Gig History & Notable Dates
1977
NOVEMBER
Fri 4th – Sandpiper, Nottingham
1978
FEBRUARY
Wed 22nd – Bowling Green, Newark, Notts
1979
JANUARY
Sat 6th – Fosseway, Swinderby, Lincs
Sat 20th – Fosseway, Swinderby, Lincs
FEBRUARY
Thu 8th – Forest Town Miner’s Welfare, Mansfield, Notts
MARCH
Sat 3rd – Fosseway, Swinderby, Lincs
Wed 28th – Palace Theatre, Newark, Notts (Mayhem support)
APRIL
Sat 7th – Phil Ayling auditions on vocals and joins band
MAY
Wed 9th – Vitavox competition semi-finals, Newcastle (Come 3rd, Tygers of Pan Tang win!)
Sat 12th – R.E.M.E. Club, Newark, Notts
Sat 19th – Record ‘Leaving‘ demo at Rainbow Studios, Nottingham
JUNE
Sat 2nd – Fosseway, Swinderby, Lincs
Sat 8th – ‘Rock for Whales’, Palace Theatre, Newark, Notts (Headline, with Kashmir + Omen + Hamster Pastie + Wrecked Angle + Rob Haynes)
Sun 17th – Carl Henfrey leaves band
Thu 21st – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts (Steve Lawrence stands in on drums)
Sat 23rd – Neil Bryan auditions on drums and joins band
JULY
Thu 5th – Forest Town Miner’s Welfare, Mansfield, Notts (Neil’s first gig)
Fri 13th – Broadway, Newark, Notts
Fri 20th – Imperial, Nottingham
AUGUST
Thu 2nd – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts
Wed 15th – Imperial, Nottingham
Wed 29th – Imperial, Nottingham (Phil’s 21st birthday! Approached after gig by Radio Trent about possible session recording)
SEPTEMBER
Sat 1st – Palace Theatre (Main Stage) Newark, Notts
Wed 5th – Rob Hunter leaves band after diagnosis of hearing problems
Thu 6th – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts (Rob’s last gig)
Sat 15th – Imperial, Nottingham (Play as four-piece)
Sat 22nd – Kev Bower auditions on guitar and joins band
OCTOBER
Thu 18th – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts (Kev’s first gig)
Fri 19th – Mason’s Arms, Mansfield, Notts
Sat 20th – Imperial, Nottingham
Sun 21st – Hearty Goodfellow, Nottingham
NOVEMBER
Fri 2nd – Imperial, Nottingham
Fri 23rd – Imperial, Nottingham
DECEMBER
Sun 16th – Cat & Fiddle, Ilkeston, Derbys
Thu 27th – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts
1980
JANUARY
Thu 3rd – Bell Hotel – Derby (Made £5 loss!)
FEBRUARY
Fri 1st – Imperial, Nottingham
Thu 7th – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts (£40)
Sat 9th – Test Match, West Bridgeford, Notts
Fri 15th – Brimington Tavern, Chesterfield, Derbys (£35)
MARCH
Fri 7th – Imperial, Nottingham
Sat 8th – Brimington Tavern, Chesterfield, Derbys (£40)
Wed 12th – Railway, Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts
Sat 15th – Sun 16th – Record ‘White Lightning‘ demo at Revolvo Studio, Hull
Mon 24th – Revolvo demo sent to Reddington’s Rare Records
Thu 27th – Star & Garter, Hazelford, Notts (£20)
Fri 28th – Palace Theatre (Punch Bar) Newark, Notts (+support by Sovereign)
APRIL
Thu 3rd – Sign contract with Reddington’s Rare Records in Brimingham
Sat 5th – Imperial, Nottingham
Thu 15th – Grey Topper, Jacksdale, Notts (For the princely sum of £11!)
