Bronz

Career

Bronz first got together in 1980 with manager Dave Panton, and soon after they were opening for bands like Angel Witch, More, Diamond Head, and Anvil at both the Marquee and Music Machine. The group then went quiet until 1983, when a new lineup emerged featuring Chris Goulstone on guitar, vocals, and keyboards; Shaun Kirkpatrick on guitar and backing vocals; Clive Deamer on drums; and Paul Webb on bass and lead vocals. They signed with the independent label Bronze Records and recorded the album Taken by Storm, initially produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, with additional production help from Gerry Bron and Mark Dearnley. A deal between Bronze Records and Island Records pushed the band into the American market. At that point, the London-based lineup included ex-Nightwing singer Max Bacon, Goulstone, Kirkpatrick, Webb, and new drummer Carl Matthews. Years later, in 1998, a collection of unreleased tracks from this era came out under the title Unfinished Business.

After a major US tour supporting Ratt in 1984, the band fell apart. Goulstone and Matthews left, and shortly after, Max Bacon joined GTR. Kirkpatrick then put together a new project called Blue Print. With producer Max Norman, they cut tracks at Roundhouse studios, but the label went into receivership before anything could be released. Bronz briefly reunited in 2000 with the 1984 lineup, Paul Webb back on lead vocals, and Jake Kirkpatrick on bass. They played several shows, and in 2003 Sanctuary Records put out Bronz Live – Getting Higher, a mix of live recordings from the 1984 US tour and new material. In 2005, a version of Bronz with Goulstone, Thomas, and Scottish drummer Windsor McGilvray performed at the 25th anniversary celebration of the new wave of British heavy metal at London’s Astoria, sharing the bill with Diamond Head and Jaguar.

Shaun Kirkpatrick passed away in July 2013 while working on new music. Since then, Chris Goulstone has been composing for television and film, using Chapel of Rock Production Music as a global outlet for sync placements.