Del Hodd (ex-Chain Reaction): Tied in chains

A band called X tried really hard, recorded a bunch of demos with some very decent songs but never made it big and split-up. I guess this was a formula for many many young and talented acts who emerged during NWOBHM era. Cornwall natives, Chain Reaction, were among them. The band went through numerous line-up changes and released several demos but the only one original member and driving force behind Chain Reaction was Del Hodd who patiently answered all my questions. Here we go!

Del, tell me please about your first steps in music. Were you classically trained singer or were you absolutely self taught? Who influenced you to be a singer?

I did have some singing lessons as a child.  There was a Piano Teacher in the village that I grew up in, I think she was called Miss Soloman I remember she has a very large Alsatian called Django. My first stage appearance was in 1966 at a music festival, I was 7 years old. Later I would record the top 20 chart music off the radio every week using a cassette player and a microphone. I would sing along to my favourites.  My parents were also music lovers, my Dad, Country and Western and my mum loved all Big Musicals.  My first icon that I wanted to be was, Ozzy.

Chain Reaction was probably the only one NWOBHM band out of Cornwall. Were there any other acts who tried to play hard rock/heavy metal in those days? Was it a good play for a rock band by the way? Were you supported by local venues and press?

Chain Reaction and Radioactive initially led the charge even though we didn’t know each other.  Later bands like Sphinx and Vengeance came on the scene.  When you think that young musicians that had a chance to be in up and coming bands play their own music at weekends after working day jobs all week was just so exciting.  There were local newspapers that gave bands weekly features also gig guides it was a great time.  The charts nationwide were now playing hard rock, heavy metal and NWOBHM. We were so inspired. Local venues were happy for us to play even though we were paid more or less expenses but we didn’t care.

Chain Reaction - MK I

How did you meet Dave Owen, Andy Talbot and others from the original line-up of Chain Reaction? Was it easy to find right musicians who shared the same approach to rock music back then?

Chain Reaction was the brain child of the guitarist Andy Talbot. He was in a band previously name Dangerzone he wanted a heavier direction and Tony Iommi was his favourite player. They were looking for a singer so we would all go to the rehearsal to listen, Andy, Brian and the drummer previous to Dave Owen.  A friend of mine said “Why don’t you have a go”. So, I think the first song I ever sang was “Paranoid”, Black Sabbath or “Cocaine” by JJ Cale.  I’m sure it was “Paranoid” thinking back. With the addition of Dave Owen, we were off.  There were other bands forming at the time NWOBHM was big in Cornwall. But we wanted to be Cornwall’s Black Sabbath!

By the way, was punk rock popular in your native town?

Punk rock came and pretty much went in our town. Saturday nights at the conservative club where I lived turned into a punk night for a while, we all jumped up and down to The Pistols. Also, bands like Sham 69 played in Cornwall. I later met Hugh Cornwell from The Stranglers who supported our event at the Winter Gardens Penzance.  With the aptly name Chain Reaction and Radioactive as it was a CND show. So punk was here but Chain Reaction were later formed in 1980.

Tell me everything you can recall about the first demo. is it correct that it was recorded in Knight Studios? Did the session go smoothly?

Our first demo was recorded at Knight Studios. It was a converted bunker near Goonhilly Earth Station down on the Lizard peninsula. We had written 4 songs to record and the track “Metalmen” came from Andy’s previous band.  John Knight engineered the sessions the tracks were: 1) “Sons of Valhalla”; 2) “Fullmoon Rising”; 3) “Metalmen”; 4) “Halloween”: 5) “Free Spirit”.

By this time, we had our own tour bus which is where we stayed for the week in the studio, and at this time we were joined by Christine Hawken on Keyboards.  It was great for us to record our first demo, for me it was really poignant as I had penned the song Free Spirit for my friend who was sadly killed in a motorcycle accident.

Would you agree that in the beginning the band was heavily influenced by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin?

I would say Black Sabbath, but we also loved, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and later Saxon and Maiden.  But we played “War Pigs” and “Iron Man” in our set so the reference was there.  Dave Owen, our drummer, was heavily into Prog Rock too so that style and influence came into play. We were just damn heavy.

It’s unbelievable but you were able to do headline shows in Cornwall Coliseum and play in front of 3000 people if I’m aware correctly. How did that happen? What was the secret of this success?

