A History Of Burn

Part One - Early Days

On July 15th 1993, keyboard player Tom Dusek from Hemel based band Soul Purpose asked bassist Johnny Heywood if he fancied playing some rock covers and expressed himself "surprised" when Johnny agreed! He'd known guitarist Rob Sas for several years and now the three of them arranged a rehearsal at High Wycombe for the following Saturday afternoon. A mutual love of Deep Purple definitely helped but Johnny remembers Rob as being particularly polite on this first day and being helped in with his gear to the rehearsal room, the last time Rob ever acted so recklessly.

Rob had being playing guitar since 1976 when he bought a Fender Strat on an impulse and began learning it very quickly. This became his main guitar for the next decade and still makes the occasional appearance. Rob had just moved out of a large house which had a very impressive recording studio at the bottom of the garden but he had neglected live playing in recent years. Now, he was keen to get out on the road and sharpen his chops up and make a little money.

Johnny had been playing bass since school days in 1975 when he bought Grant Bass guitar for £36 and attempted to sing at the same time. After playing in Glasgow, he'd moved South and had been playing with several outfits including the aforementioned Soul Purpose. Now he was studying bass guitar with London Based Tutor Joe Hubbard and was keen to play all the time in all styles.

Tom Dusek was about to quit full time employment to go back to college and faced a lean time ahead. It was essential that he played to earn and possibly eat too. Tom had also been in bands for years and had a great knowledge of different styles plus experience in the recording studio. At this time in his life he appeared to pull more girls than everyone else put together and used to select his evening's entertainment from a large black book list. The others felt that this was surely the right man for the job!

The working title was "Well 'Ard". The idea was to play rock covers which each member loved. It would be a fairly mercenary band as money would definitely be an incentive but it should be fun too!

At the first rehearsal, the band was drummer-less but Rob had been advertising and had spoken to some guys already so it was felt it would not take long to find the right guy. There is no documentation as what was played on this first day but it must have been fairly loud as the rehearsal area was tested by Council Environmental Health workers for noise pollution and what's more, they closed it down shortly after this. Anyhow, it was sufficient for the boys to work up a list of material for some gigs which Rob had ready to go - a remnant of a previous band he'd had and was no more.

The following Wednesday, Rob had arranged for the band to meet drummer Simon Alexander from Northampton and have a blow with him. If he was good enough then they'd found their man. Unfortunately, Tom had nipped over to Denmark to build some wooden chalets with some friends, which didn't sound very rock & roll. Six songs were run over and Simon was in. Lots of work needed to be done but now they were complete.

On Tuesday the 27th, just 12 days after the first suggestion of a new band, they full line up gathered together at The Basement Studios in Watford and had a full rehearsal. A full set of material was started though much work had still to be done. In particular, title track Burn was attempted but seemed to lack firepower. Johnny moved the key around on a couple of numbers as he was struggling but Whitesnake's Here I Go Again sounded great.

There was one problem to overcome - the name! It was felt Well 'Ard had to go. Another choice, Outrider was considered but finally, Burn was decided on. On August 3rd, the band was back at the Basement Studios where Johnny was experimenting with ear plugs for the first time in a bid to save his ears as he was playing 3-4 times a week with very loud bands. To this day he still wears them and so far has not suffered any degradation in the aural department. It was at this rehearsal that the band first attempted Born To Be Wild which they still play to this day!

Simon was very keen and though not the heaviest hitter of drums in the World, he was reliable and this counted for a lot in the pub band rock world! When the band got going it had quite a lot of kick to it as early rehearsal tapes prove. By the next rehearsal on August 10th, there was an hours worth of material and a couple of days later, Johnny introduced In A Broken Dream, another Burn favourite to this day. This was the situation as the first gig loomed large.....

The Leather Bottle (see below) in Kingston was a pleasant enough venue and used to having rock bands. It wasn't very busy on August 27th 1993 as Burn made their debut. Johnny was first there and sweated it out as 8-30 came and went before Rob and Tom trundled in having fought the traffic from Herts. Worse than that, Simon couldn't find the venue till 9-15 so the start was delayed. The first half was remarkably well played and free of all cock ups but the second half more than made up for it. Not to worry as a crowd of young visiting Venezuelans were very enthusiastic and cheered the band on to the end. Johnny used his 6-string SEI bass and the venues PA which lacked monitors but sounded pretty good. All in all, a very happy start!

It had taken 6 weeks but Burn had begun.   

    Burn Mk 1. Johnny, Rob, Simon Alexander & Tom Dussek.

Part Two - On The Road

Following the band's debut at The Leather Bottle, rehearsals took place at the end of August and several songs which have become staples of the set to this day were introduced. These included, Strange Kind Of Woman, Woman From Tokyo and Burn from the Deep Purple songbook, plus White Wedding and Rebel Yell by Billy Idol and I Heard It Through The Grapevine as a surprising choice. This was based on a version by FM and not the Motown classic! The following month brought The Hunter into the repertoire and all these songs were included in the next gig, the big SECOND one.

On the face of it, it was a simple party gig for Rob's step son and no pressure was on the band. It also meant that the older, classic rock tunes didn't mean much to the younger audience and so reaction was somewhat muted. Still, it was an essential run through. Hill Briggs, keys player with Tom & Johnny's other band at this time, Soul Purpose, was in the audience and was vocal in his encouragement. Hill last played with the band on December 20th 2008.

