Fusing the DIY spirit of punk with the taut dynamics of classic rock and roughshod velocity of Motörhead, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) is best remembered for introducing the world to Iron Maiden. However, the movement birthed literally hundreds of other bands, and, four decades on, sustains a fanatical network of diehard crate diggers searching for that elusive Neat Records seven-inch or Tygers of Pan Tang picture disc.
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Many groups never made it past a hastily produced demo tape or one-off Saxon support slot, of course. Others, like Jaguar, provided a vital and lasting influence on the wider genesis of heavy metal. Hailing from Bristol—a city wreathed in weed smoke and, in recent decades, more readily associated with smoked-out trip-hop or sternum-crushing dubstep than metal—Jaguar formed as teens in 1979, and immediately set about making some of the loudest, rawest, most unhinged music that the NWOBHM ever produced. They released genre classic Axe Crazy in 1982, and chased it down with the seminal Power Games LP the following year.Indeed, alongside their Neat Records labelmates Raven and Venom, Jaguar are widely credited with amping up the already speedy NWOBHM template, and in the process taking early 80s metal faster and harder than anyone had previously dared. Metallica in particular were always vocal in their appreciation of the band, with Lars Ulrich going so far as to admit that their song "Whiplash" owes more than a passing resemblance to Jaguar's "Stormchild." Ulrich also penned the sleeve notes to the band's 2014 Metal X album, and James Hatfield is rarely seen without his Jaguar patch.
Power Games remains one of the purest and most vital expressions of the NWOBHM era: a lo-fi joy that pulses with adolescent fury and demented gnash. For those itching to get a taste without resorting to eBay skulduggery, Real Gone Music's limited vinyl reissue of the album is due to arrive on August 4; preorders are available here.
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I caught up with founding member and guitarist Gary Peppard to discuss memories of the old days, Iron Maiden's punk roots, and how Bono was behind the band's most controversial record.Noisey: Bristol isn't exactly known for metal. Can you tell me about the late 70s scene?
Gary Peppard: Bristol never rocked, as such [laughs]. There wasn't a rock scene back then and there isn't now! It's best known for trip hop—Tricky and Portishead and all that. There was no particular scene back then. We were pretty much on our own.Which bands did you like from the early days of NWOBHM?
I saw a lot of the bands after we'd formed, Saxon and so on. I remember seeing Maiden at a club in Bristol called the Granary Club that's long since gone. They were just a four piece at that time—this was with Paul Di'Anno, before they signed to EMI. Let me tell you, in those days—despite Steve Harris denying it—they were mega punky; they played very fast. But Harris denies that now [laughs]. But they were great, really full on. I remember seeing Samson with Bruce Dickinson, too—or Bruce Bruce as he was known then.Unlike Steve Harris, you've always been vocal in your appreciation of punk—there's a definite punk flavor to Jaguar.
Well, one of my heroes, guitar-wise, was Steve Jones—he's absolutely up there in my top two or three. The Ramones are one of my all time favorite bands, too. I was lucky enough to see The Clash in their heyday. I like all types of music but I always enjoyed it fast [laughs].
Gary Peppard: Bristol never rocked, as such [laughs]. There wasn't a rock scene back then and there isn't now! It's best known for trip hop—Tricky and Portishead and all that. There was no particular scene back then. We were pretty much on our own.Which bands did you like from the early days of NWOBHM?
I saw a lot of the bands after we'd formed, Saxon and so on. I remember seeing Maiden at a club in Bristol called the Granary Club that's long since gone. They were just a four piece at that time—this was with Paul Di'Anno, before they signed to EMI. Let me tell you, in those days—despite Steve Harris denying it—they were mega punky; they played very fast. But Harris denies that now [laughs]. But they were great, really full on. I remember seeing Samson with Bruce Dickinson, too—or Bruce Bruce as he was known then.Unlike Steve Harris, you've always been vocal in your appreciation of punk—there's a definite punk flavor to Jaguar.
Well, one of my heroes, guitar-wise, was Steve Jones—he's absolutely up there in my top two or three. The Ramones are one of my all time favorite bands, too. I was lucky enough to see The Clash in their heyday. I like all types of music but I always enjoyed it fast [laughs].
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You guys played way faster than many other NWOBHM bands. Was that a conscious decision from the outset?
We were very young when we started—Chris [Lovell]. our drummer, was only 16 at the time—and we played fast at first because it was fun, more than anything else: the faster we played, the more fun we had, it was a really childish thing really [laughs]. We did it because it was a good craic, there was no grand plan or anything.What kind of following did you get? With Motörhead, there was always a bit of a punk following. Was the Jaguar crowd similarly mixed?In the early days we had a real hard time, we used to slog all over the country. But when we started to go to Holland, things really changed for us. It was a completely different ball game over there. All of a sudden there were loads of punks as well as rock fans; we used to attract a lot of Dutch punks. There was this legendary Dutch club in Eindhoven called the Dynamo—which is actually where the Dynamo festival came from, back in the day. They used to say 'You play so fast; that's why we like you' [laughs]. We used to go over to Holland all the time. Metallica and other Bay Area thrash bands have been vocal in their support. Do you see Jaguar as important in the genesis of speed/thrash metal?It was kind of by accident, I reckon. It wasn't just us going fast, though—you also had Raven, of course, and Venom were also doing the fast thing. And we were all on Neat Records. Neat really were the NWOBHM label. That helped things along. I've always loved Raven, they're an amazing band. We used to play with them a lot.
