Stu Phillips - Full Send Zine

Hi Stu, so where did it all begin? (Who or what got you into music?)

I was living in a small village in the Cotswolds when I was a kid with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. Then at the age of 14, one of my school friends from Charlton Kings Secondary School invited me to go with him and his dad to see Status Quo at the NEC. At that very moment, I just knew that was what I wanted to do – be a “Rock Star”. However, one minor flaw: I couldn’t play an instrument and I stuttered like Mr Magoo (in fact, that was my nickname among many others at school!). So, one lunchtime, I went around to see my friend’s guitar and that was it. I badgered my parents until they relented and got me my very first guitar; it was a Kay and the amp was a small combo. It made such a noise that I was told I had to use headphones (which might explain why I am almost deaf!). But then, after a couple of months of playing in my bedroom, I could see myself as that Rock Star, so I started to sing my head off too, which, with hindsight, must have sounded bloody awful! However, as part of my speech exercises at school, I was taught how to sing and get rhythm to help avoid my disabling stutter. I left school at 15 with absolutely nothing and no direction but ended up on a YTS Scheme at Cheltenham Borough Council. They didn’t have a job for me but were obligated to take me, so they got me to count every lamp-post in the town and then number them all. You can still see the numbers now! But once my nan heard about this, she stomped into the Council and said that what I was doing wasn’t a proper job! So, as luck would have it, the Head of the Highways Dept knew of an opportunity to train as an Architect in Montpellier. So, off I went with absolutely no idea what to expect. But I got the job! This is where I met my life-long and closest friend in the world (I didn’t know it at the time), Chris Margenout, who showed me what it was like to be a “Creative”. A year or so then passed and I now had a car. We had a project in London, so on the way, Chris said to me, “… let’s call in to see my friend for a cuppa tea and a chat…”. As we walked into his studio in Bibury, I saw artwork and huge glass cells with drawings on. I thought this was another architect or designer’s studio. It turned out to be Richard Grey, the Creative Director for Queen! After a few hours, he turned to me and said, “…would I like to be part of history…” I was just 18 and of course, I said yes. So, he handed me the pot of green paint to finish off the “Green Frog” on the back of “A Kind of Magic”. It wasn’t until I saw my mum buying said album a few months later that it sank in that I painted the Green Frog on the back of that album. At that moment, I realised that I was literally a step away from being part of rock royalty. I then answered an advertisement in the Echo for a lead guitarist. I had been playing with my school friend Simon at this point, and they were looking for two guitarists, so I went to Time Out Studios with my Kay guitar and waited for Simon. He didn’t show up! So, I went into the rehearsal room and saw a huge wall of Marshalls and a bunch of what I would call “rock star” lookalikes…all waiting to hear me play! I had nothing to lose, so I plugged my guitar in and started to play…it was so loud I simply lost myself, I was in “rock star heaven”. I got the job for the band that had advertised, but within 24 hours, I was approached by Phil Mace to join December Rose, and the rest is, well, still ongoing, to be honest! Simon, sadly committed suicide not long after & I swore that I would live my life for the both of us as he had a similar “dream” that would never come true! Whereas, I have lived our dreams and I think about and miss him still now!

Who were your early influences as a musician?

Obviously, my early influences were Status Quo (I must have gone to all their UK shows in 1984 – their so-called “End of the Road” tour). But I also went to a bunch of shows at Gloucester Leisure Centre and saw Gillan, Budgie, UFO, Marillion, Thin Lizzy, and also Birmingham Odeon to see Judas Priest, Accept, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Queensryche and Manowar. All of whom have had a profound influence on me as a musician and in my personal life.

You rode the new wave of British heavy metal with December Rose, what was the scene like back in the day?

Yes, we certainly did live the dream. We all lived together in a basement flat on Hewlett Road. It was absolutely amazing. That flat used to be the go-to place before and after The Night Owl. Anyways, we weren’t just a normal band that played at weekends, we lived it every single day! Especially Huwy and Phil, who would glam themselves up just to go to the shop! We played every venue in the UK either as part of a tour support or hometown shows at the Town Hall and Pump Rooms. The scene back then was totally different to how it is now. We all knew who we were and what we stood for, and the world was a much more fun place to be. Music was everywhere in Cheltenham with gigs all the time at The Axiom, The Night Owl, Charles’s, Eves, Duck & Pheasant, Brewery Tap, and Cheltenham was a honeypot for creative people!

What are your most memorable moments in both recording and playing live from that time?

