Dare (band)

Dare is an English rock band from Oldham, England, fronted by former Thin Lizzy keyboard player Darren Wharton. They formed in 1985 and have released ten albums to date, nine studio and one live. An eleventh album was stated as planned to be released in 2019, although this did not happen. As of December 2020, in a Christmas wishes post to fans on Facebook, Wharton commented that the next Dare album would be available during 2021.[1]

Dare
Dare is Darren Wharton (front-centre) and (left to right) Kevin Whitehead, Vinny Burns, Nigel Clutterbuck and Marc Roberts
Background information
OriginOldham, England
GenresRock, hard rock, pop rock
Years active
  • 1985–1992
  • 1998–present
Labels A&M Records (1988–92)
MTM
Legend Records (current)
Associated actsThin Lizzy
Websitedarebandofficial.com
Members Darren Wharton
Vinny Burns
Nigel Clutterbuck
Kevin Whitehead
Marc Roberts
Past membersPast members

History

Dare was formed in 1985 by former Thin Lizzy keyboard player Darren Wharton after Phil Lynott had dissolved the band. By 1987, Dare had gained a local following in Oldham and in 1987 were signed with a four-year deal by A&M.[2]

The band's debut album, Out of the Silence, was released in 1988 on A&M Records. It was recorded in Los Angeles at singer Joni Mitchell's private studio in Beverly Hills.[2] The lineup for this album consisted of Darren Wharton (vocals/keyboards), Vinny Burns (guitars), Martin 'Shelley' Shelton (bass), James Ross (drums), and Brian Cox (keyboards).

The follow-up album Blood from Stone was released in 1991, by which time Nigel Clutterbuck played bass guitar and Greg Morgan was on drums. With a much harder edge than the previous release, the second album was produced in Los Angeles by sound engineer Keith Olsen.[2] Wharton has since commented that while he is "very proud of that album..., ...we should have stuck to our guns musically and not try and jump on the heavy metal band wagon." He added, "Blood from Stone was written to please the rock press of the world."[3]

Dare had minor success in Europe, but album sales flagged and the band was dropped from their label (which had been acquired by Polygram) after the second album,[2] this despite Blood from Stone peaking at No. 48 UK in the UK Albums Chart. The band also had five songs in the UK Singles Chart: "Abandon" (#71, 1989), "Nothing Is Stronger Than Love" (#95, 1989) and "The Raindance" (#62, 1989) from Out of the Silence, and "We Don't Need a Reason" (#52, 1991) and "Real Love" (#67, 1991) from Blood from Stone.[4]

It would be 1998 before a third album was released - Calm Before the Storm, produced by Wharton. Wharton has since commented on the emergence of Dare's Celtic sound, stating, "I think that was mainly a part of my Thin Lizzy roots. Out of the Silence was quite Celtic in some of its stuff. You know, "The Raindance" and "King of Spades". You know, I spent my early career with Thin Lizzy, so that rubbed off me a great deal, working with Phil Lynott and Scott Gorham. And those Irish roots and the Celtic roots, where I live in Wales... You know, it's a very similar type of genre of folk music."[5] By the time Calm Before the Storm was released, in a further personnel reshuffle Vinny Burns, Brian Cox and Nigel Clutterbuck had all departed. Andrew Moore was credited with guitars, Martin Wilding with bass, and Julian Gardner with drums. Under 'additional musicians' Kevin Whitehead was credited with drums and Richard Dews with acoustic guitar and backing vocals. Of those departing, Brian Cox would play with D:Ream before becoming a particle physicist and science communicator.[6] Prior to returning to Dare in 2008, Burns (who departed in 1992 to join Asia) would play with a selection of other bands including Ultravox and Ten, as well as releasing a solo album The Journey in 1999. Clutterbuck returned to Dare in 2014.

Belief was released in 2001. The first single from the album, "White Horses", was playlisted by Sir Terry Wogan on the UK's largest national radio station, BBC Radio 2. Tours throughout Europe and Scandinavia were to follow, including a 12 date tour with Asia in the UK. Line up for the album was Darren Wharton (vocals and keyboards), Richard Dews (acoustic guitar and lead), Andrew Moore (electric guitar and lead), and Julian Gardner (drums and percussion).

In the summer of 2004, Beneath the Shining Water was released. The single "Sea of Roses" received considerable airplay on Radio 2. In 2008 Beneath the Shining Water and Belief were released as a double CD though Warner Music/ADA in the U.S.[2]

In October 2009, Arc of the Dawn was released on Wharton's own label, Legend Records. Line up for the album was Darren Wharton (vocals and keyboards), Richard Dews (guitars and backing vocals), and Kevin Whitehead (drums). Sleeve notes included 'Dare Live' which featured the addition of Vinny Burns on guitars. This set-up was retained for Calm Before the Storm 2 which was released in 2012, a re-record of the original Calm Before the Storm album with previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Dare's sole live album to date, The Power of Nature: Live in Munich was released in 2005. The album was also available in DVD format.

