New album for Wigan rock band covering two generations

Classic rockers Havoc51, which started out as a father-and-son project with singer and guitarist Steve and bassist and vocalist Antony Nixon, are making their mark on the scene with Bourbon Ramblings.

Other news: Pulp and Happy Mondays are going head-to-head on Bargain HuntThe Standish trio, whose line-up is completed by drummer Paul Smith, has released nine tracks of upbeat, good-time rock influenced by Steve’s love of time-honoured acts like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and Antony’s enthusiasm for contemporary bands like Muse and Alter Bridge.

Bourbon Ramblings also showcases the band’s diversity, with heavy rockers and mellow numbers sitting alongside instrumental Serenity.

The response so far suggests the group could be set for a new phase in its growth.

Steve said: “Things are starting to take off quickly. We think we’ve got a decent product with the album and we’ve got a fair amount of interest.

“We’ve got different music tastes but you can tell that gels in our songwriting. Our music and lyrics are entirely fun.

“We’re a bit of an odd band because me and Antony are father and son. It started when Antony did music performance and sound engineering.

“We came to the conclusion that you couldn’t do performance with your mates because they’d clap for anything, so we went out into the real world.

“We’ve done OK on radio in Europe and bizarrely we’re quite popular in Switzerland. I think it’s because the guy who recorded the album has a band that’s quite big there.”

Havoc51 quickly racked up live success, coming second in an England-wide competition at the Hard Rock Cafe.

They have also headlined the North West Blood Bikes festival, played as pre-match entertainment at a Warrington and Wigan rugby league match and been on bills at several local events including Bullfest at the Black Bull pub in Standish.

The band is headlining Joe’s Bar as part of Wigan Live Festival.

To get the album sounding its best the three-piece travelled to The Vaults studio in Warrington.

Bourbon Ramblings by Havoc51 is out now. To find out more about the band visit www.facebook.com/havoc51