Pete Flude 22, singer song writer, lead guitarist
Following in the footsteps of my parents, I’ve been playing the cabaret holiday camp circuit for about six years. Music’s always been in my family since before I was born. My mom was pregnant with me while they were playing on TV in south Africa where I was born.
Playing bass, my dad’s a big fan of Jack Bruce. My mom sings old time music hall. From a young age, my dad got me interested in Eric Clapton and Cream. I admired Clapton because what he did was real but also he managed to make it commercial. He has been a life long idle for me, and I always look to him for inspiration. I suppose I’m only into a few of today’s bands Muse, Audioslave and Wolfmother. But they don’t do it for me the same way that the old rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s . Nowadays I’ve moved on and got into Funk, soul and reggae. I still love rock but my tastes have become more diverse, listening to guitarists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, who blows my mind.
I have worked in studios making demos for many years, but the stage is the place that fires me up.
I first started playing in my parent’s folk band playing acoustic. When I said I wanted to play electric I was told ‘Stick to acoustic’. I went out and got an electric guitar anyway and started up a band with schoolmates. We did lot of Hendrix, Santana, Cream and Deep Purple but no one really interested. At the time it was all Oasis and Blur. Soon after that I left school because I was bullied, probably because I was different and didn’t run with the crowd. At this point I started an NVQ in a music shop.
I realized then that this wasn’t for me. I wanted to make music.
I got hold of a copy of the Stage and saw an advert for a Madness tribute band. I didn’t even know who Madness were or what they were about. But I went for it anyway because it was a working band. I got into Ska and punk and started to love it. I did 4 great years in Ultimate Madness before the endless chops became tiresome and I wanted to move on.
At a showcase in Yorkshire I was approached by a band called
Beat Street International.
It was a commercial funk/ rock/ soul.
I went to go see them at a gig and was impressed by the musicianship so I jumped at the chance, but it was hard going. For the first time I was being told I wasn’t good enough and had to change my style. I had some good times with the beats. It was defiantly a hard partying band. We played for a month in Ilat which was out of this world. We also toured Germany, Many good stories from that trip.
In this time I improved vastly, but the gypsy in me made me want to move on.
After a year I went for a resident band gig in Scotland. This was completely the opposite of Leeds. It was chilled out and relaxed…..maybe too relaxed. The one thing it did give me was time to work on my playing. At one point I was waking up, playing all day until the gig, playing the first set, going back to the lodge and practicing some more, go back and do the second set then go back to the lodge and collapse.
Two years on and not a day goes by without me picking up the guitar.
Although it can be a harsh business. It’s my life and I love it!
(To be continued)
At a showcase in Yorkshire I was approached by a band called
Beat Street International.
It was a commercial funk/ rock/ soul.
I went to go see them at a gig and was impressed by the musicianship so I jumped at the chance, but it was hard going. For the first time I was being told I wasn’t good enough and had to change my style. I had some good times with the beats. It was defiantly a hard partying band. We played for a month in Ilat which was out of this world. We also toured Germany, Many good stories from that trip.
In this time I improved vastly, but the gypsy in me made me want to move on.
After a year I went for a resident band gig in Scotland. This was completely the opposite of Leeds. It was chilled out and relaxed…..maybe too relaxed. The one thing it did give me was time to work on my playing. At one point I was waking up, playing all day until the gig, playing the first set, going back to the lodge and practicing some more, go back and do the second set then go back to the lodge and collapse.
Two years on and not a day goes by without me picking up the guitar.
Although it can be a harsh business. It’s my life and I love it!
(To be continued)