Another rehearsal preceded a brace of gigs. First the Flint Cottage which was a regular venue in High Wycombe and Burn got some headbanging going among some teenagers during the Whitesnake numbers. Johnny admitted that he felt "old" when this went on and somewhat "surreal" but enjoyable all the same. He used his Rickenbacker 8-string bass more for comedy than musical reasons. It helped fill in any need for a rhythm guitarist as the sound is so huge.

The following day Rob phoned to say the gig had been cancelled - the first of many over the years. Next gig was October 1st by which time a new number, Joybringer by Manfred Mann's Earth Band was worked up. Johnny rejoiced in rehearsing using an old 8x10 bass cabinet which had belonged to one of his fave bands, Yes. It didn't make him sound like Chris Squire though! This song was played at the Cafe Moire in Barnes for the band's fourth gig which was received quietly by the audience but the management re-booked them so all was well.

Johnny had discovered that ear plugs helped his voice as he could hear himself sing more easily and seldom lost his voice. This is a practice that he continues to this day and so far has no noticeable drop in hearing in either ear. Rob Sas chose to listen au natural and claims also to not have suffered in the hearing department. He cites the loud hissing and roaring which he constantly suffers as proof that his ears must be working. Others have observed that this is similar to tinnitus but Rob doesn't hear them.

Gigs followed at the Albion, Hemel which was extremely enjoyable, the first appearance at the legendary Gate Inn outside Aylesbury and an Irish pub in Northampton near drummer Simon's home where the band was joined onstage by Paul the harp player. Each gig was better than the last and proved that the band was gelling into a hard rocking outfit. However, there was a feeling amongst Rob, Tom & Johnny that the drums could be a bit tighter.

A rare midweek gig took place at Beethoven's Club in Reading on Thursday 11th November and though very enjoyable, Johnny had a nightmare with some of the more complex arrangements. Simon proved himself not only late in keeping time but also turned up late for the gig having got lost en route. The following day was a return at The Cafe Moire and this gig was recorded. Listening to it now prove that Rob's sound and playing was already in evidence but Johnny's vocals were limited and Simon's drumming leaves a lot to be desired. Although many said afterwards that they had enjoyed the band, there is little evidence on the tape. Single handclaps greet the finish of many a song and it really deserved better.

Catch The Rainbow was becoming a main number even in these early days with Rob playing a "stormer" according to Johnny and a gig at the Flint Cottage had more punters up headbanging. Rob was becoming the focal point of the band and was being elevated to the status of rock god in a pub-ular way. The following week at the Aylesbury Hop Pole, Rob unstrapped his guitar at the climax to Rainbow and started to rub it along the monitor - surely a prelude to smashing the guitar up? Fortunately not as Rob's economic situation would not have stretched to a repair let alone a replacement should he have lost control. This gig was a disappointment as hardly anyone was in attendance.

New songs the following month included Rosalie which was short lived and Jailbreak, still a favourite to this day. Rush's Spirit of Radio and Calling All The Heroes by It Bites were started but ultimately fell by the wayside.

The year ended with gigs at the Flint Cottage which saw an argument with management and the band due to money matters ( i.e. The band was underpaid!) and a venue in Sudbury Hill which was also without applause until the end when the band was told it was "the best band that had been there". Strange way of showing it. Never mind, Rob had just got the band a gig at The Gordon Arms in High Wycombe for January 1994 and that looked like quite a good venue.

If only we could have seen into the future......

                   

                

                     

           

Part Three - Gettin' Tighter

Burn kicked off 1994 with a gig on the 8th January at The Gordon Arms, High Wycombe. It was an average gig and though the band played with a level of excitement there were far too many mistakes made. Simon insisted on miking up the drums although the venue was not big enough to warrant it. "Hit the skins harder," was the advice from his band mates. However, the band was booked as a result of this gig to play a party just across the road later that month.

Rehearsals followed on the 11th and interestingly, Calling All The Heroes, Mr Big, Purple Haze and Double Vision were all attempted but only the Free number survived and is still in the set today.

On the 22nd en route to the Party gig, Johnny hit a dog and it was dragged along the road for several yards till he stopped and it ran off but the memory haunts him to this day. He lost a headlight and there was blood on the car and he was no longer in the mood to play. Sadly, Rob Sas could not make the gig and his place was filled by Soul Purpose guitarist Cliff Brown who seemed to know all the songs and those he didn't, he blagged. Also on standby was Pete Wood who was Cliff's predecessor in Soul P. but he never plugged in. The party was a great success and everyone enjoyed it.

On a cold Thursday night in February, the band (minus Tom who was "too busy") played at The George in Luton. Rob's gear failed him and this would be a recurring theme over the years. He turned to his collection of analogue pedals and attempted to find his sound despite wildly varying levels of volume. "Use the little white knob," was the suggestion by an unnamed bass player. The four songs rehearsed earlier were all used to pad out the set. Smoke On The Water was the finishing number - nothing changes!

A return gig at the Gordon Arms without Tom gave some sign that the band could continue as a three piece. Rob had to appease the manager who felt he was paying for four people so Rob got his son and pals to make a lot of noise. Many who were at the party two weeks before were also in attendance. Tom was also absent for the next gig at The Plough & Anchor outside Aylesbury though he returned for a rather poor gig at the Skool House in Milton Keynes and a much better one at the Clocktower in Newbury. The following day a sparsely attended Beethoven's outside Reading was well received and some real interest was shown in the band.

