Bacchus – the Band’s mythology

“The Holy Axe of Bacchus”

15th of February 1971 – ‘Decimalisation Day’ – was doubly historic. That day, the young Dancing Jack Butler visited Horsley, Smith and Jewsons in Royal Leamington Spa to buy the timber from which he was to fashion his first electric guitar. This instrument inspired Jack and his pal Rob Wilson to form a band with some mates from Warwick School, a venerable establishment perched on the banks of River Avon in ‘Shakespeare’s County’ – the Heart of England.

The Naming

The band first appeared (once only!) under the name of Doss the Toss & the Queers. Soon after, Toby Beaufoy joined on lead guitar and insisted on a change of name; the Band accepted his inspired proposal – BACCHUS.

Tragedies

1971 was a highpoint of rock music creativity. However, it wasn’t without its calamities either: two fatalities in legendary bands were to have considerable influence on the embryonic Bacchus: In October 1971, the Allman Brothers Band was rocked by the death of gifted guitarist and world-class slide supremo Duane Allman, when he lost control of his motorcycle in Macon, Georgia when swerving to avoid a truck loaded with fresh peaches. He was just 24. (Tragedy struck them again, almost exactly a year later, when Allmans bassist Berry Oakley was killed in another motorcycle crash, just three blocks from the site of Duane’s accident.) Earlier in March 1971, Jim Morrison had moved to Paris, having conquered America as the Doors’ leader and singer. On July 3, the 27-year-old singer was found dead in his bath. Speculation abounded (no autopsy was performed) but it seems likely that Morrison's body finally gave in to the rigours of his belief in 'delicious ecstasy'. It wasn’t until some years later that the rest of Bacchus realised that Toby’s inspiration for the band’s name had been Jim Morrison’s death. Many commentators at the time had used the expression ‘Dionysian’ to describe Morrison’s abandoned and hedonistic life-style. Dionysis was the Greek god of wine and drugs whose celebrations included wild orgies and, reportedly, human sacrifices. His mythological equivalent was the Roman god, Bacchus . The band have always taken the view that that deity was the god of ‘sex and drugs and rock and roll’.

Early Style

Bacchus’s performances in the early ‘70’s were characterised by wild and loose rhythm and blues / rock ‘n’ roll with little importance attached to vocal clarity and a considerable reliance on extended guitar improvisation. The style anticipated the punk rock of bands like the Sex Pistols. When recorded, it was reminiscent of an old washing machine on spin cycle and became known, accordingly, as the ‘Zanussi sound’.

In December 1975, Bacchus headlined at the prestigious auditorium the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington Spa. Thereafter, the band’s sets featured increasing amounts of original compositions.

Evolution

Bacchus plays positive, uplifting and raunchy rock songs that are full of fun and energy. The sound has developed to capitalise on a well-balanced mix of guitars, played by Dancing Jack Butler, Toby Beaufoy and Steve Carter – each of whom has their own characteristic style for both lead and rhythm playing. The guitarists enjoy working together with trade-off instrumentals and dual – and even triple – guitar. The other band-members are Rob Wilson (‘The Goat’) on vocals, bass guitar and blues harp and John Wilkinson (‘The Viking’) on drums. The rhythm section is completed by quirky, sharp percussion, supplied by Markus Zee. Markus played a big part in keeping the torch of Bacchus alight through the early 80's by providing a Def Leppard-inspired style of lead guitar during the prolonged absences of other guitarists.

Song writers Rob, Toby and Steve are disdainful of bands that can only come up with powerful sounding songs by using minor key riffs. In contrast, Bacchus proves that it is possible to create positive songs that are powerful, raunchy and uplifting.

Recordings

Three albums were recorded at Rhythm Studios and released between 1986 and 1992; “Empty Heart, Empty Room’, “Hit the Road” and lastly, “Playing With Passion”. A ‘best of’ album of tracks from these is available on the band’s CD “Buried Treasure”. Bacchus has released a 2006 World Cup single of “Merry England” – to fill the vacuum. The Band's latest album is “Seize the Day”.

Above: Warwick Castle – at Warwick, home of Bacchus