Without a doubt, the most memorable experience playing live was my 21st birthday, and we were playing a hometown show with Grim Reaper. They were on before us as it was our promotion, but they totally blew us away, obviously. But then during the final song, Nick Bowcott came back on stage and stood right next to me (Status Quo style). I will never forget that moment of being a “rock star” and then being asked to sign autographs after the show, etc… an incredible feeling! As for recording, well, I can only refer to the carnage we went through each and every time we went into the studio. We lived in one for 3 months writing and recording Leaving Home (which was meant to be a trilogy), but it never worked out…But I recall going into the studio for the first time in Gloucester Docks – I had never seen anything like it, and that’s also a memory that will live forever! Especially when you then hear your song on the radio…

The ‘Leaving Home’ album is a mixed bag of styles showing that you weren’t afraid to experiment, what’s your standout track?

The crazy thing about Leaving Home – The album that was released in 2021 is not how the album should have been. What everyone can hear on Spotify, etc., is a collection of demos. A guy called George from Obscure Records in Greece (who specialise in NWOBHM Music) heard about us and released the album on CD, but 30 years after the last songs were recorded. There are songs on there that go way back to the beginning! My standout December Rose songs are: Leave It On The Beach, Break In The Ice, Never, and of course, Leaving Home.

You dropped a few covers into your set, but ‘Holidays in the Sun’ might be one of the least obvious, what attracted you to that song?

We used to do a few covers, Holidays because it was just a great way to get the crowd moving if it was a bit slow. But then we would do Long Live Rock n’ Roll (Rainbow), Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy), Motorhead, Shakin’ All Over (Johnny Kidd), and a bunch of others that I can’t recall right now. All about playing songs that people recognised to get them rocking out, to be honest!

Did grunge kill the radio star? (Stop you in your tracks).

Absolutely, 100%! We were about to sign a record deal (same label as Thunder), but then we had a call telling us we had been dropped after spending 3 months in the studio recording said album. We were devastated, and it was the end of the band, looking back on that time!

You reformed in 2014 for a reunion gig, any chance of more in the future?

That was purely for our friend Jammer, who was killed in a car crash. He was the drummer for Wreckage. But no, there are no current plans to reform again. It was traumatic enough last time – we had no rehearsal, no soundcheck, a guest vocalist (Andy Makin – who sang with Adrian Smith in Psycho Motel), and Dave Mackintosh on drums from Dragonforce! We did sound bloody great though – despite having not played together in over 30 years!

Have you listened to Montreal diva December Rose, what do you make of her?

Yes, she has registered the name, hence I now have to call us December Rose UK. Yeah, it’s OK – not my cup of tea though! She hates what we do, by the way…

You’ve always struck me as one of the most honest and gentlemanly people in the music scene, but did you trust people too much?

Thank you – Sadly, I take people at face value and trust their word. However, I have been constantly dealing with people with agendas or who are simply bare-faced liars! I can’t/won’t change who I am, but I do leave myself wide open to abuse! I will always live my life by 3 words: Integrity, Loyalty & Trust. It’s something that apparently doesn’t apply to many others!

With hindsight, how much would you say your track ‘Liar’ reflects your experiences?

Well spotted… Liar was written as a way of expressing my emotions after recent happenings where I was lied to and I almost lost everything as a result, while they ended up being multi-millionaires!

You were synonymous with the Cheltenham music scene for so long, how did you get involved with the infamous Night Owl? How hard was it to move away?

Well – it is something that I never planned for! The Night Owl was always my “go-to” place and it was where I made a lot of friends and felt safe. I came back one night after being away for a few months in Australia during 1996, and Brian (the leaseholder) said that he wanted out and was going to close the place down. In a burst of panic, I said that I would take it over!! So, it was agreed there and then, over a cheeky JD and coke, that if I went to see him on Monday with some cash, then he would give me the keys and the place stays open! This I did, and he, as promised, gave me the keys, as a handshake sort of deal! I didn’t tell anyone and of course had absolutely no idea how to run a bar. Then on the Wednesday, the phone rang. It was Lyn, who worked behind the bar. Her opening line was – what the f*** are you doing? I went “huh”, and she went, “…apparently, I now work for you? OK, where’s the beer coming from…” (or words to that effect). I replied, “…ummm behind the bar, duh!…” As you can imagine, she was not impressed, and it ended up with me having to double her wages so she could run the bar! I then trotted up to the place on the Friday, paid my £1 entry, walked to the bar, and tried to buy a JD & Coke – this is when Lyn told me that I was possibly the biggest idiot in the world, because I already owned the stock!!!

Anyways, this was OK and it worked well, but I was offered to go work with Movies and Motorsport in 1998, so ended up on 007 & Harry Potter as well as going all over the world with F1 Motorsport Teams. So, this sort of ended my first phase of having The Night Owl, and I used to come back periodically as I had brought in Gary (December Rose singer) to run it, and he eventually bought me out!

