WOODY MATHEW BEAUCHAMP COLIN WOOD PAUL MARTIN
Dave “Strange’ Goodger - Guitar
Tyrant MKI
Woody – Vocals
Andrew Beauchamp – Guitar
Hugh Costello – Guitar
Paul Martin – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
Tyrant was formed in 1980 by Woody and Andrew Beauchamp after watching Rose Bayonet perform at the Quinn’s Post in Lower Hutt. They quickly added old school friend Peter Beverstock on Drums and Hugh Costello on Guitar. The band start rehearsing covers including Iron Maiden’s Running Free. The band rehearsed without a Bass player until a friend introduces them to Paul Martin (Knightshade, Blackjack, World War Four & Devilskin) who joins on Bass. March 15th 1981 they record a 4 track demo tape at Sausage Studios in Kelburn. Four tracks are recorded at this session, Bedroom Secrets (Wood, Beverstock, Costello), Burning (Costello), Leaving Me (Wood, Costello) and Evil Mind (Martin, Costello). The demos failed to generate any interest from record companies and radio stations, a familiar theme for all New Zealand Heavy Metal bands from the 80’s.
Tyrant MKII
Woody – Vocals
Andrew Beauchamp– Guitar
Paul Martin – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
In 1981, Costello leaves the band, they decide to stay as a four piece after trying out some guitar players but having no luck finding one that fits. The band moves into a permanent practice room in Miramar, during summer the band would often set up on the grass outside causing the odd traffic jam as people slowed down or stopped to see what was going on.
Tyrant MKIII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
Andrew Beauchamp leaves the band and Paul Martin moves to Guitar with Matthew Beauchamp (Andrew’s cousin) joining on Bass.
Tyrant MKIV
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beverstock leaves the band and Colin Wood (Woody’s younger brother) joins on drums.
Tyrant MKV
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Peter Appleboom – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beauchamp leaves to join a ska band. Peter Appleboom (Rose Bayonet) joins on Bass. After trying to get gigs on the Radio Windy open air summer concerts the previous year the band manage to get an opening slot at Scorching Bay on the back of truck in front of 1,200 people. Most of the audience leave after the band plays it’s set. November 2nd 1982 a second demo tape is recorded at Cresendo Studios in Miramar. They record two Martin written tracks, Don’t Get Me Wrong and Pieces Of Hate. This also fails to generate any record company interest.
Tyrant MKVI
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beauchamp to rejoins on Bass. Godzone Metal is released, the first ever New Zealand Metal compilation album featuring live tracks from Rose Bayonet, Harlot, Astaroroth and Tyrant. The band continue to gig around the lower North Island playing numerous co-headline shows with Astaroth and Harlot including a semi residency at Cosgroves. Cosgroves was one of very few venues that had live bands in Wellington at that time. They self fund the recording of an E.P. called Breaking Out. Recording at the respected Wellingon Recording Studios Marmalde with former ‘Th’ Dudes’ guitarist Ian Morris as engineer. They record a cover of the ‘Easybeats’ Sorry and 2 Original songs, Nowhere To Run (Martin, Wood) and Breaking Out (Martin). The band always had a sense of humour often playing the theme from the ‘Surprise Peas Cannon Ball’ Ad on TV at the time as an intro to one of their songs live. Keeping up with that tradition they recorded a backwards message for the E.P. Following the recording of the E.P. Beauchamp leaves for the second time moving to London.
Tyrant MKVII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew ‘Igor’ Hudson – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums London.
Matthew ‘Igor” Hudson (Rose Bayonet) joins on Bass the band plays another open air gig at Foxton Beach.
Tyrant MKVIII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Dave “Strange’ Goodger - Guitar
Darryn Karnell – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
The E.P. is released and the band get some radio airtime with the A Side getting played on Radio Active. EMI had shown an interest in distributing the E.P. but due to staff leaving declined the offer. The band distributed the E.P. themselves at gigs and through ads placed in Kreshindo magazine. Hudson leaves the band; they decided to add a rhythm guitarist. Dave ‘Strange’ Goodger (Astaroth, Confessor) joins on Rhythm Guitar and Darryn Karnell is added on Bass. The highlight for this line up of the band was a gig at The Cricketer’s Arms with fellow Wellington Punk band Flesh D-vice. The singer of Flesh D-vice being Gerald Dwyer, the future Manager of Shihad.
Tyrant MKIX
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Rob Watene – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Early 1984, in a truly Spinal Tapesk girlfriend moment both Karnell and Goodger leave the band. They add Rob Watene on Bass but decide to stay as a four piece. Tyrant played its last gig around June 1984 at their now infamous practice rooms in Miramar to a few hundred loyal fans and friends. Paul Martin joined Knightshade and Woody left New Zealand for London. The Breaking Out E.P. is a sought after item in Europe often selling for hundreds of Euros.
DISCOGRAPHY
Woody – Vocals
Andrew Beauchamp – Guitar
Hugh Costello – Guitar
Paul Martin – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
Tyrant was formed in 1980 by Woody and Andrew Beauchamp after watching Rose Bayonet perform at the Quinn’s Post in Lower Hutt. They quickly added old school friend Peter Beverstock on Drums and Hugh Costello on Guitar. The band start rehearsing covers including Iron Maiden’s Running Free. The band rehearsed without a Bass player until a friend introduces them to Paul Martin (Knightshade, Blackjack, World War Four & Devilskin) who joins on Bass. March 15th 1981 they record a 4 track demo tape at Sausage Studios in Kelburn. Four tracks are recorded at this session, Bedroom Secrets (Wood, Beverstock, Costello), Burning (Costello), Leaving Me (Wood, Costello) and Evil Mind (Martin, Costello). The demos failed to generate any interest from record companies and radio stations, a familiar theme for all New Zealand Heavy Metal bands from the 80’s.
