts, despite this it was to be the band's last studio album for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, and they parted company with the label with a compilation: Their Finest Hour... And A Bit, notable for its inclusion of several unreleased tracks, in particular a cover of the Python Lee Jackson
Python Lee Jackson
Python Lee Jackson was an Australian rock band active from 1965 to 1968, before a brief sojourn in the United Kingdom. The group's most famous hit was "In a Broken Dream", featuring Rod Stewart as guest vocalist.-Members in Australia:...
song In A Broken Dream. For personal reasons Mikael Höglund was unable to participate in the recording of the band's fourth album The Thrill Of It All
The Thrill of It All (Thunder album)
The Thrill Of It All is the fourth studio album by British hard rock band Thunder. It was released in February 1997 on the independent B Lucky label following their departure from EMI...
; Luke Morley handled bass duties and the album was released on the independent B Lucky record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The band recruited bassist Chris Childs
Chris Childs (bassist)
Chris Childs is an English bass player who was a member of the hard rock band Thunder from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2009....
for the tour; and he remained with them for the rest of their career..
In 1998, the band released Live. The album was a concert recorded at Wolverhampton and Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. A DVD was released also featuring the video to the album. Later that year two EPs were released containing the single The Only One. One EP featured the studio recording while the other featured the live version. Both EPs contained three extra bonus tracks.
Retirement and solo projects
In 1999 they released their fifth studio album "Giving The Game Away"; toning the guitars down in favour of a mellower approach with more keyboards. This album was released to coincide with the band's tenth anniversary; however they announced in autumn 1999 that they were to split, much to the dismay of their fanbase, many of whom had followed them from the beginning. Following a UK tour in November 1999, and some dates in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in early 2000, they bowed out on 4 May 2000 with a show at Camden
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
Dingwalls in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which was recorded for the album They Think It's All Over... It Is Now.
Luke Morley returned to the scene the following year with the solo album El Gringo Retro and played a brace of live shows at the Borderline in London, backed by virtually all of his former bandmates (Danny Bowes being the exception). Morley and Bowes reunited in 2002 for the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
influenced album Moving Swiftly Along.
In 2009, Luke Morley teamed up with Peter Shoulder to form The Union (band)
The Union (band)
The Union are an English rock band formed in 2009 by Luke Morley, ex-guitarist for Thunder, and Peter Shoulder, formerly of Winterville.-Formation and The Union:...
, who released their first album in 2010 and second in 2011.
Reformation and split
Thunder were tempted back into action by a slot on the touring Monsters of RockMonsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
UK arena shows in late 2002. They returned in November 2003 with a new album called Shooting at the Sun
Shooting at the Sun
Shooting At The Sun is the sixth studio album by British hard rock band Thunder. Released in the spring of 2003, it was their first studio release following their decision to reform in 2002 after a hiatus of more than two years...
released on their own label - STC Recordings
STC Recordings
STC Recordings is the record label of the British hard rock band Thunder....
.
Their second self-released album, The Magnificent Seventh
The Magnificent Seventh
The Magnificent Seventh is the seventh studio album by British hard rock band Thunder. Released in January 2005 , it was the second album to be released by the band following their reformation in 2002 and generated their first top 30 entry in the UK Singles Chart since 1996 - "I Love You More Than...
spawned a top 30 single, "I Love You More Than Rock And Roll" in March 2005, reaching #27 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Their resurgence can be traced through the venues booked for their live tours. In 2006 Thunder returned, for the first time since the days of the EMI released Back Street Symphony
Back Street Symphony
Backstreet Symphony is the first album by Thunder. The band was signed with EMI after performing a demo audition in 1989, and soon began recording their first album. It was released in early 1990...
album, to headline the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
at the end of a 12 date UK tour.
The band also took part in the return of the Monsters of Rock festival in 2006 at Milton Keynes, sharing the bill with Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
and Roadstar
Roadstar
Heaven's Basement are a British hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 2008 and Signed with Red Bull Records.-Heaven's Basement:Heaven's Basement are a hard rock band from the UK that are renowned for their heavy touring schedule and extreme energy live shows...
