Quireboys, The

This heavy rock band formed in 1987 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and were known as The Queerboys for their first year, until the negative effect of that name became apparent.

Essentially little more than a covers band wrapped up in major label glad rags, The Quireboys (known internationally as The London Quireboys) released their debut album, A Bit of What You Fancy in 1990, containing at least four blatant Faces rewrites.

Each tune begins with a tossed-off intro before the band lurch into a distorted country-blues vamp, and lead singer Spike earns his moniker with some piercing Rod Stewart appropriations. Incredibly, the misbegotten ballad Whipping Boy features a white English rock singer trying to depict the antebellum American South from a slave’s point of view!

The band called it a day in 1993 (largely because of the birth of grunge) but reformed for live work in 1995 with a new drummer. A more permanent reformation came in 2001 when Spike and guitarist Guy Griffin put together a new line-up that continued to record and perform live.

Drummer Paul Hornby died in 2015 following a battle with cancer. He was 56.

Jonathan ‘Spike’ Gray
Vocals
Guy Bailey 
Guitar
Chris Johnstone 
Keyboards
Nigel Mogg 
Bass
David ‘Ginger’ Walls 
Guitar
Guy Griffin
Guitar
Paul Hornby
Drums
Nick ‘Cozy’ Connell 
Drums
Rudy Richman
Drums