I'M A TIGER!

Rip It Up, Issue 34, 1 May 1980, Page 8

I'M A TIGER!

Murray Cammick

Six months have passed since the Tigers first resided in RIU Rumours, as the band with the songs but no guitarist. In fact the band gained a record deal and recorded their EMI single "Red Dress” before they found their guitarist. RIU first sited the Tigers in Hamilton late last year. Ex-Rockinghorse frontman Barry Saunders was the rhythm guitarist and the main vocalist. Bassist Nick Theobald also handled vocal chores, Mike Knapp drummed and a holidaying Simon Morris was recruited to be Tigers guitarist for the brief tour. While Mike Knapp came from Spats, Nick Theobald (and Simon Morris) came from Wellington’s the Heartbreakers, a band who whiled away the seventies covering sixties pop hits. "I was in the Heartbreakers because I really liked the songs,” says Nick. "They were favourites of mine.” Though his part in Heartbreakers songwriting was minimal, Nick has written nearly all the Tigers originals, all in the last eight months. After Tim Murdoch heard three of Nick’s songs, WEA provided the bucks to demo more songs. "Barry and I worked together in the studio,” recalls Nick, "and we said ‘let’s get a band together'." Their debut single represents both the pop side and more R&B side of the Tigers. "I Don’t Wanna Go Home” hints at the more expressive and tougher vocals Saunders is capable of on stage. While "Red Dress" moves more towards a group vocal sound where the main vocalist’s personality is less dominant. In the near future the band will be touring, so there’s no date set for recording their debut album. If you got the time, they’ve got the- tunes. Check 'em out.