The Cornwall Coliseum was the South Wests biggest venue around 3000 capacity. They as a venue took great interest in local bands as well as hosting international acts from across the world: Motorhead, The Who, Iron Maiden, Plant & Page, Black Sabbath etc. Chain Reaction was chosen as one of the bands for the Heavy Metal Spectacular shows hosted by DJ Andy Howard. It was truly amazing to play there although the Coliseum never sold out on these events. I think we did three in total the last headlining in our own right, were all well attended and our first moments on a huge stage.

The band and the bus

You also toured England with that first incarnation of the band. How did that go? Were you headliners or did you play in support of some bigger band? And why did Andy Talbot leave the band after the tour?

So, here’s what we did we made a photo/video of the band and edited our first demo over it.  Andy and myself drove to the Midlands to set up venues for a small tour, as headliners we played: The Regent (Hinckley), The Barrel Organ, The Eagle, The Railway, The Grapes (all four were in Birmingham), Nuneaton Arts Centre (Nuneaton). All in our tour bus. Andy did leave the band shortly after.  He was interested in video editing and to start up his own business.

When Andy left the band you decided to move to Oxford but why didn’t others follow you?

After Andy Talbot left, we auditioned a guitarist but couldn’t find a suitable replacement so as with any bands the moment was lost or so it seemed at the time. I had advertised in Sounds and Melody Maker, looking for a band I wanted to have another try somewhere else.  The remaining members wanted to stay in Cornwall so it was the end of MK I.

There is an info that you joined some band in Oxford for a while. Was it the same band which became MK II of Chain Reaction of was it a different band? Can you recall the name they had before you joined them?

I started auditioning for bands in early 1983. I auditioned for a band in the Oxford area and later joined their line-up was: John Rigg – guitar, Keith Spaulding – guitar, Robbi Serrano – drums, Nick Panier – bass. They were called Taktyx but would later become Chain Reaction MK II.

When you moved to Oxford you decided to keep the name Chain Reaction but I believe that you had to start everything from scratch. Did you use any songs you recorded with the original line-up?

Yes, after joining and moving to Oxford the band agreed with using Chain Reaction as the bands name.  It was having to start again scenario. We rehearsed and rehearsed. John Rigg was prolific when it came to writing songs, we soon had four tracks for our first demo for Chain Reaction MKII, which were: 1) “Wolf”; 2) “Storm the Gates”; 3) “Into the Fire”; 4) “Black Shadows”. Summer 1983 we headed to a studio, Woodcray Manor near Wokingham. As for using MK I Chain Reaction material we did play the song “Halloween” in the MK II line-up it worked well.

Chain Reaction - MK II

How can you compare MK I and MK II of the band? It seems that you had really good chemistry with John Rigg and others! Can you say a couple of words about Keith Spaulding, Nick Pannier and Robbi Serrano and their input to the music?

We had a great chemistry especially it was great working with John Rigg, the main song writer, plus the fact that all the band came from different musical backgrounds. Robbi and Keith (Marty) were in the USAF stationed in the UK, so we had this Mid-Atlantic feel.

As far as I understand the second demo was recorded in Woodclay Manor and that was quite far from oxford. How did you find it and what type of the place was that?

We did our first MK II demo there and the studio was a fantastic location really chilled so we did our seconds MK II demo there, the tracks were: 1) “Nightfall”; 2) “Wicked”; 2) “Pool of Fortune”.

How did that happen that “Storm the Gates” had that Maiden’s “Killers” tune in the middle section?

I’ve since spoken with John Rigg regarding this question we both agree that it was pure coincidence as we both hadn’t heard “Killers” by Iron Maiden at the time of writing.

Is it correct that the second demo brought you an attention from Jet Records and EMI?

Yes, EMI and Jet Records were showing interest on the strength of our two MK II demos. We played a venue in London called New Merlins Cave and Jet’s A&R Arthur Sharp, saw us play.  We had a call the next day asking for more material maybe enough for an album. Secondly, we had sent demos to EMI and had the same interest. Things were getting exciting. John Bagnell A&R for Hard Rock at EMI wanted to see us live.

I know you played with Budgie in the Marquee club and toured with Grand Slam. So how did those events go? Tell me more about your live shows during that Oxford era as there is no information about the matter.