We were very young when we started—Chris [Lovell]. our drummer, was only 16 at the time—and we played fast at first because it was fun, more than anything else: the faster we played, the more fun we had, it was a really childish thing really [laughs]. We did it because it was a good craic, there was no grand plan or anything.What kind of following did you get? With Motörhead, there was always a bit of a punk following. Was the Jaguar crowd similarly mixed?In the early days we had a real hard time, we used to slog all over the country. But when we started to go to Holland, things really changed for us. It was a completely different ball game over there. All of a sudden there were loads of punks as well as rock fans; we used to attract a lot of Dutch punks. There was this legendary Dutch club in Eindhoven called the Dynamo—which is actually where the Dynamo festival came from, back in the day. They used to say 'You play so fast; that's why we like you' [laughs]. We used to go over to Holland all the time. Metallica and other Bay Area thrash bands have been vocal in their support. Do you see Jaguar as important in the genesis of speed/thrash metal?It was kind of by accident, I reckon. It wasn't just us going fast, though—you also had Raven, of course, and Venom were also doing the fast thing. And we were all on Neat Records. Neat really were the NWOBHM label. That helped things along. I've always loved Raven, they're an amazing band. We used to play with them a lot.
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What are your memories of recording Power Games ?
My overriding memory is that the record was done from start to finish in five days! Literally, five days for the lot. We asked Dave Wood—the Neat Records owner—'Look, Dave, can we have some more time?' He just laughed and uttered the immortal line 'What do you wanna do? Go on a fishing holiday?'So, we did it quick. If we'd had more time it could have been so much better.Your sound changed dramatically for second LP This Time— was this a commercial decision?
Well, if you could change something in the past life [laughs]. I don't think we would have done This Time—it was like a different band all together. It happened because we were so young. We were listening to U2.So blame Bono, right? Exactly, blame Bono! Looking back, we should have stuck to our guns. We lost some original fans. We wrote some good songs for that record, but we didn't realize that we'd alienate people to the extent that we did. When we delivered the album to Roadrunner—who were putting it out—they freaked. They were expecting Power Games 2.
My overriding memory is that the record was done from start to finish in five days! Literally, five days for the lot. We asked Dave Wood—the Neat Records owner—'Look, Dave, can we have some more time?' He just laughed and uttered the immortal line 'What do you wanna do? Go on a fishing holiday?'So, we did it quick. If we'd had more time it could have been so much better.Your sound changed dramatically for second LP This Time— was this a commercial decision?
Well, if you could change something in the past life [laughs]. I don't think we would have done This Time—it was like a different band all together. It happened because we were so young. We were listening to U2.So blame Bono, right? Exactly, blame Bono! Looking back, we should have stuck to our guns. We lost some original fans. We wrote some good songs for that record, but we didn't realize that we'd alienate people to the extent that we did. When we delivered the album to Roadrunner—who were putting it out—they freaked. They were expecting Power Games 2.
Why do you think so few NWOBHM bands—other than Maiden—truly made it big?
I don't know. Was it down to money? Was it down to luck? Was it down to age? It could have been a combination of all three. So many of the bands were so young, and a lot of the music was really rough and raw.These days a serious record collecting scene surrounds that era. A lot of your original records are highly sought by crate diggers.
Oh, absolutely. People get really into it. The record collecting scene—and also the smaller festival scene—is absolutely brilliant for bands like us. The festival scene is amazing because you're playing to a lot of people who might not have heard you before. Also, with record collecting a lot of those early Neat pressings go for so much money now. People are very dedicated. Hopefully this new pressing will get it out to people without them having to spend silly money on eBay or wherever [laughs].Harry Sword is fully charged on Twitter.
I don't know. Was it down to money? Was it down to luck? Was it down to age? It could have been a combination of all three. So many of the bands were so young, and a lot of the music was really rough and raw.These days a serious record collecting scene surrounds that era. A lot of your original records are highly sought by crate diggers.
Oh, absolutely. People get really into it. The record collecting scene—and also the smaller festival scene—is absolutely brilliant for bands like us. The festival scene is amazing because you're playing to a lot of people who might not have heard you before. Also, with record collecting a lot of those early Neat pressings go for so much money now. People are very dedicated. Hopefully this new pressing will get it out to people without them having to spend silly money on eBay or wherever [laughs].Harry Sword is fully charged on Twitter.