London

This article is about the American band London. For the British band with the same name, see London.

London is an American glam metal/hard rock band, based in Hollywood, California. The band is perhaps most notable for featuring members that would go on to play in more famous bands such as Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Cinderella.

Music

Although a "feeder" group in some ways for larger bands that became popular in the glam metal movement, London started out as a glam rock group, influenced by the likes of Sweet, New York Dolls and Mott the Hoople. By the time the group started recording material in the mid 1980s with vocalist Nadir D'Priest in the band, they were playing glam metal style music.

History

Origins

Formed in 1978 by Lizzie Grey and Nikki Sixx. The two met while Lizzie Grey was in the band Sister with Blackie Lawless. The two recruited local bassist Nikki Sixx for Sister, however, this line-up did not last very long, and never performed live. In 1978, Grey and Sixx left Sister to form London. The two recruited a local drummer named Dane Rage.

London was briefly joined by Michael White as the vocalist, who bore a resemblance, both in voice and image, to Robert Plant. After disagreements with the band White left, later forming the band known as "The White".

Member changes

By 1979, White had been replaced by vocalist Henry Valentine and keyboard player John St. John. Nigel Benjamin, an English vocalist who had sung for glam rock band Mott and English Assassin, joined the band after Valentine left.

Becoming jaded with all of the member changes and looking to move on, Sixx and Benjamin were next to leave the band. Nikki Sixx went on to form the world famous band Mötley Crüe. A song Nikki and Lizzie had written together while in London, "Public Enemy #1", was included on Mötley Crüe's debut album Too Fast for Love. Benjamin joined Satyr, and later recorded the soundtrack to the horror movie Rocktober Blood with Sorcery. Blackie Lawless was brought into the band to replace Sixx on bass, but this didn't last very long and the band fell apart. Rage would become Dane Scarborough, leaving drumming to become an inventor, eventually establishing the toy company Überstix LLC in 2005.

Post-split Grey activity

After the original London had completely fallen apart, founder Lizzie Grey became involved with a couple of other groups, first including hard rockers St. Valentine in 1983, this group featured Nigel Itson (Ruby Slippers) and Desi Rexx (D'Molls).

Rebirth of London

1984 saw the rebirth of London, although it was now a different beast, with the popularity of glam metal acts playing on the Sunset Strip, more hard rock/heavy metal influences had crept into London's sound.

The new line-up of the band featured, Grey, Itson, an English vocalist John Ward, and a bassist named Donny Cameron. London shortly added a second guitarist Slash (who would go on to play with Guns N' Roses), however Slash only stayed with the band for a few weeks. He was replaced in London by future Guns N' Roses band mate Izzy Stradlin.

By 1985 a line-up re-shuffle of the group saw them with the following: Grey and Stradlin, vocalist Nadir D'Priest, drummer Bobby Marks and bassist Brian West (TKO). Marks were soon leaving to form the first line-up of Keel. Fred Coury was brought in to replaced Marks as the drummer. Stradlin then left to form Guns N' Roses with close friend Axl Rose.

Non Stop Rock, London's debut album was recorded at this point, soon after the album was recorded, Coury left the band eventually becoming part of Cinderella. Wailin' Jennings Morgan replaced him. Before the band's second album Don't Cry Wolf (produced by Kim Fowley) was recorded, two new members, drummer Derek Shea and guitarist Frankie Jones joined.

In 1988, London appropriately appeared in the Penelope Spheeris film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.

After a decade, two albums, 19 different members and very little commercial success, founding member and guitarist Lizzie Grey left London in 1988. He went on to play with the groups Ultra Pop and Spiders and Snakes.

The end of London

Although the band now had no more original members London carried on for two more years in Los Angeles. Brian West and vocalist Nadir D'Priest were joined by two guitarists Artos San Filippo and Sean Lewis, as well as drummer Tim Yasui. London also made a appearance in the 1989 film Hollywood Boulevard II, starring Ginger Lynn.

D'Priest moved to Arizona for a brief period, but returned to continue working with West and Lewis. They released a third and final album Playa Del Rock in 1990, but by this time the band agreed with new label Noise International to rebrand the band D'Priest. Some versions of the album had the new band name, but many were released as London. By this time the band were managed by Eric Greif, coincidentally an early assistant manager of Sixx's band Mötley Crüe, with drummer Alan Krigger, formerly of Ike and Tina Turner and Giuffria replacing Yasui, and San Filippo replaced by occasional keyboardist for The Cult Vince Gilbert. A last burst of publicity via an MTV-played, David Bellino-directed video for single Ride You Through the Night, coupled with a supporting tour, fizzled quickly, with the band breaking up by late 1991.

D'Priest's New London

It has been reported that Nadir D'Priest reformed London, as of June 2006, with guitarist Eddie St. James (ex-Jon Dunmore, Richard Grieco Band). The new formation was named "D'Priest's New London" and signed with a German management firm, RB-Promotion. The "New London" is currently recording demos for a fourth London CD (title as of January 2007 not yet announced). The new group stated their plans as appearing live, first in Europe, and also releasing a single and video in the summer of 2007. Other band members names were not disclosed or confirmed in any press release or article. In actuality, Nadir D'Priest and Sean Lewis reformed D'Priest in May of 2007 and performed various shows around Hollywood. The duo, including drummer, Tim Yasui recorded a track for Chameleon records "Shout at the Devil", a tribute to Mötley Crüe which also featured tracks by Pretty Boy Floyd, Marc Torien, Jack Russell of Great White. Chameleon also released "London The Metal Years", a compilation of demos cut on the fly at Richie Podlor's studio-American Recording. London has also been performing in Nashville, Tennessee and in Cleveland Ohio at Billy Morris' club (Warrant, Quiet Riot), The Hi-Fi Concert Club. More information regarding London may be found at www.dpriest.com.

Discography

Albums

• Non Stop Rock - (1985)
• Don't Cry Wolf - (1986)
• Playa Del Rock - (1990)
• London Daze - (2000) (Split with Spiders & Snakes)
• The Metal Years - (2008)

Line-Ups

References

• Interview with London vocalist Nadir D'Priest
• Interview with London founder Lizzie Grey
• London Biography
• Interview D'Priest's New London
• (Unofficial)My Space Homepage for Nadir D'Priest
• Article on new London formation
• Eric Greif (manager) interview