Time for a lucky break! We managed to pick up a support slot to Budgie at the Old Marquee Club, Wardour St in London. It was via Adrian Hopkins a promoter who also handled Thin Lizzy (before the band split) the show was sold out. It was a brilliant show for us, after that came two supports with Phil Lynott’s New band Grand Slam at the Oxford Appollo and the Derngate Centre. Things were happening for us.  Even to this day I will never forget Phil Lynott side stage shaking his fist shouting “Come on” as we played our song “The Evil within Us”. that was a moment!

Why did that line-up with Marty and Robbi dissolved? Is it true that they both went to live in the USA?

The end came for the MK II line-up when Keith Spaulding (Marty) was stationed to Germany. Robbi stayed on and we briefly had a couple of bass players come and go Mike Hole and Phil Smith. After recruiting Robbi’s friend on bass from the Air Base the sound changed and we just disagreed on just about everything so we parted.  I haven’t seen Robbi or Keith since although we have contact on social media. They are both back in the States, in this time a third demo was recorded. Chain Reaction 3 (July 1984): 1) “Scream of the Banshee”; 2) “The Evil within Us”; 3) Don’t Take Love for an Answer”; 4) “Steal your Heart”.

“The Evil within Us” is one of my favorites. Tell me please about that period of time. Were you still confident in your music? Did you still believe that you could break through with this demo?

“The Evil within Us” was actually on Chain Reaction third demo. We had received a letter from John Bagnall saying it was still early days and to stay in touch he later left that department.  We still believed something would happen.

The fifth demo was recorded by you and John Rigg and a session drummer. Why was that? Would you say that that was the lowest point of Chain Reaction?

Chain Reaction now consisted of John Rigg and myself. We had written a couple of songs and recorded them in Ventura Studios in London with a session drummer while John played guitars and bass. These songs were “Lady Luck” and “Hungry Tonight”. Yes, it was a low point but a new line-up was around the corner.

Chain Reaction - MK III

The sixth and the last demo had two brilliant tracks — “All Over The World” and “Kings Of the Sun”. Were they influenced by the new members who joined you and John at the time?

The new line-up got right back on track the band we regenerated joining us were Ady Ellis – guitar, Nick Bourne – bass, Andy Yates – drums. We suddenly upped our game with Ady and John now a two guitar attack and a killer rhythm section in Nick and Andy.

The last two demos were recorded in the famous Spaceward Studios in Cambridge, if I’m correct. What are your best memories about the place? How did that happen that “Kings of the Sun” was unfinished? Did you run out of money? Is it correct that you also recorded a track called “Anthem” there?

So off to Spaceward in Cambridge we recorded, “All over the World” and “Kings of the Sun”. Hired the studio over night cheaper rate and The Stranglers were recording by day. We fully intended to return. We now had but ran out of money we self-financed the recording. The rest of the songs were with this line-up only exist in rehearsal recording which is such a shame. The track “Anthem” was renamed – Out of the Dark”, which was an instrumental.

The band had six demos but none of them brought you a record deal. How do you think why? Was it a matter of a bad luck or did you want to get a deal only with major labels?  

We wanted a major label deal. But we always seemed to be a little behind in terms of how the NWOBHM scene evolved. It was moving into a different more commercial mark. So, I guess we didn’t make it. Chain Reaction finished as a band soon after.

By the way, what is your favourite demo out of them? What demo represented the band the best in your opinion?

My favourite demo was the first CR demo MK I line up and the last demo with “All over the World” and “Kings of the Sun”.

Around 1985/1986 the band became really popular in Netherlands. How come that you weren’t aware of that and didn’t capitalize from that? Did you ever try to play outside the UK?  We were being played on Radio Backfire in the Netherlands. I think 1985/1986 we had a least three songs in their listed Top 50 over that period and yes, we should have approached some agents and played in Holland.

After Chain Reaction you and John Rigg played in Karnage and recorded a demo. Who played drums in that demo? Did the band last long or was it a short lived project?

The Karnage demo was a project of John Rigg and myself again. John wanted to play heavier again so we wrote “Thunder in our Hands” and recorded again at Spaceward.  Drums courtesy of their house drum machine.  “Shadowlands” I think was a lament to the band again programmed drums, it was short lived, the last time me and John worked together was 1986.