On March 13th, Burn recorded a four track demo at a studio in Hayes. It went smoothly enough with a few overdubs needed to repair errors. The following day, Rob mixed the tracks but decided to do it again the following week with Tom and the results were much better. This would be the key to getting more venues interested or so Burn thought. A promoter in Denmark was interested but felt the singing was not "David Coverdale enough". Listening now, it's clear he was right. See for yourselves - Demo 1994

Gigs at The Gate followed, where Tom failed in an attempt to chat up Johnny's sister Jill, then Beethoven's, Plough, The Pioneer in Northampton, Clocktower, Robin Hood Luton, White Lion in High Wycombe (to an audience of three!) and a cracker at the George II in Luton. All this was making the band tighter and tighter though it was strictly pub rock and not worthy of any higher level. A gig at The Prince of Wales to three people (again) balanced out the fun times!

By June Burn played a stonking gig at Beethoven's though Johnny complained that their version of Grapevine was a non starter and should be dropped. As it finished, a punter approached the stage with the words "that was brilliant, do it again". Typical! At the end of the show a professional Northerner spoke to Johnny with the strangest advice he'd ever heard. "If you want to sing soul, sing soul". What this meant is open to interpretation but Johnny gave him the time of day till it was clear the man was inebriated. Rob Sas, never one to suffer fools for long joined in the chat which quickly escalated into farce and threatened to get violent. Johnny was henceforth known as the "Soul Singer".

A great gig at the New Inn, Bucks restored some vigour and the following day Cliff Brown depped for Rob due to holiday commitments. The band had almost a month off after this.

Highlight of the Summer was the first gig at Redback's, a huge Australian pub in Ealing with a House PA and 500 dancing people in the audience. Definitely the best venue so far! With Beethoven's the following night and a debut at The 7 Stars, Twyford where Burn was voted best band ever to play there, July finished on a high.

In August drummer Mick Underwood approached Johnny and Tom about a new covers band. A few days later they met with Mick and vocalist Pete Robinson whose behaviour was so "lead singer" that Tom decided against joining there and then.

August saw Burn play 3 gigs in two days supporting Good Company at the Skool House on Friday 19th then the Heath Park at lunchtime the following day and Redbacks in the evening. At this latter gig several girls in the audience gave a "we're not worthy" act which was most pleasing. The month finished with Burn's first anniversary gig at which a drunk lurched into Tom's amp and it ceased working. My, how he laughed.

By September, the problem with Simon's drumming was not going away. Sticks would be dropped regularly throughout the night and there was just not enough power driving the band along. Later that month, he phoned up from Beethoven's where he'd arrived to find the band had been double booked. In fury he cancelled himself from ever playing there again. Maybe the band could find someone else?

Eight hundred and forty people saw Burn at the Redback's in October which went down a storm. Johnny played his bass through his guitar amp and never noticed for 2 songs. He was lucky not to have destroyed the speaker. Rob's car broke down three times on the way to Woburn Green and the last time he was close enough for the others to push him the remaining few yards. Tom missed that one, the lucky sod! Johnny turned up for the next gig with a 1964 Fender Jazz bass painted in Dulux purple paint which reduced the price to something he could afford! See basses The pickups were microphonic and needed sorted but this was God's Bass!

Halloween was celebrated at Twyford where a heavily made up Rob & Simon looked a bit too comfortably Glam. See the pix above of Rob and his step son, Barry. Rob's gear again packed up on him and he was reduced to his little pedals again. He sobbed uncontrollably. The following day he borrowed Johnny's DAT player then phoned to say it had gone "bang" and there was smoke coming out of it. Johnny sobbed uncontrollably too. Never lend expensive gear to anyone who can't afford to fix it!

The year finished with a final December 30th gig to a small audience at Perry's in Tottenham. All in all, a good year with the band having played 51 times and earned themselves a bit of a name.

However, changes were needed.

Part Four - Foreign Fields

1995 began on January 5th with a gig at the George II in Luton to an audience of 20 people and a fee of £20 each! An inauspicious start perhaps but at least three of the "crowd" went on the mailing list as it was in those pre-website days. The monitor with the PA broke and Johnny's Precision bass seemed unbalanced and ended up at the guitar hospitable costing £65.

Two days later the Gordon Arms was blasted into submission with a great gig and more people were added to Burn's mailing list. Rob's wife had run up a massive mobile phone bill which has caused him to be cut off but he didn't let a catastrophe like that stop him from playing like a Golden God. Divorce was on the cards if only to allow him to get his phone back!

A new venue - The Bear in Maidenhead followed but despite the packed out pub of some 200 people the band never played there again. Johnny had a cold but it was reckoned to be a good show though the volume was probably best suited to a stadium. The following day saw the band in Newbury at The Clock Tower but when they arrived it was in darkness. The electric bill had not been paid in time to be cut off and the boys had a wasted journey. It was a case of back to Johnny's to watch videos where Rob drank half a bottle of Whisky (un-wanted Xmas present) and then drove home in a true rockular fashion. Then - two days later, Simon wrote his car off thus keeping up the Bad Boy image Burn always tried for.