Fri 18th – Imperial, Nottingham
MAY
Fri 2nd – Cornhill Vaults, Lincoln (£83)
Sat 3rd – Brimington Tavern, Chesterfield, Derbys (£45)
Fri 9th – Valley Club, Redditch, Worcs (£60. White Lightning EP released)
Thu 22nd – Music Machine, Camden, London (Supporting Quartz and Lone Star. £70 loss)
Fri 23rd – Civic Theatre, Mansfield, Notts (£60. Support by Kyro + Cobalt 60)
Sat 31st – ‘White Lightning‘ EP enters Sounds‘ Indie Heavy Metal chart at No.17
JUNE
Mon 2nd – Romeo & Juliets, Birmingham (£100 – £70 for the PA!)
Thu 5th – Mason’s Arms, Mansfield, Notts (£27)
Sat 7th – Village Hall, Ancaster, Lincs (£55)
Thu 12th – Cornhill Vaults, Lincoln (£37.50)
JULY
Wed 2nd – Ilkeston Fair – Ilkeston, Derbys (£Expenses)
Thu 17th – Mason’s Arms, Mansfield, Notts (£17)
Fri 18th – Kev and Phil record interview at BBC Radio Nottingham
Wed 23rd – Radio Nottingham interview broadcast on BBC Radio 1
AUGUST
Sat 16th – Lion, Warrington, Chesh (£75. Support by Sovereign)
Mon 25th – ‘Derbyshire Heavy Metal Festival‘, Topspot Nightclub, Clay Cross, Derbys (with Windrose + Avalanche + Radium + Lammagier + Race Against Time)
Thu 29th – Mayfair, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear (£115 – £100 for PA!)
SEPTEMBER
Tue 2nd – Brunel Rooms, Swindon, Staffs (£100)
Fri 5th – Palace Theatre, Newark, Notts
Sat 6th – Marshall Rooms, Stroud, Staffs (£100)
Sun 7th – Ettington Park Manor, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks (£70)
Thu 11th – Principal, Bradford, W. Yorks
Fri 12th – Imperial, Nottingham (£120 door takings at 50p each!)
Fri 19th – Blowins, Luton, Beds (50% door)
OCTOBER
Thu 2nd – Princeville, Bradford, W. Yorks (£100)
Sun 12th – Grey Topper, Jacksdale, Notts
NOVEMBER
Sat 8th – WRC Caravan Park, Droitwich, Worcs
Sun 23rd – Grey Topper, Jacksdale, Notts (£20)
Sat 29th – Town Hall, Evesham, Worcs
DECEMBER
Thu 4th – Crown & Cushion, Perry Bar, Birmingham (£60)
Sat 6th – Leisure Centre, Kimberley, Notts (Headlining first EMBC gig – East Midland Bands Cooperative – with Race Against Time + Radium + Hihorse)
Fri 12th – Northwood Club, Darley Dale, Derbys
Sun 14th – Imperial, Nottingham
Tue 16th – Cedar Club, Birmingham (50% door takings)
1981
JANUARY
Sat 17th – Sports Hall, Selston, Notts (Second EMBC gig, supporting R.A.T.)
Sat 24th – Palace Theatre (Main Stage), Newark, Notts (Headlining EMBC gig)
Wed 28th – Ian Dobbs leaves band. Dave Brett of Way Ahead becomes manager
FEBRUARY
Sat 14th – Tony Speakman auditions on bass
Wed 18th – Tony joins band
Fri 27th – Brimington Tavern, Chesterfield, Derbys (Tony’s first gig)
Sat 28th – Boat Club, Nottingham
MARCH
Thu 5th – College, Ilkeston, Derbys (Headline EMBC gig with Radium + Race Against Time)
Tue 17th – Comprehensive School, Gedling, Notts
APRIL
Fri 3rd – Kedleston College, Derby
Sat 4th – Hopwood Caravan Park, Birmingham
Sun 5th – Northwood Club, Darley Dale, Derbys
Wed 8th – Record ‘Gettin’ Somewhere‘ session at Radio Trent studios, Nottingham
Mon 13th – Thu 16th – Radio Trent session broadcast over consecutive nights.
