Pale Rider was formed in the distant days of goth's dark heritage - the eighties, 1982 to be exact. Friends Darryl Crowe and Steve Beck dusted down their guitars and donned black leather and began something that eventually became the stuff of legends - goth legends that is! At the time they tried unsuccessfully to coerce respective brothers Alex and David into the band. Undaunted they plough on and the numbers are made up by former school pals Michael Harding and Daniel Prophet, a second guitarist and the worlds most manic drummer. At this point Alexander Crowe and David Beck's roles were filled by the multi-talented Darryl, who also co-wrote all lyrics with the help of his twin.
Live appearances commenced by Spring 1983. Early gigs consisted of the usual trawl around crummy pubs and dodgy village halls - sometimes they'd even have to wait for the jumble sale to finish before sound checking! November of that same year saw frontman Darryl Crowe celebrating his 18th birthday with a support slot at the Fulham Greyhound - The Riders went down better than the main act, the result of which was a well deserved leg up onto the specialised music pub/small club circuit. They were now regularly pulling the crowds in at noted London venues such as the 100 Club and Dingwalls.
The band recorded several demos which though ignored by the record companies, were lapped up by their rapidly increasing following. Despite struggling against leukemia Darryl still managed to lead the band through numerous gigs and a handful of showcases. 1985 saw The Riders play in front of famed indie label Black Market Music. Sadly Darryl would never know just how much they liked the band. Shortly after tragedy struck and Darryl Crowe died. He was twenty years old.
Pale Rider was shelved, but two years later Alexander Crowe was persuaded to keep the promise he had made to Darryl - he became the new front man with The Riders. Of course with his obviously disability (he has only one hand) Crowe was never going to be a guitarist. Enter David Beck. The elder Beck brother joined the band on the understanding his involvement was 'only 'til they found someone else.' He is still with The Riders to this day.
Square one. Again. Crummy pubs. Budget demos. Hours slaving over a hot photocopier and many more cutting up flyers. Who said rock 'n' roll was glamorous? Eventually an American friend with his own already successful band gives them a break - Pale Rider support Joey Burns at the Town and Country Club. Bingo! An off duty A&R man spots them - they seem kind of familiar to him! - and the band are signed to Black Market Music, who themselves have just landed a major distribution deal. The ball is rolling and their first single "Metatron" is released. Sadly it fails to set the world on fire, however their 1989 follow-up single "The Scheme" blazes up the indie chart dragging it's predecessor with it. Black Market Music make several shrewd buy-in decisions and flaunt The Riders brazenly in front their potential public. The goth/alternative audience is receptive and the band play their first headline tour, culminating in heaving crowd that The Marquee probably didn't mention to anyone remotely connected with Health and Safety regulations!
Enigmatic and elusive Crowe finds himself gracing the covers of all the right music press. Their debut album "Burning Sands" lodges itself firmly in the indie chart's top slot and the legend that is Pale Rider is born.
The bands cult status is almost threatened when "Lib Zero" (taken from the third album) sneaks into the UK top 20. With typical stubbornness Crowe and his cohorts refuse the offered "Top of the Pops" appearance. The day is saved and everybody's favourite goth gods remain cult heroes.
Pale Rider's sprawling moody metal riffs infiltrate Europe and numerous sell out German tours follow. The Riders, with the nineties slipping by and the Sisters of Mercy clone tag totally obliterated, retreat to rural Wiltshire to record the now classic album (of its genre) "Auction of Promises." The promotional tour that followed was originally to be called "The Promised Land" but on a whim Crowe (known as The Crowman to all those who follow) dubs it "The road to Hell Tour" instead. It proves to be a horrifically prophetic title.
The tour - complete with awesome Russian rockers The Laine Milewski Band and vast armies of travelling fans - hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Like something from a Hollywood movie the band find them selves stalked by a serial killer. By the time the 8th body is found Crowe is missing...
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