The songs you recorded with Karnage were included in Chain Reaction’s compilation “All over the World”. What was the reason for that? Did you consider Karn-Age as a logical continuation of Chain Reaction?

The reason I included the Karnage project tracks is they were good songs.  Also, it left enough material of Chain Reaction songs for another album – maybe.  But the compilation released by ONR they were the best, I think.

You joined Cloven Hoof for a very short period of time but quit them before the band went to record the “Dominator” album. Was it a right move in hindsight?

I did join Cloven Hoof briefly. I recorded “Rising Up” for a demo, was asked to join and we signed to Revolver FM. Lee had already written most of the “Dominator” album but this didn’t work out I’m afraid the line-up changed many times.  I headed home at this point to Cornwall.

Panik Attak

What are your best memories about Panik Attak? How was it to work with Jon Cox of J. J. Powerhouse?

Panik Attak – ah yes. I’d first seen Jon play in a band called Quad on the Isle of Man at the TT Race week.  He was brilliant, real Blackmore style of playing. Sometime later he had moved to Cornwall and formed Panik Attak I joined them and recorded the demo at Saw Mills Studios on the River Fowey, Golant Cornwall: 1) “Streetwalker”; 2) “Panik Attak”; 3) “Cure of the Wicked”. Then came in 12” Vinyl EP – “Shout” (A Side); “I Want you Love” and “Baby’s Left Town” (B side). We played all round Cornwall and guested for one night only in Windsor UK. Check our “Curse of the Wicked” on Youtube.

Tell me briefly how you got in touch with the guys from Chain Lightning. How do you view those two record you did with the band in 1991—1992? By the way, was the name inspired by the song of 38 Special?

After Panik Attak I got a call from Jake Williams a guitar player who had moved to the South West and formed Chain Lightning we recorded a live tape, “Up & Rising” and a demo named “Unchained”. Again, great potential but lacking in stability we would get together to record “Bolt from the Blue” CD some years later.  We didn’t take the name from the 38 Special but I thought I was never going to get away from Chain?

The early 90’s definitely wasn’t the best time for the music you played with Chain Lightning. Wasn’t it hurtful for you after all those years of trying to see bands like Nirvana and their songs with the lyrics like “A Mosquito, My libido” on the top of the charts? Was it hard for you to get gigs and attention from promoters, press and fans in the 90’s?

I think the arrival of grunge was good for the kids but not so good for the style of Rock/Metal we loved.  It wasn’t my cup of tea, but that’s what happened.  It was more of a movement, so to speak.

Chain Lightning issued a CD through ONR Records in 2007. Was it a re-recording of the old stuff or was it just a re-release of the original material?

Jake and me put out “Bolt from the Blue” with some old rerecorded songs and a new track, “Bolt from the Blue”. We were very pleased with the finished product. Jack recorded and engineered the whole project and was released on ONR records.

You had a cover band with Graham Bath and Steve Hopgood. How did that happen and who else was in the band? Did it last long?

Graham Bath and Steve Hopgood are old buddies of mine, they played together in Persian Risk and Killers (featuring Paul Di’Anno, ex-Iron Maiden).  We put a covers band CANZ together with Sean Love on bass. Then from that we added keyboards Paul Jennings and became Mr. Crowley and Ozzy Osbourne Tribute. We still play together as CANZ. Also 2020 may see the return of Mr. Crowley?

Mr(s). Crowley

Tell me please about your life since 2007. Do you still sing in a band? Is there any new material in the works?

Since 2007 I have played in various cover bands including Bare Knuckle Blues Band featuring Tim Mills (ex-Iced Earth) on guitar. The occasional CANZ show which is always a sell-out and a Rock Duo Cover2Cover with another great guitarist Dave Yelland.

Don’t you want to re-release the entire back catalogue of Chain Reaction and Chain Lightning? I believe that would be a great gift to all the NWOBHM fans out there!

There is still a lot of Chain Reaction demo material that hasn’t been released. Also, some Chain Lightning and Panik Attak. So, who knows, MAYBE!

Feel free to say a few words of wisdom to your fans and readers.   

A big thank you to all who still support NWOBHM and Heavy Metal. I certainly would do it all over again.  Looking back, it was a special time and I’m still proud of the Chain Reaction legacy. Hail to you all.