Brighton Rock

“Brighton Rock proved the Great White North could hold its own against the Sunset Strip”
– Classic Rock AOR magazine, UK, 2013

It’s been quite a journey for the guys in Brighton Rock.

It all began with a dream. Back in 1982, two Niagara Falls musicians, guitarist Greg Fraser and bassist Stevie Skreebs joined forces to form a project called Heart Attack. After many changes, Fraser and Skreebs finally found the frontman they had been looking for in Gerry McGhee (formerly in a Hamilton based band, The Rockers). The trio began working together and received instant recognition from WEA Records once their song “Breaking Down The Barricade” was chosen for the Q107 Homegrown album in 1984.

The band changed their name to Brighton Rock and released a self titled EP on their own Flying Fist label (1985). After another line-up change, the quintet solidified with the addition of drummer Mark Cavarzan and keyboardist John Rogers. The band’s debut album, Young Wild and Free, was produced by Michael Wagener (Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, Accept, Metallica, etc), and was released worldwide on WEA Records and Atco USA IN 1986. The album was certified gold in 1989.

The band hit the road with the success of their first single “We Came to Rock,” soon to be followed by the ballad “Can’t Wait for the Night.” After a successful debut tour, the band retreated to the studio to record their second album, Take A Deep Breath (produced by Jack Richardson), 1988. With this album, Brighton Rock was nominated for Most Promising Group at the Juno Awards.

The next tour took the band over to England on the strength of the first two singles,”One More Try” and “Hangin’ High and Dry.” Take A Deep Breath was soon certified gold in Canada (it peaked at #22 on the Canadian album chart). The third album was Love Machine (1981) and co-produced with Toby Wright (Slayer, Alice in Chains). After a grueling tour, the band decided to part ways and officially break up, just as the album was nominated for Hard Rock Album of the Year at the 1992 Juno Awards.

All the various band members stayed active musically (Greg Fraser, most notably, toured with Helix for four years) and almost ten years to the day, the original line-up re-united for a reunion tour in 2001, releasing the live album A Room for Five Live in 2002.

In 2006, a greatest hits package was released titled The Essentials. In January 2007, Fraser and Skreebs formed a new project known as Fraze Gang. Their self-titled album came out in early 2008 and the Fraze Gang 2 album was released in 2012.

Brighton Rock regrouped again Thursday October 30, 2008 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto for a benefit concert for fellow Canadian rocker Carl Dixon who was injured in a car crash.

In October 2012, the band performed at the Firefest Festival in Nottingham, England, and returned yet again in 2013 to an enthusiastic reception with fans singing along to many of their songs (all captured for YouTube). Encouraged by this support and the re-release of their catalog by Warner Canada, Brighton Rock are back to rock with their original line-up fully intact.

On August 1st, 2013, the band released the single and video for “Creatures of the Night”. The song, a re-imagining of the KISS classic, appears on the cancer charity album, A World With Heroes. The video was directed by Vancouver filmmaker Brian Sword.

There will be a new Brighton Rock album for 2014 as the band prepares to tour Canada and the USA for the first time in almost 25 years!! “We don’t have to worry about record company pressures. We’re writing the music we want to. We’re not looking for radio hits – those days are gone,” says guitarist Greg Fraser. “This record is about making music. We’re hungry for this.”

Like the song says… we came to Rock!