January ended with a trio of gigs. Simon's bass pedal fell apart at the Penny Flyer, remembered as a gig from hell. Too loud, too few people though it ended with an encore somehow and the band earned £35 each. This was followed by the Rose & Crown in Watford which was also poorly attended and no-one cared. Finally the Bell at London Colney rocked to the band led by Cliff Brown, once again depping for Rob Sas and this gig was the best of the month - no offence to Rob!

Simon lived out near Wiltshire so a gig at Bicester suited him though it meant a hundred mile round trip for the others. It was at this gig that if anything could go wrong with Johnny then it did. Ten minutes setting up time was lost in finding a fault in the bass rack, then it was discovered the Warwick Bass was running without it's active circuitry and was very weak. It suffered a short circuit due to the stereo lead Johnny used and no mono spares were available. Usually, the bass ran through a radio transmitter but this was also not used due to interference. The Les Paul refused to work and there was interference through the PA. Finally, Johnny spilled his drink all over the playing area though he was coping reasonably well right up until he discovered that his BMW car badge had been ripped off in the car park. By now he was in a thoroughly miserable state. Somehow it all went down very well with the punters though one third of the band didn't care.

The following night saw the band playing a triumphant gig at the Plough & Anchor where John the landlord insisted on hearing "Jump" twice. The band was treated like rock gods at this great venue and was always a highlight in these early years.

There was a full month off before Burn played at The Gate, another fantastic gig and a venue which had hosted live music since the 1950's. This one started very powerfully but by the end limped out without the usual encore. Very strange and no-one could understand why. Johnny used a new bass - a Warwick Streamer VI at a new venue called The Masters Arms in Maidenhead but it was very poorly attended and Tom was once again absent and he repeated this non-show at The Hobgoblin in Swindon on March 23rd. It got a good reaction and really proved that the band could easily exist without keyboards if it had to. Rob himself was absent for the next gig and it was Cliff who played at Croxley Green with Tom back on keys and making a rather good gig. Interestingly, the average band wage was £35 at this time and ten years later this wouldn't get anyone out the house!

Rob displayed his "nutter magnet" attraction at the Rose & Crown, Watford where Burn played a storming set to a good crowd. A gang of Danish girls were there and as Burn was due to play Horsens in Denmark in May, this seemed like a good chatting up starting point. It turned out that a couple of them were from that town. How marvellous! Burn did it's best to aid inter state relations but the nutter in question appeared next to Rob and proceeded to set and play a pair of bongo's. His timing left a little to be desired and Rob more than once asked him politely to refrain from his percussive additions. Finally, in desperation, Rob virtually attacked the stinking hippy and he did stop at that point. Negotiations over, this was a very good gig.

April saw the band play The Seven Stars in Twyford which was preceded by some press photos being taken. These are the 2 black & white ones at the end of Part one of the Burn story. The audience were two feet away from the band which was initially a little daunting but made the boys show off even more with Rob posing particularly well. This routine of good gig/bad gig continued with a non reaction in Eynsham ("they don't clap in Oxford," said a local) with a blinding Gordon Arms the next day where several familiar faces were appearing more & more. The Summer of 69 was played three times that night due to the landlord's requesting it. The month ended with a good gig at a venue in deepest Dorking and a cracker at The Plough in Kingsfield which had the pub on it's feet dancing. One more gig took place at The Heath Park in Hemel where Rob used and loved Johnny's Red Strat instead of his own trusty axe before the band set off for it's first foreign journey - to Denmark!

The tour started badly due to drummer Simon being an hour late and then the boys were chasing the clock all the way to the Harwich ferry. A 7 hour crossing at 11-30 was whiled away by watching duo Flame and making movies with Johnny's cine camera on deck. From the Hook Of Holland, Johnny drove into Germany where Rob took over till Tom replaced him at the wheel into Holland and the band arrived at host Morten's house at 4am. He was awake and greeted the band with alcohol and coffee then the boys slept till mid morning. After sightseeing all day around the town of Horsens, it was off to the first gig at Arhus and a club of Redback's proportions. The PA was barely up to it and Johnny had to put up with a 4x12 cabinet for the bass. Rob only had a 2x12  so he was half his normal set up! Due to a lack of audience the starting time got put back and back till finally the band hit the stage at 1am. By this time throats had closed but they soldiered on and the second set lasted till 3am and the band hit it's stride. A great reaction from the Danes and an excellent introduction to the rigours of foreign touring life.

The following night was a similar tale though Tom suffered keyboard problems and Johnny had no reverb on the vocals. Still, it was another 3-30am finish to a good reaction and then the boys spent the remainder of the night/morning at the East End Club where alcohol definitely had an effect. When Rob Sas falls helpless to the ground giggling at almost nothing then it must be a good evening. Johnny filmed a nice discussion sequence involving the band and friends but foolishly used a silent film so the results were somewhat pointless.

Rising at midday, Rob was concerned he'd acted very silly the night before but everyone convinced him he had acted normally. That evening, the van was loaded again and a night time drive to the ferry led to drummer Simon taking a back road and getting lost. Fortunately, he turned onto a main carriageway shortly before a fight started. Arriving back on British soil, Rob drove Johnny home in his car which had been damaged by Rob's step son and during the course of the journey the bonnet suddenly opened and smashed the windscreen. My, how Rob laughed.