Tyrant MKII
Woody – Vocals
Andrew Beauchamp– Guitar
Paul Martin – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
In 1981, Costello leaves the band, they decide to stay as a four piece after trying out some guitar players but having no luck finding one that fits. The band moves into a permanent practice room in Miramar, during summer the band would often set up on the grass outside causing the odd traffic jam as people slowed down or stopped to see what was going on.
Tyrant MKIII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Pete Beverstock – Drums
Andrew Beauchamp leaves the band and Paul Martin moves to Guitar with Matthew Beauchamp (Andrew’s cousin) joining on Bass.
Tyrant MKIV
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beverstock leaves the band and Colin Wood (Woody’s younger brother) joins on drums.
Tyrant MKV
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Peter Appleboom – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beauchamp leaves to join a ska band. Peter Appleboom (Rose Bayonet) joins on Bass. After trying to get gigs on the Radio Windy open air summer concerts the previous year the band manage to get an opening slot at Scorching Bay on the back of truck in front of 1,200 people. Most of the audience leave after the band plays it’s set. November 2nd 1982 a second demo tape is recorded at Cresendo Studios in Miramar. They record two Martin written tracks, Don’t Get Me Wrong and Pieces Of Hate. This also fails to generate any record company interest.
Tyrant MKVI
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew Beauchamp – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Beauchamp to rejoins on Bass. Godzone Metal is released, the first ever New Zealand Metal compilation album featuring live tracks from Rose Bayonet, Harlot, Astaroroth and Tyrant. The band continue to gig around the lower North Island playing numerous co-headline shows with Astaroth and Harlot including a semi residency at Cosgroves. Cosgroves was one of very few venues that had live bands in Wellington at that time. They self fund the recording of an E.P. called Breaking Out. Recording at the respected Wellingon Recording Studios Marmalde with former ‘Th’ Dudes’ guitarist Ian Morris as engineer. They record a cover of the ‘Easybeats’ Sorry and 2 Original songs, Nowhere To Run (Martin, Wood) and Breaking Out (Martin). The band always had a sense of humour often playing the theme from the ‘Surprise Peas Cannon Ball’ Ad on TV at the time as an intro to one of their songs live. Keeping up with that tradition they recorded a backwards message for the E.P. Following the recording of the E.P. Beauchamp leaves for the second time moving to London.
Tyrant MKVII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Matthew ‘Igor’ Hudson – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums London.
Matthew ‘Igor” Hudson (Rose Bayonet) joins on Bass the band plays another open air gig at Foxton Beach.
Tyrant MKVIII
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Dave “Strange’ Goodger - Guitar
Darryn Karnell – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
The E.P. is released and the band get some radio airtime with the A Side getting played on Radio Active. EMI had shown an interest in distributing the E.P. but due to staff leaving declined the offer. The band distributed the E.P. themselves at gigs and through ads placed in Kreshindo magazine. Hudson leaves the band; they decided to add a rhythm guitarist. Dave ‘Strange’ Goodger (Astaroth, Confessor) joins on Rhythm Guitar and Darryn Karnell is added on Bass. The highlight for this line up of the band was a gig at The Cricketer’s Arms with fellow Wellington Punk band Flesh D-vice. The singer of Flesh D-vice being Gerald Dwyer, the future Manager of Shihad.
Tyrant MKIX
Woody – Vocals
Paul Martin – Guitar
Rob Watene – Bass
Colin Wood – Drums
Early 1984, in a truly Spinal Tapesk girlfriend moment both Karnell and Goodger leave the band. They add Rob Watene on Bass but decide to stay as a four piece. Tyrant played its last gig around June 1984 at their now infamous practice rooms in Miramar to a few hundred loyal fans and friends. Paul Martin joined Knightshade and Woody left New Zealand for London. The Breaking Out E.P. is a sought after item in Europe often selling for hundreds of Euros.
DISCOGRAPHY
VINYL 3 TRACK 1984 VINYL COMPILATION 1983
TYRANT on Encyclopaedia Metallum
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
ADRENALIN ANIGMA ALARUM ASTAROTH BAD BLOOD BLACKJACK BLUE DEMOM BLITZ CIRCUS CONFESSOR
COVENANT DESPISER DIZZY BLONDE DVS FAT SALLY FURY GRAVEL MONSTERS HAMMERACK HEADBUTT
HEAVY DUTY HARLOT KNIGHTSHADE LIONHEART MALEVOLENCE NAKED BLADE NINE LIVEZ PUSH PUSH PHOBIA
ROSE BAYONET SABBATH SACRAMENT SHIHAD STONEHENGE STORMBRINGER TEMPEST
THE NOD TOKYO TYRANT STRIKEMASTER SUICIDE SUITE WHISKEY N LACE WORLD WAR FOUR
ADRENALIN ANIGMA ALARUM ASTAROTH BAD BLOOD BLACKJACK BLUE DEMOM BLITZ CIRCUS CONFESSOR
COVENANT DESPISER DIZZY BLONDE DVS FAT SALLY FURY GRAVEL MONSTERS HAMMERACK HEADBUTT
HEAVY DUTY HARLOT KNIGHTSHADE LIONHEART MALEVOLENCE NAKED BLADE NINE LIVEZ PUSH PUSH PHOBIA
ROSE BAYONET SABBATH SACRAMENT SHIHAD STONEHENGE STORMBRINGER TEMPEST
THE NOD TOKYO TYRANT STRIKEMASTER SUICIDE SUITE WHISKEY N LACE WORLD WAR FOUR