. Hailed as one of the stars of the show Thunder justified their reputation as one of the best British live acts.
The band released their eighth studio album on 30 October 2006, entitled Robert Johnson's Tombstone. It follows Thunder's traditions of good honest blues rock albums, with big riffs and big sing-along choruses.
The single "The Devil Made Me Do It" taken from this album reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart on the 10 December 2006, and the video, produced and animated by Andy Doran, also enjoyed significant success on its first week when uploaded to the YouTube site, and has received airplay on Scuzz
Scuzz
Scuzz is a British music television channel owned and operated by CSC Media Group . It launched on 17 April 2003 and has gone on to be the highest-rated rock TV station on UK satellite. The channel plays a broad range of rock and all its subgenres...
TV.
Thunder undertook a European Tour in early 2007, their first in nearly 12 years, playing small venues in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Italy. A further UK tour took place in November and December 2007.
In February 2008 it was announced Thunder would be the opening act on the second leg of Def Leppard and Whitesnake's co-headline UK arena tour. The second leg in July 2008 opened in Cardiff International Arena before heading to Liverpool Arena and Nottingham Arena.
Thunder released their ninth studio album 'Bang!
Bang! (Thunder album)
Bang! is the ninth studio album by English hard rock band Thunder. It was released on 3 November 2008. Bang! is the only Thunder album to have a Parental Advisory sticker on the front cover, due to a very brief use of profanity in "On the Radio"...
' in the UK on November 3, 2008 through their own STC label and in mainland Europe via Frontiers Records on 7 November 2008. While writing the album they released three limited edition EPs, Six Of One,...Half A Dozen Of The Other and The Joy Of Six.
Thunder announced a decision to split ("hitch up our wagons and ride into the sunset") on 28 January 2009 via their website. The band cited outside interests as the reasons for the split with members of the band playing in other bands when not touring with Thunder. Bowes mentioned the stresses of managing a website for the band, along with management and vocal duties taking their toll, added to the decision to split. Many tributes from classic rock websites and radio shows were published along with well wishes from fans. The band played at Download-2009 (Tuborg stage) on Sat 13 June 2009, toured Europe and Japan before returning home for the British leg of their farewell tour in July 2009, their final full gig was played at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 11, however the band made an appearance at the Rock of Ages festival in Germany on July the 31st. Their very final appearance took place at the Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
where thanks to another band pulling out they were able to arrange a place on the bill at late notice. On Saturday the 1st of August 2009 at around 11pm Thunder took to the stage in a packed Bohemia tent and played a short final set.
2009-2011
Harry James has appeared recently as Magnums drummer. Danny Bowes has appeared as occasional vocalist for Kenney Jones's band the "Jones Gang" singing live at Kenney's Polo Club. Luke Morley has teamed up with Peter Shoulder in the band "The Union" and has played the High Voltage Festival in 2010. Chris Childs has joined the "Ultimate Eagles" an Eagles tribute band and toured extensively.Later reunions
In February 2011, it was announced that the band would reunite for a one-off live performance, at that year's High Voltage FestivalHigh Voltage Festival
High Voltage is a music festival held in Victoria Park, London. The event hosts artists from various strands of rock music, including classic rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal. The first festival was held on the 24 and 25 July 2010...
in July 2011.
Thunder will play on the Sunday and will be 3rd on the bill below Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Black Country Communion
Black Country Communion
Black Country Communion is an English-American rock supergroup featuring Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian, and Joe Bonamassa.-Formation and Black Country :...
.
Line-ups - Bowes and Morley bands
The band has had a fairly consistent line-up (other than the slot for bassist) since taking up the name Thunder. The previous incarnations of Bowes/Morley bands that slowly formed into Thunder under different name changes however, did not. Names in bold indicate current members of Thunder.| Nuthin' Fancy (1980–1983) |
|
|---|---|
| Terraplane (1983–1988) |
|
| Thunder (1989–1992) |
|
| Thunder (1993–1995) |
|
| Thunder (1996–2000) |
|
| (2000–2002) |
|
| Thunder - reformation (2002–2009) |
|