Gigs at the Red Backs preceded by ritual band meal at Spud-U-Like and a great ripping night at The Gordon Arms followed by a poor gig at The George in Luton finished a very rocking May. Rob & Johnny also found time to do several gigs with ex Status Quo drummer John Coghlan which were always fun.

Virtuoso keyboard player Hilly Briggs depped with the band at The Gate Inn and all revelled in the exciting flamboyant style that he brings to any situation. Rob and Hill traded licks back & forth and it gave a very different vibe to the usual set. The month of June also saw Steely Dan's Do It Again brought in to the set though it would never fully make the grade. Later that month, Burn played a blues club called Zero's which meant throwing a few blues numbers in including the original Johnny Heywood composition Sad Situation. Drummer Simon hated this music so much he threatened to leave and Rob got stuck into him, calling his bluff and this put his gas at a peep. That night, Burn met John Shearer, a man who was to play an incredibly large part in both Johnny's and Rob's future - ending badly with both.  The following night, Rob guested with Johnny's duo The Self Righteous Bros and this led to him joining later in the year. A new venue, Perry's became a one off gig supporting Good Company, fronted by top vocalist, Lou. This marked the last gig by Simon Alexander as Rob officially sacked him and Burn set about finding a replacement. Nelly-ness in the drumming department was the official reason.

In July, ex Gillan and Quatermass drummer Mick Underwood guested with Burn and brought a power to the band hitherto unknown. It was particularly good therapy for Rob as he had been hospitalised that week suffering from depression though this was referred to as "nanciness" in non medical discussions. Mick was keen to join but in the end, did only 2 gigs before Rob contacted an old mate Ross Elder who expressed doubts about a long term relationship but was happy to dep.

Ross had been in many bands over the years and had played at a far higher level than Tom, Rob & Johnny but was now concentrating on a teaching career and was looking to gig on a less permanent basis. He first played on July 29th at The Gordon Arms on a hot Saturday night and the place exploded. It was obvious for the opening notes that he was the man for Burn and he felt the same. The band had never sounded so good, so strong and the evening ended with five encores including  I Saw Her Standing There and 20th Century Boy getting a first play. Ross was given the remaining Burn dates for the year and he was henceforth a Burn Bloke.

 Early gigs with Ross Elder on drums.                                                                        Rob uses "B" rig.

With drummer Ross Elder onboard the band was twice as powerful and many noticed it straight away. Burn went overnight from being a good pub band to one of the best on the circuit. Ross was enjoying being part of a band that just got on with it and had no ego problems and he found he could make suggestions which were adopted easily and keenly.

Rob and Johnny joined John Coghlan for a local gig in Carterton at which John Shearer decided to join in albeit with Coghlan's approval. As the night went on, Rob became more & more irritated by the second guitar player and came close to storming off. One thing Rob doesn't need is a second guitar player getting in the way and the tension between the two of them continues to this day. The following day Rob apologised for "throwing a wobbler" but it was clear there would be no future in a band with the two of them in it.

Two new songs made their debut in August. Hold Your Head Up and When A Blind Man Cries are still in the set to this day and got a first outing at the Punchbowl in Woodstock on a Thursday night. Both went well and with the back broken on them both, better versions followed the next evening at The Plough & Anchor where the audience of bikers were up and dancing, making the gig somewhat surreal. Morten from Denmark came over and checked the band out at The Gordon Arms and afterwards was keen to get the band over to Horsens in 1996.

Ross made his debut at The Redbacks gig but after a good soundcheck, it was discovered that the Spud shop had become a cafe so tea and spare ribs had to suffice for the ritual pre-gig meal. The gig was recorded but the whereabouts are now unknown and it would have been worth hearing as Tom blew his amp up and continued using the PA only and deafening the others from an overly loud monitor mix!

Johnny & Rob revelled in playing gigs with Burn and The John Coghlan band at this time sometimes, as on September 23rd, playing 2 gigs the same day. After a lunchtime cracker at The Heath Park in Hemel Hempstead they raced down the motorway to Selsey and a caravan site from Hell! Coghlan was being given many of these Holiday Camps to play by a local agent and all were fairly depressing though lucrative.

The William Morris Club in Watford hired Burn but Johnny was no stranger to this club having played so many times with Club bands over the years and felt Burn would be a little on the loud side. Not so, and the band went down a storm and were treated like Rock Gods. Rob followed this impressive performance with a "mare" of a gig at Zens in Hertfordshire where he got lost on Hold Your Head Up and then confused the two ZZ Top songs which made it difficult for the other band members. Poor Rob was going through an emotional time as his marriage was splitting up and could frequently be found wandering lost in thought outside venues before kick off.

Mick Underwood came back for a dep in October at The Gordon Arms and another fantastic night - this venue was fast becoming the favourite of Burn's. Mick did not like to play Deep Purple songs due to a history of being in bands that included Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Gillan and always resented the sacking of his good friend Nick Simper, Purple's original bass player. Ross was recovering from a minor operation but was back behind the drums for gigs at The Plough and a poorly attended Redbacks which had an earlier start enforced on them due to license laws changing. He was a little uncomfortable but he was healing slowly.

Tom went to Israel for a month and Burn decided to play as a three piece. However, at The next Gordon Arms gig, Rob surprisingly invited up John Shearer to guest on guitar and didn't get into a fight over it! They played Another Brick In The Wall  & Black Magic Woman together and brought the house down. This was a surprise but was not destined to be a regular fixture. Shearer had by now joined the Coghlan band and played several gigs including Butlins at Minehead with The Animals, Denny Laine and Steve Gibbons before it all went pear shaped.