Then, after running a bar in Bristol, starting a family, and travelling the world, etc., I saw that The Attic had closed down and Niche was the club in its place. So, I kept an eye on it for a few years until one day I saw a “To Let” sign go up. I then followed this through and returned “home” with my business partner (Richard Carrington). We totally gutted the place and recreated The Night Owl circa 1995 – it cost a small fortune, but it was amazing! Queues up the stairs and it was once again the place to go. I brought in loads of bands from all over the world for pre-festival shows and end-of-tour parties, etc. But then, in June 2010, things went terribly wrong. The smoking ban was now imposed, and people were simply not coming out! I tried to revamp the place with alternative nights (Dirty Disco, etc.), but nothing seemed to work. So, when I had an opportunity to go back on the road with Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, I literally jumped at the chance and sub-let the premises to some local guys who disturbed asbestos when they were doing some work, and the building was then condemned. I was then presented with a massive bill for the removal of the asbestos, but as luck would have it, the building was sold and the new and current owners didn’t want a nightclub on site, so they gave me a way out! I still licensed the place for many years afterwards. So, in actual fact, it was quite easy to move away at the time. But I have since tried to buy the building and open other venues in the town but without any success!

With a rock resurgence going on, is it time for a new club venture or are your fingers beyond burned by now?

I have been trying to reopen 170 High Street (The Night Owl Building) for around 5 years, but not as a leaseholder. I have been proposing a full scheme that would benefit the whole town if we could purchase the entire building as part of a community project. I did open ALT for a while, but again, that didn’t work out because of bad decision-making with deceptive partners!

So, I have developed a project with Chris Margenout that includes Digital Twins and Virtual Venues (We have a full scanned digital twin of The Night Owl) that we can drop into Fortnite as part of my “Triple Live Experience” & “Terra Nueva – A Brand New World” projects.

What kind of ride was House of Tours?

H.O.T. is an ongoing rollercoaster that is providing support to stadium acts right down to pub bands. I was involved in the very first UK shows for The Warning & Dirty Honey recently as well as handling tour & logistics management for many high- profile acts. I have just been confirmed as tour manager for Bobbie Dazzle and we are opening for Alice Cooper on his UK shows as well as a whole bunch of massive shows that I can’t talk about right now, etc. I only had to scale it back recently due to my cancer treatments.

By the way, thanks for letting my band (Swelter) play in the mid-nineties, it was great to cut our teeth at the Night Owl.

Cool – You’re very welcome! We launched and supported many acts and gave everyone a place to play!

You supported so many up-and-coming bands, do you feel that promoters have the same passion these days?

Some independent promoters do, but the corporates are just looking for money. It’s a sad situation because ticket prices are so high for the arena shows that the club shows are suffering!

Are covers and tribute bands killing live music?

Until very recently, I would have said yes! But after being involved with Venue 23 in Wakefield, I now have a totally different perspective. If it weren’t for the tribute acts pulling in the crowds, then more venues would have to close their doors. They are, without doubt, supporting grassroots venues in particular. Sadly though, the support for original talent is not as it should be!

What aspect of the music industry would you say you enjoy the most?

My last tour as a performer was in 1996 (I wrote some songs with Craig Thomson who was an Actor in Home & Away etc and was frontman for a band called Little Big Man) with my last show with December Rose was at The Shaftsbury Hall in 1991 was an attempt to raise money and awareness to try and keep the place open! and I have absolutely no desire to return to the stage! I get a much bigger buzz out of supporting talent with their tour & logistics management. However, I love writing songs still, and with new technology, it’s a lot easier.

What’s new for Stu? What’s Terra Nueva all about?

This is my latest project that combines virtual and physical reality. Terra Nueva – A Brand New World is exactly that. I am creating a whole eco-system with characters and songs using both motion capture & volumetric capture technology along with AI. You can now find the songs on Spotify and all other platforms. There is a whole development team building this world for people to immerse themselves in. The shocking part of all this is that there are 3 billion gamers right now, and 750 million are playing right now. It’s an untapped marketplace for bands to create their own revenue with merchandise sales, etc. Our platform will be live once we can secure investment to make it all happen! Chris & I have funded it to this point, which has cost well over £250,000.

What’s upcoming on the musical front?

I am going to continue to write songs and develop my projects, along with providing tour & logistical support to the music industry.

I have a busy summer schedule with bands like The Warning, PiL, Brandi Carlile, and Bobbie Dazzle both on the tour and Festival Circuit. I am hoping to return to Australia once more later this year too and expand my network there.

My Triple Live Experience & Terra Nueva – A brand New World Projects will continue to evolve and, fingers crossed, my cancer continues to be manageable to enable me to give a little back.

I am currently writing songs and supporting The Isbourne, ITSA, and The Big Space charities in Cheltenham along with working on a project with Michael Ratcliffe OBE called “Loving Wisdom from the Universe” which is pushing my creativity and songwriting abilities. I have started to write a Stage Show/Rock Opera that will hopefully hit the stage at some point in the not-too-distant future. There are a few songs on the Terra Nueva A Brand New World Spotify that have been written for this show. I have just completed an operatic song called “The Great Binding Light”