2016 onwards

Dare released their most recent album to date, Sacred Ground in July 2016.[2] The album is often referred to as studio album seven, given that Calm Before The Storm 2 was essentially a re-record, and does include a '7' in the cover artwork design. Line up for Sacred Ground was Darren Wharton (vocals and keyboards), Vinny Burns (guitars), Kevin Whitehead (drums), Nigel Clutterbuck (bass). Sleeve notes featured the addition of Marc Roberts on keyboards for live shows. The album topped the Amazon Rock Charts in the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy, and received predominantly positive reviews, albeit these usually genre-specific. A typical example might be MelodicRock.com which[7] comments that: "the album features some of Wharton’s most mature song writing to date. Thought provoking and passionate, whilst still retaining a dark rock edge". It continues: "...the return of the masterful Vinny Burns on guitar is certainly a stroke of brilliance. Vinny’s guitar takes the songs to the next level, delivering the rock edge that fans have wanted. Yes, tempo is far more ‘up’ than recent work and like past Dare albums, it does take several listens to get to know the tunes. The similar pacing makes it a little harder to separate the songs initially, but as always with Dare, it is all about mood. And no one does mood better than Darren Wharton and Vinny Burns". The summation includes: "There are no fillers here – 11 great tracks of keyboard and guitar framed music; this is a wonderful album that takes a step back from the Celtic influences of recent times and a huge step back towards straight ahead moody AOR".[7]

In an interview for metalcovent.com in August 2016, Wharton commented that "I've got a new album almost ready to go for next year, so. So it won't be 4 years 'til the next one".[5]

Tour dates/venues during 2017 included the Oslo Hard Rock Café in Norway, the Rockingham Festival at Nottingham Trent University, UK, Winter Storm in Scotland, and the H.E.A.T festival in Germany. The band continued to tour into 2018 and by September 2018 venues had included Hard Rock Heaven (UK), row Club (Athens, Greece), and Melodic Rock Festival (Sweden). The band had also co-headlined five UK shows with FM. On 4 May 2018, the band announced the Anniversary Special Edition of Out Of The Silence, Out Of The Silence II. The original album has been completely re-recorded and was released on 29 June that year, with pre-sales having started on 18 May.[8] On 9 May 2018, the band announced the launch of a new official website. On 30 November 2018, Dare announced initial European tour details for 2019, which by 6 January 2019 had expanded to 22 dates in Belgium, Germany, Holland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.[9] A new album was scheduled for release in 2019,[10] but as of July 2020 this had not happened, but was pending according the Dare FaceAche page. Dare continued to tour into 2020 with their first appearance being on the King's call Cruise (4–5 January). Other confirmed dates for 2020 (as of January 2020) were at the Cascais Rock Fest on 25 Jan (with Cutting Crew and The Stranglers), and at the Rock of Ages Festival, Germany 31 July – 2 August.[11] In line with official guidance/regulations, all 2020 show were halted from March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Christmas wishes post to fans on Dare's official Facebook page, on 24 December 2020 Wharton commented that the band would ...hopefully see you all next year [2021] with our brand new album.[1]

Current members
  • Darren Wharton – vocals, keyboards, keytar (1985–1992, 1998–present)
  • Vinny Burns – guitar (1985–1992, 2008–present)
  • Nigel Clutterbuck – bass (1991–1992, 2014–present)
  • Marc Roberts – keyboards (live) (2006–present)
  • Kevin "Kev" Whitehead – drums (2006–present)

Past members
  • Brian Cox – keyboards (1986–1992)
  • Richard "Richie" Dews – guitarist co-writer/guitar (1991–2014)
  • Brian Drawbridge – bass (1998–2000)
  • Julian Gardner – drums (1998–2002)
  • Simon Gardner – keyboards (1998–2002)
  • Gavin Mart – drums (2002–2006)
  • Andrew "Andy" Moore – guitar (1998–2006)
  • Greg Morgan – drums (1991–1992)
  • James Ross – drums (1985–1989)
  • Martin "Shelley" Shelton – bass (1985–1989)
  • Mark Simpson – keyboards (1986)
  • Ed Stratton – drums (1985)
  • Martin Wilding – bass (1998)

Discography

Out of the Silence (1988)
Track Listing
  1. Abandon – 4:38
  2. Into The Fire – 4:53
  3. Nothing Is Stronger Than Love – 4:42
  4. Runaway – 4:27
  5. Under The Sun – 6:13
  6. The Raindance – 5:24
  7. King Of Spades – 4:44
  8. Heartbreaker – 3:38
  9. Return The Heart – 5:09
  10. Don't Let Go – 5:57

