The Band - Graham Lane - Bass / Backing Vocals

Personal Biog

I've been playing bass since the age of 12, when my parents offered to swap a brand new portable TV they'd won for a Zenta bass guitar in a local music shop. The shop owner couldn't believe his luck!

I first became aware of how cool it looked to play a bass while watching The Arrows perform in their weekly TV programme in the mid-seventies. I liked the way the guy plucked those four fat strings with his two fingers. Shortly after, I remember identifying the bass while listening to a recording of a radio broadcast of Queen's 1975 Christmas concert. It was during the guitar solo in 'Liar' that I picked it out and thought how wonderful it sounded; John Deacon has remained my favourite bassist and biggest influence to this day.

I've played in numerous rock bands since the early eighties, and was the bassist in prog band Tr3nity until its demise in 2005. While in Tr3nity, I was humbled to be voted 12th best bassist in the Classic Rock Society annual awards. Interestingly, Tr3nity was on the bill with Also Eden at the first Summers End festival at Gloucester in 2005, so Simon had an idea of what to expect from me – though perhaps worryingly, his most vivid recollection was of me jumping off the drum riser! (I was a bit younger then...)

More recently, I've played the Mike Rutherford role in Genesis tribute band 'Genesis – In the Cage', which is currently on long-term hiatus.

My favourite 'instrument' is the human voice and my favourite singers come from the 'AOR' world. Steve Walsh from Kansas is my favourite singer. I love my prog, but I love AOR and pomp rock equally. I also enjoy listening to the amazingly funky disco bass players from the seventies like Bernard Edwards and Leon Sylvers III.

My young son, Sebastian has loved KISS since the age of two! (He likes a bit of Gabriel-era Genesis too – especially Can Utility and the Coastliners).

Outside of music, my interests include modernist architecture, collecting ceramics from the sixties and classic cars.