After a rash of gigs involving other bands the Burn line up came back together in December at The Old Mill. Rob was anxiously waiting to hear from his estranged wife if she would spend the day with him but when the answer came back, "no" he became suicidal. Much coaxing took place from band members and friends and they got through the gig in a sloppy fashion. He perked up for the Redbacks Christmas gig which was a stormer and even invited Shearer back up to play Big Fat Mama & Living Next Door To Alice - a fact often forgotten by Burn members these days!

The year ended with 49 gigs having been played and a change of personnel - the only one Burn has ever made.

Straight into 1996 and gigs regularly hit high spots. At the return to The Wm. Morris Club, Johnny succeeded in damaging his Sei bass electrics which John Shearer (who seemed to be a regular attender) was able to fix using silver paper and gaffa tape but for three songs Johnny had to play the bass using his Red Strat through an octave pedal. This gave a terrible sound!

For a few weeks it seemed to slow down. Redbacks on a Thursday night to an audience of 50 is not good and Johnny & Rob filled in time with Coghlan usually with Shearer playing everywhere from pubs to Butlins. A new venue The Swan & Bottle was done without Tom which was a relief to the others as they were paid only a percentage of the door and it wasn't busy! Even a gig at the Gate wasn't particularly well received and Mick Underwood depped again in April at The Rising Sun in Slough. Enthusiasm returned and it all picked up once Ross returned.

Johnny arrived at The Eagle in Uxbridge for a gig only to see that "Jamestown" were playing that night. Surprising! Neither Ross nor Rob could be reached by mobile phone as, it turned out, they used Orange which in those days had a coverage of about one mile. Fortunately, Rob's wife told him it was in Eynsham - the other side of Oxford and a 90mph trip got him there in time. There was no sympathy from the other band members.

Some new material was experimented with over the Summer such as Long Train Running in the higher, original key, Come Together, Roll Over Beethoven and even How Long and Burn played the Gordon Arms on an Easter Bank Holiday daytime gig which was unusual.

In amongst the usual Burn gigs, Ross, Rob and Johnny landed a regular every second Wednesday night slot at Naish Summer Camp in Dorset. This was a bit of a jaunt but it paid well and made a change playing to audiences in the hundreds rather than dozens which was the normal Burn gig. As Johnny regularly played 5-side football on Wednesdays, he frequently arrived in shorts and track shoes but changed before show time.

New venues over the Summer months included Aylesbury Sports Centre and the Firefly in Bourne End which looked like being a great venue but sadly, never lived up to early expectations. New venues meant new songs and Jet, Still In Love With You and Roll Over Beethoven all got airings but it was the inclusion of Sir Cliff's Congratulations that spelled the lowest point of the season during a party gig at a large white house somewhere in High Wycombe. Strangely, the song never made it into the regular Burn set list! Even stranger was the Four Seasons' December 63 and Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love were performed with backing tracks covering up the fact that Rob hadn't learned either song for a Function gig in Selsey.

Ex drummer Simon's name reappeared when Burn turned up at Tring to play only to be informed by the landlord that a member of "Player's", Simon's new band, had reported that Burn would not be appearing and another band turned up to do the gig. Burn had started to set up so ended up doing the gig after all, though the landlord short changed the band at the end of the night and much anger and insults were traded. Burn decided against playing a return gig here. Rob once depped for "Players" but due to poor quality, they were paid off at half time and when requested by the bass player to do more, he declined, using maximum verbal prejudice. Following this attempted sabotage of Burn's Tring gig, Rob contacted them again and threatened them all using maximum violence prejudice.

By August, the band were hardened rock veterans and made the return to Denmark via overnight ferry from Harwich. Rob drove with a trailer on the back full of gear. Tom was already in Horsens helping erect the stage for the annual music festival. Burn quickly got settled in then played to a disappointingly small audience inside the canvas stage arena. They were noticeably more powerful than the previous year and this was remarked upon. Rob began this tour oggling the young ladies dressed in summer clothes but as it progressed, he dropped his standards and included smart, fit older ladies in their 30's into his sphere of lust. By the end of the week he had amassed so much lust that a passing lovely old lady in white trousers earned a "whoahhh" from the Sas man and the boys knew he needed to get home for a service from the missus - an act that Tom reckoned would be like an electric drill. "Brrrrrrrr and he'd be finished!"

The second day was spent touring the town and befriending local musicians before taking to the stage as the sun set in the distance on the out door stage. Sadly, it was once again poorly attended but the Marquee area got busier later that night when "Finn Lizzy" did their tribute act. Burn reckoned they should have headlined.

The third day was a lunchtime spot in front of a handful of people before the band took on Morten's team at volleyball and got themselves soundly thrashed. Johnny was a former member of Acton Impulse Volleyball Team and was the only one who could serve overhead but it didn't help but it was a more fun than playing music. The evening's entertainment was Lars Uliholt & his folk rock band. Burn had befriended fellow Brits, The Woods and had an evening of folk fun-filled frolicking. Rob & Ross returned to the Hostelry and Tom & Johnny hit Paddy's night bar.