Blood from Stone (1991)
Track Listing
  1. "Wings Of Fire"
  2. "We Don't Need A Reason"
  3. "Surrender"
  4. "Chains"
  5. "Lies"
  6. "Live To Fight Another Day"
  7. "Cry Wolf"
  8. "Breakout"
  9. "Wild Heart"
  10. "Real Love"
  11. "Walk On The Water" (Japan Bonus Track)

Calm Before the Storm (1998)
Track Listing
  1. "Walk On The Water"
  2. "Some Day"
  3. "Calm Before The Storm"
  4. "Rescue Me"
  5. "Silence Of Your Head"
  6. "Rising Sun"
  7. "Ashes"
  8. "Crown Of Thorns"
  9. "Deliverance"
  10. "Still In Love With You" – (Phil Lynott)
  11. "Run To Me" (Japan Bonus Track)

Belief (2001)
Track Listing
  1. "Silent Thunder" – 5:49
  2. "Dreams on Fire" – 4:29
  3. "White Horses (Lions Heart)" – 4:06
  4. "Belief" – 6:07
  5. "Run Wild Run Free" – 4:32
  6. "We Were Friends" – 6:42
  7. "Falling" – 4:29
  8. "Where Will You Run To" – 3:45
  9. "Take Me Away" – 5:03
  10. "Promised Land" – 4:47
  11. "Phoenix" – 4:14

Beneath the Shining Water (2004)
Track Listing
  1. "Sea of Roses" – 4:37
  2. "Days Gone By" – 4:13
  3. "Silent Hills" – 4:03
  4. "Beneath the Shining Water" – 4:49
  5. "The Battles That You've Won" – 4:01
  6. "Allowed to Fall" – 4:12
  7. "I'll Be the Wind" – 3:59
  8. "Where Darkness Ends" – 4:36
  9. "Storm Wind" – 4:24
  10. "Last Train" – 4:17

The Power of Nature (Live in Munich) (2005) (also on DVD)
Track Listing
  1. "Sea of Roses"
  2. "Storm Wind"
  3. "Where Darkness Ends"
  4. "Silent Hills"
  5. "Some Day"
  6. "Silent Thunder"
  7. "The Fire"
  8. "We Will Return"
  9. "Song for a Friend (The King)"
  10. "White Horses"

Arc of the Dawn (2009)
Track Listing
  1. "Dublin" – 5:15
  2. "Shelter in the Storm" – 4:34
  3. "Follow the River" – 3:56
  4. "King of Spades" (re-recording) – 4:26
  5. "I Will Return" (re-recording of "Return The Heart") – 4:44
  6. "Emerald" (Thin Lizzy cover) – 4:38
  7. "When" – 4:34
  8. "The Flame" (Cheap Trick cover) – 4:37
  9. "Still Waiting" – 4:20
  10. "Kiss the Rain" – 4:14
  11. "Remember" – 5:04
  12. "Circles" – 4:11

Calm Before the Storm 2 (2012)
Track Listing
  1. Walk on the Water – 6:42
  2. Someday – 4:13
  3. Calm Before the Storm – 6:40
  4. Crown of Thorns – 5:00
  5. Precious – 4:22
  6. Silence of Your Head – 5:21
  7. Rescue Me – 4:40
  8. Ashes – 5:08
  9. Rising Sun – 3:49
  10. Cold Wind Will Blow – 4:31
  11. Deliverance – 3:39

Sacred Ground (2016)
Track Listing
  1. "Home" – 4:44
  2. "I'll Hear You Pray" – 4:20
  3. "Strength" – 4:16
  4. "Every Time We Say Goodbye" – 4:01
  5. "Days of Summer" – 3:44
  6. "On My Own" – 3:15
  7. "Until" – 3:58
  8. "All Our Brass Was Gold" – 3:48
  9. "You Carried Me" – 4:11
  10. "Like the First Time" – 4:18
  11. "Along the Heather" – 4:01

Out of the Silence II (2018)
Track Listing
  1. Abandon – 4:50
  2. Into The Fire – 4:43
  3. Nothing Is Stronger Than Love 5:06
  4. Runaway – 4:38
  5. Under The Sun – 5:55
  6. The Raindance – 5:03
  7. King Of Spades (special edition) – 6:30
  8. Heartbreaker – 3:40
  9. Return The Heart – 4:54
  10. Don't Let Go – 6:23

References
  1. "Dare 24 December". En-gb.facebook.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. "Dare". Winterstorm.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. "Dare". Rockpages.gr. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 140. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. "Interview Darren Wharton". Metalcovenant.com. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  6. Smith, David (14 September 2008). "Profile of Brian Cox". The Observer. London. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  7. "Dare bisit 'Sacred Ground' on new album". MelodicRock.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. "Dare 4 May". En-gb.facebook.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. "Dare 6 Jan". En-gb.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  10. "Dare". Cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  11. "Dare 14 jan". En-gb.facebook.com. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
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