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SWEET

THE SWEET made some of the most enduring and influential music of the 70´s, ´80s and 90´s. They have sold in excess of thirty million records and are still a ´live` touring band. There is so much more to SWEET than just the Glam-Rock era, their music is timeless and all encompassing. From pure pop to heavy metal, from three chord wonders like ´Little Willy` to the highly intricate arrangements of ´Love Is Like Oxygen`. Some may scoff at the suggestion, but during the hard rocking heyday of their ´Sweet Fanny Adams` and ´Desolation Boulevard` albums, SWEET´s output was as groundbreaking, flamboyant and exciting as those of more celebrated acts like Deep Purple, Bowie and Zeppelin. And if you don’t agree, try cleaning your ear holes out. It’s hard to believe that SWEET have been around since 1968, when the Sweetshop duo of vocalist Brian Connolly and drummer Mick Tucker added bass player Steve Priest and decided to abbreviate their band’s name to something more memorable. The classic line-up was eventually completed by guitarist Andy Scott, and their first burst of fame was for bubblegum hits like `Coco`, ´Funny Funny` and ´Poppa Joe`, all included here in medley form. 1970 was a big year, SWEET; comprising Andy Scott, Steve Priest, Mick Tucker and Brian Connolly teamed up with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and record producer Phil Wainman. Their five-year partnership produced twelve top twenty hits, including a number one. This prompted the media to consider the band ´manufactured` but the hard core fan knew different. By turning to the B sides of the hits you could find self penned heavy rock titles. The live shows were phenomenal but the music was not the only factor. During this period SWEET were banned by the Mecca Ballroom circuit and arrested in Belgium for incidents that involved ´an overtly obscene sexual stage performance`, this only enhanced their reputation. But it was when the quartet decided to camp things up via the outrageous likes of ´Hellraiser`, ´Teenage Rampage` and ´Blockbuster` that they really began to get noticed. Although 1973´s ´Blockbuster` was their only UK chart-topper, Sweet’s appearances on Top Of The Pops were as frequent and as memorable as any other act of the glam-rock era. By 1975 the band had begun writing and producing their own hits. The split with their previous mentors was overdue and when `Fox on The Run` made No 2 in the UK. the band set their sights on America. Between 1975 and 1980 the band appeared on many major American tours with contemporaries such as Kiss, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Bob Seger, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Rainbow, Deep Purple and Sammy Hagar. In 1976 during an encore in Los Angeles, Richie Blackmore got got up on stage and played with the band ´All Right Now` as a tribute to the late Paul Kossof, giving the band the credibility that was missing at home. US hits included `Ballroom Blitz`, later to appear in the film Wayne’s World, ´Fox On The Run`, a number 2 in the US, ´Action`, later a US hit for Def Leppard and ´Love Is Like Oxygen`, a number 5 in the US. The Album `Desolation Boulevard´ went gold. ´Love Is Like Oxygen` was the first worldwide hit for SWEET, written by guitarist Andy Scott ¬ the song received an Ivor Novello award in 1978. SWEET had achieved their ultimate goal ¬ credibility in the UK! In the aftermath of this glory the unthinkable happened. In January 1979 Brian Connolly left the band. It is well documented that excessive drinking was the cause. The remaining trio continued as a ´Three piece suite` as someone once put it, but despite a couple of hits in Europe an three more albums it all ground to a half after a final UK tour in 1981. The 80´s flashed by with some chart success in 1984 with ´Sweet 16` a compilation album and maxi single ´It’s It’s the SWEET mix`. Despite Brian’s health problems there were attempts to reform the band but apart from the very creditable ´Live At The Marquee` double album recorded in 1986 all went quite again. The 90´s have brought with it a renewed interest in the band. With original member guitarist and songwriter Andy Scott firmly at the helm they are still a force to be reckoned with. A brand new studio album ´A` was released in 1992 to the delight of their fans. The band have constantly toured Europe, Russia, USA, Canada, Australia and the Far East also appearing on many festivals. In 1996 SWEET charted once again with ´Ballroom Blitz` a TV advertised compilation that went gold in the UK. This prompted more reformation stories and in December 1996 Andy Scott and Brian Connolly settled their professional and personal differences. Plans for a tour of selected dates with both of them appearing on stage together were seriously discussed. The tragic deaths of Connolly on 9th of February 1997, and original drummer Mick Tucker, on February 14th 2002, seemed to have spelled the end of the legend. But Andy Scott has kept the flame burning with the excellent ´Sweetlife` album, released in may 2002. Most of the songs you’ll hear on ´Chronology` were re-recorded by the line-up responsible for ´Sweetlife`, some by incarnations involving Mick Tucker and Bodo Schopf on drums, vocalists Chad Brown, Paul Mario Day and Mal McNulty and keyboard players Phil Lanzon and Steve Mann. But these tracks all have one thing in common: They are old friends, given a fresh new twist. Enjoy… Andy Scott ¬ guitar, vocal Bruce Bisland ¬ drums, vocal Tony O¹Hora ¬ lead vocal and bass Steve Grant ¬ keyboards and guitar

Upcoming shows:


Past shows:

05.03.2013 - SWEET @ Rankweil (A)
29.04.2011 - SWEET @ Linz (A)
25.07.2009 - SWEET @ Bad Schallerbach (A)
30.01.2009 - SWEET @ Linz (A)