Tigertailz

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Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album 'Bezerk' which made the UK Top 40 and spawned three successful singles. The band have recently reformed to considerable popular acclaim.

Tigertailz in 2006: (l-r) Jay Pepper, Matt Blakout, Kim Hooker, Pepsi Tate

1 Early years
2 Commercial success
3 Reunion
4 Albums
5 External links

[edit] Early years

Part of the nascent glam rock scene in the late 1980's, Tigertailz first line-up issued debut album 'Young And Crazy' in 1987. The album featured vocalist Steevi Jaimz [1], guitarist Jay Pepper, bassist Pepsi Tate and drummer Ace Finchum [2]The debut created interest in the band and spawned the anthemic single 'Livin Without You'.

As the band toured the album it became clear that vocalist Steevi Jaimz was not as committed to the band as might be hoped, and several instances of fighting due to the influence of drink were recorded. The band felt they had no choice but to part company with Jaimz in order to progress. They recruited Kim Hooker to replace Jaimz in time for follow-up album 'Bezerk' which was eventually released to great critical acclaim in 1990 on the Music For Nations label.

[edit] Commercial success

Hooker's vocals and stage presence took the band to a new commercial level. Prior to the release of 'Bezerk', the band re-recorded 'Livin Without You' with Hooker and released it as a single. 'Bezerk' saw the band breakthrough as a headline act, selling out medium sized venues and delivering three singles, 'Love Bomb Baby', 'Noise Level Critical' and 'Heaven'. The album itself made it into the UK Top 40 and Tigertailz frequently found themselves on the cover of leading rock magazines.

Due to a series of deals gone wrong and the onset of grunge, Tigertailz were effectively on ice for many years. They did, however, release 'Banzai', a collection of B-sides and re-recorded tracks, in 1991 in Japan. They also put out 'Wazbones' in 1995, by which time the classic Hooker-Pepper-Tate-Finchum line-up had fragmented. Touring proved successful but there was insufficient long term record company interest to sustain the band.

[edit] Reunion

In 2005, to the delight of their fans, the band reformed their classic line-up, with the addition of former City Kidds drummer Matt Blakout who replaced Ace Finchum. The band won a court order winning ownership of the Tigertailz name from a spin-off band fronted by Steevi Jaimz, with Finchum on drums. Some fans had been confused by the appearance of the Jaimz-fronted Tigertailz, a band that in no way represented the classic 'Bezerk' era. This problem resolved, the real Tigertailz were able to work on the long awaited 'Bezerk 2.0', recapturing the larger-than-life style that originally made them famous, and featuring a suitably OTT, bombastic production.

They completed a short reunion tour of the UK, culminating in some festival dates in Sweden and Spain, playing to over 70,000 people with bands of the calibre of Whitesnake and Twisted Sister. Kerrang! magazine wrote in praise of the reunion - journalist Steve Beebee describing it as "persistently entertaining, with monstrous melodies that reach delirious peaks".

Bezerk 2.0 was released through Demolition Records on August 7th 2006.