Vega
Biography Vega
Vega
Nick Workman, Tom Martin, James Martin, Marcus Thurston, Hutch and Mikey Kew - have a rich history; including stints with Kick, Sugartown and Paul Dianno, but it was their meeting of musical minds back in 2009 that gave the rock-genre one of the finest releases of that year in the form of their debut album, “Kiss Of Life”.
Its eclectic, off-kilter style of rock made them stand out from the crowd and the band were keen to be more than just another “AOR” band. Bassist Tom Martin was keen to play down their AOR credentials by stating in Classic Rock Magazine, “We don’t want to be an eighties throwback.” It’s not that they don’t like AOR, far from it; it’s just that they wanted to add new flavours and it’s a manifesto that they live for to this very day.
Having originally signed to Frontiers, the lure of Ninetone Records an Spinefarm Records, a division of Universal, was too big a draw for them to ignore and they promptly signed on the dotted line for their sophomore release, “What The Hell”. Whilst the resulting album was warmly received, things were different behind the scenes which resulted in them cutting their losses and severing all ties with Universal.
With the band licking their wounds, a simple email saw them back on the Frontiers roster, with their third album, “Stereo Messiah”, released in 2014. Recorded at the home studio of John Mitchell, the It Bites frontman managed to get the best out of a band whose past product was far from shabby.
With the band staying at the studio, it gave them a cohesive, living and breathing aspect to the recording and production. With Mitchell’s all-time favourite album being Def Leppards “Hysteria” it comes as no surprise that it came with a production that Mutt Lange would be proud of. Stereo Messiah was also graced by the vocal presence of Def Leppards, Joe Elliott, who also gave the band a song for the album.
They’ve toured over the years with Skid Row, Last in Line, FM, Magnum, Joe Elliott’s Down and Outz, Dan Reed Network and had festival appearances at DOWNLOAD, Planet Rockstock, Steelhouse, HRH AOR, Rockingham and the Frontiers Festival in Milan that have all gone into shaping them into one of this country’s finest bands. The fact that they are not more widely recognised is more down to bad luck than anything else, as anyone that has witnessed them recently will testify.
The fourth installment in the Vega saga saw them releasing an album that was reckoned to be the best of their recording career. Produced and mixed by Harry Hess, "Who We Are" saw them in fine form. It was like they’d drawn together all the pieces of the puzzle, coming up with an album of such magnitude that it was hard to put into words. Lyrically compelling, it traversed the genres with ease, hitting a note with pop and rock fans alike. Songs like "Saving Grace", "White Flag" and "Every Little Monster" are sublime moments on an album that was stuffed full of outstanding songs. The subsequent tour with the Dan Reed Network was one of last year’s finest pairings, whilst their Hard Rock Hell performance was the stuff of legend.
2017 saw them releasing “Only Human”, a collection of songs that focused on their core strengths; strong harmonies, big choruses and a compelling lyrical content. The album exceeded their expectations by hitting the UK National Rock Chart at no3 between Shinedown and Black Stone Cherry!! The band toured with the Quireboys, Skid Row and many others and also played DOWNLOAD along with heroes Def Leppard and Whitesnake.
Album 6 will be released in May 2020 and it set to “blow the roof off”. Working with “The Graves Brothers” (Asking Alexandria, Funeral for Friend, The Family Ruin) They’ve pulled out all the stops, disconnected the brakes and produced their biggest songs for their biggest sounding album. Theirs is a brand of music that is as rewarding as it is challenging. This is not the end; it’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the history of Vega.
