Tantrum are bringing traditional British heavy metal back to a public force-fed on a diet of placebic, sanitised radio rock!

Staunch believers in the old gods of metal, Tantrum blend hard-hitting machine gun drums and pulsating, chest-thumping bass with screaming twin lead guitars and vocal acrobatics to forge metal anthems for the future!

The wall of harmonised guitars that we hear today first came about when Stoo Condie took on the mantle as second guitarist prior to the recording of 2016’s “Rough Cuts” EP. With the majority of the material already written for the EP by drummer Billy Angus, it was simply a case of adapting the songs to work with a twin-guitar setup. Once the EP was in the can, however, Stoo and Steve Waddell would begin writing material for the first album, both individually and as a team, and the now familiar sound of Tantrum began to take shape.

It was during the writing process for the debut album that bassist Erik Hornswoggle and vocalist Adam Wynne would step down to make way for fresh blood. First to join the ranks was bassist Ritchie Davison, who had originally been considered prior to Hornswoggle joining. The line-up would be completed by Steven Swanson on vocals, and work would begin on recording Tantrum’s debut album.

Their reputation for tight, blistering live performances had already spread and garnered enough attention to secure support for one of the forefathers of NWOBHM, Diamond Head, as well as Tamworth’s greatest export – Wolfsbane. December 2018 saw the release of “Melt it Down”, and their stage-bound onslaught would continue through 2018 and 2019 with countless local shows as well as appearances at Rockmantic, Call of the Wild, and Wildfire festivals.

As Covid-19 swept across the world and forced so many bands into a state of abject reclusion, July 2020 saw Tantrum use this enforced hiatus as an opportunity to seek a replacement for Swanson. More than a year later, after coming out of a twenty-six-year-long absence from being in a band and reluctantly having to remove his face mask to audition, Mark Reid took on the role as the new Tantrum vocalist on September 1st 2021.

Sadly, during the recording of the second album, it was becoming clear to all that something was amiss within the ranks. After six years as Stoo’s right-hand man (or left, depending on the venue), Steve decided to hand back his Tantrum Level 10 security pass to concentrate on his solo project, Oath. Rather than continue the rest of the album without him, the decision was made to draw a line under the recording and release it as a four-track EP to allow the band to focus on writing all-new material.

Some thirty-eight days and myriad applicants later, Tantrum welcomed Baz Fitzsimmons to the ranks. Known for his work with Syth, Baz brings his own style of playing while still maintaining the tight, twin-guitar cannonade that Tantrum have become known for.

On October 18th 2022, Tantrum and Ritchie Davison parted company after many fruitful years together, leaving a considerable gap in the ranks.  While trying out several temporary bassists to cover for Ritchie while he focused on his family, the band met with Micah James Lewis Snow, who Baz had played with in Farseer, and after Ritchie’s departure was asked to join the band on a full-time basis. 

On 24th June saw  Billy Angus, founder member of the band, team mascot, and Keeper of the Seven(hundred) Drum Keys took the difficult decision to not only step down from Tantrum, but any live performances in general.  

A second arrived in July 2023 called Another life which seen the guys change to a more melodic direction.

January 2024 saw Mark Riches join on drums from Mactallica, Metallica tribute band

Check out one of the boys latest songs, a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel classic:-

TANTRUM - Hazy Shade of Winter (youtube.com) 

Also, don't miss out on the chance to see local favourites The Uzis as they bring their unique blend of rock/punk covers to the stage. It's a combination that is sure to get your adrenaline pumping and leave you wanting more. Covers that you have never heard before from the 1980s and 90s! So mark your calendars and come join us at The Vault Arts Centre for a night of pure musical awesomeness!