Band Line Up 2015

Pig Irön form, playing the first rehearsal together at The Peel in Kingston-upon-Thames. Joe Smith on drums, Dave Pattenden on bass, are brought together by their shared love of the classic hard rock of Motörhead, MC5, The Doors, Monster Magnet, The Guess Who and Pentagram.

“We've been to BOA many times as fans, but this will be the second time that Pig Iron have been asked to perform at this, one of the heaviest of metal festivals, and are proud to do so.”

A year after forming, Pig Irön play their debut on 20th June 2002 at The Peel in Kingston, Surrey.

NOVEMBER 2002

Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers decide to check out Pig Irön, leading to an invitation from Bruce to appear in session on his BBC6 Radio Christmas Special. The only catch is that Bruce has to sing Deep ‘Space Truckin’’ with the band. This is not a problem.

DECEMBER 2002

Pig Irön perform ‘The Ballad Of Thulsa Doom’ and ‘Biker Lord’ to a specially invited audience at the BBC’s Maida Vale MV4 studio. As promised, Pig Irön allow Bruce to sing on the aforementioned Deep Purple classic. Much beer is drank.

JANUARY 2003

Pig Irön play their first major London date, supporting Budgie at London’s Mean Fiddler (RIP). The rest of 2003 is spent gigging with the likes of Orange Goblin and The Almighty’s Ricky Warwick, and writing material for their and much anticipated, imminent debut.

MAY 2004

The band begin recording what will be their debut, “The Law And The Road Are One”. That same month they make their first live appearance in Sweden. The resulting live recording from the show is later released officially as “Helvete Ja! Live In Sweden”.

DECEMBER 2004

A highly limited, and now very collectible 100 copies of “The Law And The Road Are One” are pressed just in time for the band’s second visit to Sweden, this time to play in Gothenburg and Stockholm. The first pressing soon sells out.

JUNE 2005

“The Law And The Road Are One” receives an official release, and according to Metal Hammer, “Pig Irön’s debut is a perfect introduction to their gritty, Southern tinged rock,” and according to Classic Rock “Big Rock is BACK: fuck off riffs, 60 fags a day vocal, and power chords that hit you like a jeep cherokee with bull bars. It’s no surprise the band look every inch the scary-ass cowboys they sound like.”

SEPTEMBER 2005

Pig Irön are invited to support Iron Maiden at London’s legendary Hammersmith Apollo in aid of Clive Burr. The concert is a resounding success, and according to Kerrang! magazine, the band “go down an absolute storm... If you can win over a Maiden crowd in less than 40 minutes you must be doing something right.”

DECEMBER 2005

“The Law And The Road Are One” appears in end of year poles, including the 20th best album in Classic Rock’s Best 50 Albums Of 2005. Not bad for a CD that had been produced by the band themselves for no more than £150.

OCTOBER 2007

“The Paths of Glory...Lead But To The Grave” is finally released. Reviews are uniformly good, from positive to raving, with Classic Rock reckoning the album has “some of the biggest riffs ever committed to tape, and an overall sound that manages to cram the best bits from the last 35 years of heavy music into nine heroically brawny blues metal anthems.” Ben Ash joins the band as second guitarist after Dave announces he “has to go on tour with Iron Maiden next year”.

MARCH 2008

Pig Irön undertake a tour supporting a reformed Waysted, and much fun is had by all. It is doubtful as to how “reformed” Waysted actually are.

APRIL 2008

Pig Irön enter the legendary Toe Rag studios in Hackney to lay down two tracks that will eventually be released on “Blues+Power=Destiny”. It’s the only recording the band will record as a five piece, complete with “duelling” lead axes.

DECEMBER 2008

The band are invited to play Hard Rock Hell’s Clive Aid stage in

Prestatyn, North Wales. The gig is a resounding success, not least for

being joined onstage by the Satanic Sluts (featuring Georgina Baillie) on the closing number ‘The Pentagram’. This was the last time Dave performed with the band.

JUNE 2009

“Helvete Ja! Live In Sweden” is released as a strictly limited edition whilst the band concentrate on writing material for “Blues+Power=Destiny”. Dave decides to move to Canada to pursue a career as a filmmaker.

DECEMBER 2009

Pig Irön make a second appearance at Hard Rock Hell.

JANUARY 2010

The band return to Hackney’s Toe Rag with Ed Turner at the control

desk in order to record the remainder of the album. Recording live, without a computer or pro-tools rig in sight, the album is finished in a mere four days. The band are very pleased with the result. The same month, ‘Lord, Kill The Pain’ is also hailed as one of the best songs of the noughties by Classic Rock magazine.

APRIL 2010

Pig Irön release their first 7" single, a recording of ‘Another Mule...” made at the same Toe Rag sessions that produced the album, this time featuring the belting, bluesy vocals of Emma Wilson. The track later appears on the "Hitch EP" in August.

MAY 2010

“Blues+Power=Destiny” is released, on CD, download and 12” LP! The album received rave reviews from Kerrang! (KKKK), Powerplay (9/10) and Classic Rock (8/10).

JUNE 2010

Pig Irön play their first gigs in Ibiza, as part of Hard Rock Hell's Road Trip.

DECEMBER 2010

Ben Ash plays his last gig with the band, at the Embassy Club, in London.

FEBRUARY 2011

Sons Of Merrick's Dan Edwards is announced as Ben Ash's replacement, and plays his first official gig with the band. 

NOVEMBER 2012

“PIG IRON: IV” is released to fantastic reviews:

“This really is an album that keeps on giving… the band have really outdone

themselves” Powerplay 9/10

“Pig Iron sound remarkably like the real deal… imagine the Black Crowes if

they came from Streatham” Metal Hammer 7/10

“An utterly thrilling band… a testament to their flawless consistency as a

well-oiled riff machine” Terrorizer

“It all comes together when they unleash their inner boogie… you just know

Pig Iron kill it live”Classic Rock

“IV is an accomplished recording by Pig Iron” Fireworks

2015

Pig Iron release their 5th album, “Sermons From The Church Of Blues Restitution” on OFF YER ROCKA RECORDINGS, playing at HRH AOR in Wales and HRH Roadtrip in Ibiza. The album is preceeded by the release of the single ‘Wildcat Birdhead’.