Wed 22nd – Railway, Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts
MAY
Fri 1st – George Hotel, Alfreton, Notts
Sat 2nd – Boat Club, Nottingham
Sat 9th – Forum, Carlton, Notts (EMBC gig)
Sat 16th – Palace Theatre (Main Stage), Newark, Notts (EMBC gig)
JUNE
Fri 12th – Northwood Club, Darley Dale, Derbys
Sat 13th – Market Square, Nottingham (Headlining Nottingham Festival)
Thu 25th – Forest Town Miner’s Welfare, Mansfield, Notts
JULY
Thu 9th – Neil Bryan leaves band
Wed 29th – Tiffany’s, Nottingham (Neil’s last gig)
AUGUST
The rest of the year saw much turmoil within the band, with several auditions for drummers and guitarists (including Dave Halliday from Race Against Time)
Wed 23rd – Mark Gibson leaves band
OCTOBER
Sat 3rd – Kev Bower leaves band and Paralex officially split, having to cancel nine dates arranged for November.
1982
MARCH
Thu 11th – Mark & Phil agree to start working again on a new band project, tentatively called ‘Mark II’.
APRIL
Tue 6th – First rehearsal. Bob Smith and Rob Midwinter join on guitar and drums respectively.
JULY
Sun 18th – Record ‘X25‘ demo at Scamps studio, Nottingham
SEPTEMBER
Mon 20th – After a series of troubled rehearsals, the group again splits. The following months are spent pondering over whether to quit permanently or search for musicians to fill the gaps left by Tony, Kev and Neil. The latter is decided.
1983
JANUARY
Mon 24th – Tony Brown auditions on drums and joins band.
FEBRUARY
Sat 5th – First rehearsal
Wed 16th – Ian Johnson auditions on guitar and joins band
MARCH – SEPTEMBER
Dave Blundy joins on bass and following weeks spent on numerous rehearsals. Becomes apparent that Tony is unreliable and temperamental. After missing several rehearsals, in September Tony is ‘let go’.
Thu, Sep 30th – Jez O’Donovan auditions on drums and is given the job on the spot!
OCTOBER
Tue 11th – First rehearsal with Jez.
The next three months are spent intensively rehearsing and writing new material.
1984
FEBRUARY
Sat 11th – Palace Theatre (Main Stage) Newark, Notts (First gig with new lineup. Supported by Moonchild + The Flying Dickheads + Lick. Paid £15!)
Sun 26th – George Hotel, Alfreton, Derbys (£40)
MARCH
Sat 17th – Boat Club, Nottingham (Took £80 on door. Supported by Marz)
Tue 20th – Horse & Jockey, Basford, Notts (£25)
APRIL
Tue 17th – Horse & Jockey, Mansfield, Notts (£45)
Sat 26th – Sun 27th – Record Dogfight demo at EARS (East Anglia Recording Studio), Stamford, Lincs
MAY
Thu 3rd – Mixing at EARS
Thu 24th – The Mechanics, Wellingborough, Northants (£60)
Tue 29th – Horse & Jockey, Basford, Notts (£39)
JUNE
Sat 2nd – George Hotel, Alfreton, Derbys (£13.50 on the door!)
Wed 20th – Mardis Gras, Nottingham (10% door takings – £54.44!)
JULY
Tue 3rd – Horse & Jockey, Mansfield, Notts (£45)
Tue 10th – Horse & Jockey, Basford, Notts (£25)
Fri 13th – Rockhouse, Derby (£75)
Sat 14th – The Mechanics, Wellingborough, Northants (Outdoor BBQ £60)
Sun 15th – The Mechanics, Wellingborough, Northants (Afternoon gig £30)
AUGUST
Fri 10th – Palace Theatre (Punch Bar) – Newark, Notts
OCTOBER
Sun 7th – Band buys their own PA system
Tue 9th – Horse & Jockey, Basford, Notts (£28)
Thu 18th – Wheatsheaf, Bradford, W. Yorks (£50. Had to take pub doors off hinges to get PA in!)
