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BRAM STOKER were, for me, the biggest most marvellous surprise of the whole festival ...
Rosamund Tomlins - The Progressive Aspect
HRH Prog Festival - Shepherds Bush O2 - 5/9/21
BIO
Bram Stoker are a Progressive Rock band located in the South of England. The band was formed in 1969 by Hammond organist Anthony Bronsdon, guitarist Peter Ballam and drummer Rob Haines who then recruited bass guitarist John Bavin, all of whom were based in their south coast home town of Bournemouth, England. They enjoyed a wonderful period of interest in the music industry during the period from 1969 through to 1972, and this is shown in the wake of their original release, Heavy Rock Spectacular, in 1972. The line up, formed in 2016, still featured Anthony Bronsdon along with guitarist Neil Richardson and husband & wife rhythm section, Warren Marks on drums and Jo Marks on bass and vocals who together released the 'No Reflection' album in 2019. The previous line up, responsible for the 'Cold Reading' album included Bronsdon, Tony Lowe on guitar and bass and Will Hack on drums and vocals. The current lineup now includes bass player and vocalist Barry Lines and drummer Stephen Underhill joining Neil and Tony as we head into 2023.
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MUSIC LIVE RHEARSAL
LIVE VIDEO
RECENT REVIEWS
HRH Prog Festival - Sheffield O2 - 4/9/21
After an initial technical delay, Bram Stoker delivered a melodic slab of ’70s retro-style progressive rock with a Gothic edge. Virtuoso Emerson-like keyboards from founding member Tony Bronsdon duelled nicely with Neil Richardson’s expressive guitar runs, all supported by the husband & wife rhythm section Josephine and Warren Marks. The older and newer studio compositions gained a richer, more muscular feel from the live setting and neo-prog flavoured tracks from latest album, No Reflection – such as Gotta Get Out of Here, Otranto and Ballad of the Bogeyman – worked well, before a medley of older songs ended the late afternoon set atmospherically.
HRH Prog Festival - Shepherds Bush O2 - 5/9/21
BRAM STOKER were, for me, the biggest most marvellous surprise of the whole festival. I’d seen the name here and there over the years which intrigued me as the Dracula myth has a particular draw for me, but I realised I didn’t know their music at all. Speculation was rife among friends down at the front, before they came on stage – we were all wrong! They are a classic storytelling melodic prog band with a Gothic horror vibe and with humorous quirky overtones of a folksy Tudor/Elizabethan nature. Lilting guitar solos, complex time signatures and rhythms to match kept us all guessing as to which direction the songs were going. Vocals were mostly equally shared by keyboard player and band originator, Tony Bronsdon, along with (5-string) bassist Jo Marks, their harmonies combining nicely, as the lead guitar of Neil Richardson and the keyboard lines echoed each other’s melodies creating earworms for me. Fortunately the sound engineer was paying close attention as initially the keyboards were way down in the mix, but their levels were quickly restored, although some devotees in the audience still felt they were way too low.
LIVE REHEARSAL VIDEOS
Gotta get outta here
Climbing the Gyroscope
Otranto
