History & Biography The NWOBHM band was in the same vein as Judas Priest and Motorhead and
was
considered heavy for its time. They also had a reputation for wild pyro
work live.
The story of the At. Albans-based Clientelle began in February of 1978
when Rik Taylor joined Powell, Trudgett and Goodfellow through an
advertisement. The band immediately got down to writing songs and
performed its first gig in the same year at the local The Horn Of
Plenty.
Clientelle visited Quest Studio in Luton in 1979 where they used an
8-track facility to record three songs, namely Can't Forget, Skyflier
and Destination Unknown. The first two songs were pressed as a 7" EP
and
the 500 copies are soon sold to the masses. The sleeve is designed by
none other than Rik Taylor. The band also performed live
incessantly.
The rapid pace continued in 1980 and the band even performed at a
Friends Of The Earth show. By this time the band is performing for 750
people and the band is invited to head to London to open for Saga! One
particular show had another local band, As Above So Below, opening for
'telle. This band would lose its drummer to Clientelle two years
later.
In 1981 the band recorded six new songs, which added to the
aforementioned three, garner a deal with local label Banana Records.
The
album is released in September. Bands like Tobruk and Moonstone open
for
the boys.
Goodfellow abandoned the fold in February of 1982 and is replaced by
Toad The Wet Sprocket's Martin Whitewick. The new drummer would soon
find his band supporting Y&T. A tour with Hawkwind is arranged although
Whitewick deserted the band three days before the string of dates due
to
a salary dispute. The band's lighting technician and a drummer for As
Above So Below, Dave Ashcroft quickly occupied the stool. In December
of
1993 Ian Disspain is recruited on drums, yet he stays for a very short
time. The frustration of losing yet another drummer prompted Taylor to
leave as well, forcing the band to re-evaluate the future. Nonetheless
a
new drummer (Moonstone's Terry Cox) and a keyboardist are recruited.
This line-up recorded a new demo towards the end of 1984. Several shows
are performed, but the magic is gone and the band called it a day.
During the next few years the band, with Taylor, played several
reuniongigs.
In late 2002 the members of Clientelle reformed for another go at
things. They released the album on CD and planned shows for the
reunited
line-up.
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