Part 2. Four on the floor.

The realisation that a live show would have to be thought about led to the formation of the Dreadzone live line up. Step up Leo Williams on bass and Dan Donovan on keyboards. From Bad to Dread the transition was complete and the next layer was down.
The first gig was at the Marquee in London in August 93. A special mention should go out to the dreadz agent at that time, a certain Alex Nightingale, son of DJ Annie who was an early supporter of the group. His creative outlook led him to be involved with events like the Trekkoner festival in Copenhagen, which was Dreadzone’s second gig. This was the sort of event that inspires and propels things forward. It was set on a floating stage inside a wartime fort a mile out to sea in Copenhagen harbour with a line up to match. The Orb, System 7, Dreadzone, Paul Daley, Darren Emerson – sunset to sunrise started and finished by Alex and co. There would be many great shows over the coming years but this was a significant magical starting point.

A month later the first Dreadzone album 360 ° was released to some great reviews. This is how some people described it: “..their first album hits a spot only occupied previously by The Orb” (The Times). “Dreadzone are in the tradition of Lee Scratch Perry and Holger Czukay.” (Melody Maker).

As the shows increased up and down the country they began to get a reputation for the live show. The combination of sequencers and loops with the energy of a live rhythm section honed in two previous bands gave an extra dimension in the world of dance music - “purveyors of a sound that is both emotionally and physically breathtaking”(Melody Maker).

By the spring of 94 the band was well and truly a solid four piece playing the circuit and building a vibe. They became more organised and took on a management company called Fruit. One of the first things these two females did was to take Dreadzone off of Creation due to lack of priority. At that time they had a certain band they were spending quite a lot of energy on… A single was released called Fight the Power which was part of a CD to raise awareness of the impending Criminal Justice Act that was being brought in to kill off raves.

In June 94 they opened at Glastonbury on the Pyramid stage. Standing in the wings was John Peel, who was to become a big supporter. For a while the live show featured a singer called Alison Goldfrapp. It was at this time that a live album “Performance” was released as a limited edition on a small label called Totem. During the summer of that year residence was once again taken in the same Queens Park street where the studio had now moved across the road to bigger premises. This was christened Dubby Road studios as the work began on the second album. Greg’s publisher agreed to support it and the man behind the deal was a close friend called Dominic Walker later to be know as the Dublisher. He was also the man who introduced the next member to the group; reggae singer Earl 16. Earl came down one day and locked into the vibe of Zion Youth instantly and became a part of the dread family. This very productive period brought forth a wealth of great material.

The next development was that Dan Donovan decided that after laying down some great parts for the album he no longer wanted to be part of the group. Although this was an unexpected setback they had the idea of bringing in Chris Bran , brother of Tim ,to expand the visual side of things onstage to take his place.

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Greg and Tim 1993 by Chris Floyd. You wouldn’t get that close these days
Backstage at Glastonbury 1994 by Daniele Roberts. L to R: Dan Donovan, Leo Williams, Tim and Greg. Just about to go on at 11am. First time at Glasto and first band on
Dreadzone on Virgin by Phil Knott. Flying high, great pic of a band on a roll
Ever changing Dread by Heather Favell L to R: Chris Bran, Leo, Greg and Dan, Musicians only please
The logo of the night by Dillan, Greg, Photoshop and some beer. Check out the small print.
The extended family 2001 by Daniele Roberts. Backstage at the Essential festival. The only time we have had seven onstage. L to R: Earl16, Rob Marche, Leo Williams, Ben Balafonic, MC Spee, Tim and Greg.
Funnily enough this is at the Essential festival a year later in Bristol. About to go on, taken by some local journo. L to R: MC Spee Earl16, Leo Williams, Ben Balafonic, and Greg.