The final gig was inside the marquee and was of a very low calibre due to the excesses of the previous night. Johnny's voice was shot and all felt rather lazy. That didn't stop them all getting lashed (especially Rob) that evening finishing with all but Tom heading for bed land leaving the keyboard player to hunt unsuccessfully alone.

Back in Blighty, August and September took Burn back to the regular circuit of pubs. Mostly, they were good and the band was regularly blowing people away with or without Tom who was clearly keeping an eye on earnings before agreeing to do certain gigs. Strange Kind Of Woman was added to the set and remains there to this day. Twenty three gigs were played to finish off the year and Johnny started work on his pilot's license at Booker Airfield. Three piece gigs were getting more common and seldom suffered from a lack of keyboards though a booking at The Broadway, an Irish pub led to some strange musical choices as the audience didn't want Burn's classic rock brand! Crazy Little Thing by Queen was attempted and never repeated.

Hill Briggs depped for Tom at The Gordon Arms Christmas gig and admitted he hadn't enjoyed a gig as much for ages - and he'd just returned from a tour with Rolling Stone Mick Taylor! Rob was inspired by Hill to greater heights that night but Hill was never going to be a regular dep

So ended 1996. Burn played 53 times, finished a second Denmark festival, cemented the 3 piece format for when it became full time and became one of the best bands on the circuit. Where would it go from here?

DENMARK 1996

Part Six - And Then There Were Three

Burn began 1997 with a gig at a new venue called The Thatch in Harrow but as Tom wasn't around it was played as a kicking three piece. Johnny had been very ill over the Xmas period so took it easy on the vocals. A week later he was still in delicate form at The Pied Horse, a venue in Slough High Street. Tom returned for this, sporting a genuine Russian Ice Hockey top - a souvenir from his Christmas spent in Europe tracing his Czech ancestry.

Another new venue called the Royal Oak in Bedfont produced one of the more interesting evenings Burn had experienced. As the gear was being unloaded three members of the band noticed the fourth, one Robert Sas, engaged in tonsil tennis with a young lady. This was quick work as not a single note had been played yet but his rock star charisma had the poor girl smitten. Minutes later, punches were being thrown between two brothers inside the venue who were pulled apart by friends and thrown out by the club staff. Sex and violence-  all before any music had been played so it was an marvellous start.

A double gig weekend started well at The Firefly though a poor attendance at Weavers in Aylesbury the following night was very disappointing. As the band loaded their gear to leave, recent convert Tina Perrot (Teeny Weeny) arrived. "Have I missed the gig" she asked? Oh, bless. Tina has since become the number one fan of Burn attending more gigs than some actual members of the band! She went to the following weeks double header at a new place - The Wagon & Horses and a cracker at The Gordon Arms. The latter was reckoned to be one of the last great 4 piece gigs as Tom was now going to be playing less and less. Hill Briggs depped on keys in Aylesbury and a new number, Bryan Adams' Run To You was debuted. This stayed for years in the set but has fallen out of favour in recent years. A Thursday night at The Rose & Crown needed Mick Underwood depping for Ross and he did so well that the band were offered a much more coveted Friday night spot later in the year. Back to the Gate in March, the boys didn't use any keyboards at all and the audience response was so great it encouraged them to not bother with deps every time Tom was absent. Johnny filled in any sonic gaps with the 8 string Rickenbacker - a pig of a guitar to play but possessor of the biggest sound in the World, sounding like a rhythm guitar and bass combined.

Back at The Gordon Arms, a column had been pulled down in a make-over attempt to gain more space. The boys hoped it wasn't supporting the roof but reports later said that the volume at the back of the room was deafening but not so much at the front. Audience reaction was terrific so the band didn't care and Rob only has one volume control which goes only one way! At the end of the night he attempted to ask out a very attractive lady whose 17 year old daughter interrupted, pointing out that her "Mum was happily married!" Indeed, it was subsequently proved that she wasn't.

Over the next two months, Tom played some gigs, Hill depped on others and the rest were done as a three piece but a particularly bad one at The Swan in West Drayton Tom decided against doing any gigs paying below a certain fee. The Gate was therefore played again as a trio but later on for the Gordon Arms, Hilly was once again in attendance.

Johnny & Rob continued to play with ex Status Quo drummer, John Coghlan whenever they could and Rob also depped with Johnny's other band, Uncle Big Bad which had grown out of Soul Purpose earlier in the year. This meant that the two of them were probably averaging three gigs a week - glorious days!

At the Royal Oak in Bedfont, the three piece band had been well received and were just finishing the set when a drunken man offered them £50 to continue. This is all any musician needs to hear so the set got extended accordingly. By June, Burn was usually operating as a trio though drummer/keys player Tom Arnold depped at the Gordon Arms as it was felt that a quartet was needed at this particular stronghold. Tom was operating his Hammond "flat out" and the Deep Purple numbers never sounded better but this was not a view shared by the landlady who complained that it was "too loud". The fact the venue was bursting at the seams with people seemed lost on her.

