A brief history of The Banging Men by their old manager, Mike Crufone..
 

"...It's been nearly 25 years since I first met the boys and I can tell you, a lot's happened since then. But let me start this story at the beginning when they were just kids...

It all started many years ago when Michel 'the bass' Harperath found an old guitar hiding in the back of his father's wardrobe next to a collection of assorted glossy magazines. Covered in dust and with only 4 strings he felt a connection immediately.

He practiced all night and fumbled all day with old blues and skiffle tunes, then one day by chance he met an old school chum on a bus, the now legendary Luxembourgish lead guitarist, Ady Zeimet. Soon, one of the greatest musical partnerships the world has ever know had started.

Over the years they honed their skills, playing anywhere they could, bars, cafés, even busking on the steps of Auchan. No venue was too small, no audience was left untouched by their magic. Then one day, fame came calling and things would never be the same again. Crazy world tours, a million album sales, fame and fortune laid at the boys feet. Everything you could ever image, the world was theirs - and then it all changed..

Well, I guess there was only so much sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll they could take before their hearts started yearning for home and the simple pleasures in life. Although they'd toured all over the world the call was just too strong and one day they just decided to jack it all in and go back to their Luxembourgish roots.

So how did the boys end up playing Slade songs?

Well, the guitar has a magical pull. And there's only so long that a man can resist it's charm. They knew they didn't want to do world tours anymore or make records, they just wanted to play. They wanted to go back to their roots, back to where it all began, but what should they do?

 

Fate has a strange way of playing her cards, and one day they met an eccentric English man called, 'Warren'. He told the guys stories of when he met Noddy Holder, the lead singer from the legendary 70's band, Slade, and how Noddy had said to him, "keep on playing, but don't give up the day job.."

Inspired by these kind words, Warren spent the next 25 years preaching the Slade gospel to anyone who would listen. 

Ady and Michel could now see a way to play the music they loved from their childhood without the pressure of doing world tours, autograph signings and award ceremonies. The plan was simple - play the songs of Slade under the guise of a being a 'tribute band' and name the band after one of Slade's biggest hits, 'The Banging Man'.

The plan sounded good but how could they do this without being recognised? Again, the old creative magic was there, a spark of brilliance appeared as one of them shouted, "let's do it in authentic costume, nobody will recognise us..!"

Having an English accent, they convinced the eccentric to do the singing. Now all they needed was a second guitar, some eye candy and a drummer.

'Lightning' Luc Petry was drafted in to do the fretwork on second guitar, complimented by local drummer, Laurent Fuchs (famous for his legendary hammer and anvil work when shoeing horses) and finally, Maïté Louis, the flute playing siren..

And this brings us round to today.

If you're very lucky, you may get to see The Banging Men from time to time, but gigs are very rare and getting on the guest list is nigh on impossible. Still, it's possible to catch a glimpse of the guys as they move their gear from the boot of an inconspicuously parked Rolls Royce near the stage door..

Anyway folks, I'll leave you now. Take care and thanks for reading, I hope soon that you get an opportunity to be 'banged' by The Banging Men...