NOVEMBER
Tue 6th – Photo session at Queens Court Studios, Newark
Sat 10th – College of Further Education, Derby (£70)
Sat 17th – Baths Hall, Scunthorpe, Lincs (£50. Supporting Pallas)
DECEMBER
Thu 6th – Wheatsheaf, Bradford, W. Yorks (£40)
Thu 13th – Palace Theatre (Punch Bar), Newark, Notts (£99 door takings)
Fri 21st – Narrow Boat, Nottingham (£9.75 on door!)
1985
JANUARY
Fri 11th – Royal Standard, Walthamstow, London (£25. Supporting Haze)
Sun 20th – Boston Haven Theatre, Boston, Lincs (£10. Supporting Magnum)
FEBRUARY
Sun 10th – Ian Johnson leaves band
MARCH
Thu 7th – Ruskin Arms, East Ham, London (£35)
AUGUST
Thu 22nd – ‘Open Rock’ competition at Baths Hall, Scunthorpe, Lincs. (Runners-up)
SEPTEMBER
Sun 22nd – Audition Mark Walker on guitar
Mon 23rd – Mark joins band
NOVEMBER
Fri 15th – Rock Club, Loughborough, Leics (£60. Mark’s first gig)
DECEMBER
Thu 12th – Horse & Jockey, Basford, Notts (£40)
Sat 14th – Leisure Centre, Southwell, Notts (Headlining first ‘Metalliance’ gig with Avalon)
1986
JANUARY
Fri 17th – Turks Head, Dewsbury, W. Yorks (£35)
FEBRUARY
Fri 14th – Turks Head, Dewsbury, W. Yorks (£60)
MAY
‘We Are Not the First‘ demo made on TASCAM home recording deck
AUGUST
Sat 30th – Cue Corner, Boughton, Notts (£85)
SEPTEMBER
Thu 4th – ‘Open Rock’ competition at Baths Hall, Scunthorpe, Lincs. (Runners-up again!)
Tue 23rd – Mardis Gras, Nottingham (18p profit and last-ever Paralex gig)
OCTOBER
Sun 5th – Dave Blundy leaves band
Wed 8th – Mark Walker leaves band
Sun 19th – Mark Gibson leaves band
Tue 21st – Paralex R.I.P.
2011
NOVEMBER
After a gap of 25 years, Mark (Gibson), Phil, Jez, Ian and Dave decide to work together again and re-record some of the best Paralex material that was never released with the initial intention of giving the material away.
Over the next four years, the band produces 13 tracks, including updated versions of the songs on the White Lightning EP. Pre-mix versions of three tracks: We Are Not the First, Dogfight and The Devil’s Cavalry are released on the band’s web site as a free download. To the band’s amazement, record company interest starts coming in.
2015
MARCH
Wed 4th – 29 years after splitting up, Paralex sign a one-album deal with No Remorse Records, which will release the original EP tracks plus the 13 re-makes on both special-edition vinyl and CD. In addition, the CD version will include a DVD of previously unseen footage of the band rehearsing at Newark Palace and Nottingham Boat Club.
2016
FEBRUARY
Wed 24th – To celebrate the pending release of album, the band produce their own beer: 7.4% ‘Paralyzed‘ Heavy Metal IPA, brewed by North Riding brewery in Scarborough.
MARCH
Wed 4th – A year to the day from signing with No Remorse, the band finally see their first album materialise. Key to a Thousand Doors is released.
JULY
Mon 18th – The bands first promotional video is released to support the album. Spoof horror video ‘The Devil’s Cavalry‘ shows the band performing together again for the first time in 30 years!
2017
JULY
Key to a Thousand Doors is released worldwide on iTunes, Spotify, Google and all major streaming platforms.
2018 –
Who knows? The band has been working on new material, but things seem to happen rather slow with Paralex!!