That particular weekend ended with a gig at The Seven Stars, Twyford which brought the place down. Johnny reckoned it was "sloppy" but the punters loved it. The band was rewarded not only by a fat fee but also with scampi and chips on the house at the end. By contrast, the following week saw 2 consecutive gigs met with complete indifference, one of which Tom Dussek decided to play. With or without, it made no real difference most of the time. Blues Man Lee Ryder actually depped with the band at a gig where Johnny was originally unable to play but then found himself available. Too late to cancel Lee, the band played a strange mix of blues and rock all night and agreed never to repeat the experience. However, Rob had met a lady who was to play a large part in his life for the next few years - Barbara. He displayed his prowess on the guitar like a rock & roll Adonis and she was smitten. Who could blame her? Still, Johnny managed to piss her off by not recognising her from a meeting a couple of weeks later in Watford!

In August, Rob & Johnny jetted over to Switzerland with John Coghlan to support Manfred Mann's Earth Band at a festival in the Alps. Playing to thousands of people whilst the sun set behind the Alps felt very natural and satisfying but Rob admitted to playing as if in a nightmare. Unable to use his normal gear, he spaffed his way through numbers he would normally have nailed. "Never again - I will take my own gear next time," he vowed.

The following evening the two were back in a pub in Edgware playing as The Self Righteous Bros to an audience of about 15. One punter felt sorry and apologised that his local must have been such a pain to play. Johnny explained that 24 hours before, they had been in the Swiss Alps playing to 3000 people. The punter must have thought them delusional.

A hot August month saw Tom back playing with the band and a new number, The Who's Baba O'Riley was introduced and soon became a favourite. Johnny & Rob did a few gigs with John Coghlan and as The Self-Righteous Bros so were fairly busy each weekend. As the month ended, they joined Coghlan on another foreign jaunt, this time to Egliswill, Austria and a Bikers Festival. They played for two hours and were met with a fairly cool reception. After Rob's nightmare gig in Switzerland, reckoned to be his worst gig ever, he was taking no chances with the gear and took his own pedal board causing much consternation and discomfort to all during the travelling. It was all to no avail as this time he played the second worst gig ever and tapes once again remain un-listened to, though it's a threat Johnny still may use against Rob sometime. The band had to leave shortly after finishing playing to catch a ride back to the Hotel and as the Miss Easy Rider competition was reaching the clothes-removal stage, this was rather tragic. Johnny had tears in his eyes as they dragged him away.

That night Princess Dianna was killed and the mourning had started when the boys arrived back in the UK.

September had Rob & Johnny on tour with Coghlan around Britain but the problem was that Johnny couldn't stay with the band due to work commitments and had to keep driving back in between dates. This was fairly ludicrous but essential. One night in Workington, Cumbria, the band was playing well and enjoying themselves when they were approached by a young man who inquired if Johnny was the singer in Burn? It turned out he was from Aylesbury and had been walking past the venue when he recognised Johnny's voice. As they were some 300 miles from his home, that was rather a flattering event. World fame was obviously just round the corner. On keyboards was Chick Churchill from Ten Years After, a man who'd been on the road all his adult life and had actually played the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Gigs in Stafford, Dudley followed but on the latter the band was down to a 3-piece as Chick had quit. He wasn't missed and the band rocked out just as well without him.

It all turned sour in Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, rock and roll capital of the Western World. Johnny was once again making the trip from the South and fell foul of the dreaded M1 Friday night traffic. However, he was on target to arrive at the venue for around 7-30 which missed the sound check but was in plenty of time for the on stage time of around 10pm. The promoter cancelled at 7-15 and he used the late arrival of Johnny as the excuse. Poor ticket sales more likely was the reason and he didn't want to pay anyone. This is a common ploy of disreputable promoters! The tour fell apart shortly after that and Rob and Johnny returned to their day duties with Burn.

 Coghlan's agent, Brian Lane had booked Burn to do a club in Poole, Dorset and that went very well. The following night the 3-peice Burn played a cracker at the Gordon Arms to a fantastic reception and many encores. Sadly, at the end, manager Pete told Rob that the band wasn't as good without Tom on keyboards and was too loud! Rob was pulled away as violence threatened and anger management lessons got lost.

By November, both Ross and Johnny were complaining of tendonitis. Ross blamed using the wrong drumsticks on a gig and Johnny's forearm was feeling tender. This is a common enough complaint amongst musicians and can go away by itself or get much worse and rest or an operation is the only cure. Other complaints amongst the band were from Rob and Ross on the hearing loss side due to the excessive volume used though Johnny had been wearing ear plugs for years and was not suffering any problems. However, he remarked that taking the plugs out for the last number at The Gate in November, he could not believe the volume they were playing at and almost passed out. The Bob Seger song, Hollywood Nights was attempted this night but never became a regular in the set.

A brave attempt from The South Oxey Labour Club to inject some new music into their otherwise "middle of the road" entertainment came towards the end of the year. It was semi-successful, those that had been warned loved it and those who were ready to cha-cha and foxtrot the night away left a little disappointed. Rob was not concentrating either way as he had domestic problems due to excessive over indulgence from a pill popping ex-wife.

Another failed song was Schools Out by Alice Cooper which got played a couple of times but never seem to get mastered and was soon left aside.

The year ended with gigs at familiar venues, The Brook House where no-one ever clapped and Red Lion, Kingswood which was always a favourite. Quite a year and it showed that Burn would now be thought of as a 3-piece band and nobody minded!

Tom doubles on bass        Johnny plays double basses            Group shot 1997            John Coghlan band with Chick Churchill

Coghlan band Austria, Aug 97.                Miss Easy-Rider 97            Rob reviews tour schedule    Rob makes up set list    Maestro Coghlan