Martin Weaver - Wicked Lady/Dark

Martin Weaver is a pioneer in the ever expanding, riff driven genre of proto-metal that took place in the mid/late 60s and all throughout the 70s. Though there are no existing photos of Wicked Lady, their music creates visions of terror and volcanic hell scapes that challenged even their heroes at the time. After Wicked Lady hung up their swords and raw armor, Weaver joined Steve Giles and his legendary outfit Dark to continue the massacre of mighty tone! It was a privilege speaking with Mr. Weaver about his life and career in music which has been a constant force for over 5 decades. Enojy!

When and where were you born? Are you originally from the UK? What was growing up like for you?

Born March 1952 Rugby UK. Childhood was good, hated school, left at 16 got a job repairing typewriters.

When did you first get into music and what was it about the guitar that initially fascinated you? Who were some of your early influences growing up?

I got into music listening to Beatles and Stones. Chuck Berry got me interested in guitar, I loved the sound and I managed to get and old acoustic Jazz guitar, I used the neck off it to make a Strat type guitar as I saw the Shadows had them. That was my first electric and would be the first of many that I built myself. Later I got into Hendrix, he was my ultimate guitar hero and kind of still is. 

When and where was your first show and who was the group, or artist you saw? Where would you go to see shows in your local scene and were there any groups that left a heavy impression on you and made you think, “I can do that!” ?

I saw a lot of local bands at the Youth Club, my first real band was Uriah Heep supported by Black Sabbath. This kind of set me up and confirmed what I wanted to do. I was already in WL by this time would have been around 1969.

Were you in any groups prior to Wicked Lady? If so, what were they and can you tell me about those experiences?

I was in a band for a very short while called Blue Diamond. A covers band. The manger sacked me because I refused to cut my hair and my guitar playing was too 'Rocky'. The drummer and bass player left with me, we got a vocalist and formed a blues/Rock band, proto Wicked Lady. We played one or two small gigs. I was about seventeen.

What would you and your mates do for fun in those early days before music fully took over? The Wicked Lady formed in ‘68. How did that all come about and what initially led to the decision to start the group?

Music took hold very early for me I spent all my spare time playing the guitar and getting better at it. Also I was a keen electronics hobbyist. When I wasn't doing that I was off seeing bands. It was late '68 and it was a gradual progression to start WL and meeting other musicians at gigs etc. who had the same musical outlook made it possible.

How did you meet your bandmates Bob Jefferies, “Mad” Dick Smith, Del “German Head” Morley? What were your first impressions of them and what commonalities did you guys share?

Can't really remember how we all met, early Wicked Lady is a bit of a haze (!)  got a feeling it was a jam session in Northampton. We definitely got on well, the drummer was a bit Keith Moon, a real character with a violent temper he would kick his drums over and walk off stage if he felt it wasn't going right.   

What was the overall vision for the group? What inspired you guys within music as well as outside of music and what did you want to bring to the table that was different from the other groups at the time?

We wanted to play the music we wanted, hard Rock, we basically would jam around our songs and be creative, it was exciting being onstage with these guys. Audiences though tended not to get it.

Known for your outstanding, viscous and sometimes unforgiven guitar skills, what inspired that sound and tone. What kind of gear would you guys play through back in those days?

Being an electronics enthusiast I was able to modify my Marshall fuzz box to make it smoother with more sustain I coupled this with a treble booster and Waa-Waa pedal which I used to use half way on for solos. I also had a ring modulator and Wem Copycat tape echo. I had a Gibson SG guitar, I am left handed and played it upside down. My pedal setup was pretty advanced for the time, when we finished playing the other guys in the band would be chatting to the girls and I was always stuck talking to guys who were interested in my gear. We played through full fat 100watt stacks. Bob had a Marshall and I had a Carlsboro, it was so tall I couldn't reach the knobs on the amplifier so always put the amp on the floor. We were mega loud and as a result I am deaf in one ear. The guitar would come alive with that much volume - fantastic!

Where would you guys rehearse? What were some of those first practices like? Can you tell me what the process of writing music was like for the band? Can you walk me through the process of some of the songs that have been released over the years?

We started rehearsing in a church hall but the Vicar said we were too loud and he couldn't hear himself think in the church up the road. We found a pub that let us use their upstairs function room, which was handy as we could get pissed at the same time. Win Win! We always let people come to our practices and that way got a small following. As for writing music I would come up with riffs whilst we were jamming then work on it at home, write the lyrics and expand on it till it was a track, I would do a rough recording on a cassette machine to play to the other guys.

When and where did you guys play your first show during that period in 1968-1972? You mentioned in our correspondence that there are absolutely no photos of the group and you guys didn't really care to release your music on vinyl at the time. Why was that, so the readers can fully understand?

Our first gig was at the Romany Pub in Northampton would have been late '68. We played there a few times, the landlord loved our music and used to laugh at the way the glassware used to rattle when we played. The pub regulars weren't too keen, I would play one chord and they would all disappear and pack themselves in the lounge bar to get away from the noise. As for photos, it really wasn't a thing for us, none of us owned a camera, our parents disowned us, the type of people who were 'fans' were definitely not the types with money to take and have pictures of us developed at Boots! Maybe there are some pictures existing, would love to see them. Pictures you may see on YouTube from people uploading our tracks are not us. We didn't want to release any music on record because we thought our type of music should only be listened to live. Record players back then were pretty pathetic. Your parent's Radiogram or a shitty record player wouldn't cut it. Our music was a visceral thing. 

What were Wicked Lady gigs like and what memories still stand out in your mind to this day? How did you guys come up with the name and the all around vibe, ascetic and nature of the group?

Our gigs got more and more wild as time went on as we got a biker following, wannabe Hells Angels. They would cause trouble and even take money on the door. I remember one pub we played there was a riot involving bikers, locals who were trying to get us to stop playing because of the noise and the Police. The pub was trashed and we didn't get paid. That pub lost it's music license and still hasn't got one to this day. The name of the band was from a drink advertised on a beer mat, we had our first gig lined up and the venue wanted a band name for advertising.

We were getting nowhere with a name we saw the Wicked Lady beer mat and decided that was the name. Also I remember we played at a Rock club where John Peel was DJ on a Friday or Saturday night before the band was on. We had gigged two nights running and we were knackered, we set the gear up and took some downers, closed the stage curtain lay on the floor and had a sleep. We were awoken by the manager saying hey chaps, John Peel is here to meet you. I remember Mad Dick saying to them "Fuck off, we're trying to have a kip".

What led to Wicked Lady ending in ‘72? How did you know our mutual friend Steve Giles from Dark? Can you tell me about accompanying them on their legendary LP “Zero Dark Time''? What were those experiences like playing with them?

Wicked Lady came to a gradual end because we were finding it hard to get gigs because of our reputation, we only played a venue once, we were only occasionally booked again. I had given up drugs and excessive drinking as I kept going dizzy and fainting, I saw the doctor and he told me if I carry on like this, one day I would pass out and not wake up. I was dangerously anaemic, not getting enough sleep etc etc. Playing as we did without 'help' wasn't as enjoyable. I was still a member of Wicked Lady when I joined Dark. I didn't know Steve Giles but knew Clive the Drummer, they were looking to enlarge their sound from just a three piece, through Clive I got invited to join one of their practice sessions in the famous cellar.

I had built a large synthesizer as at the time I was getting into electronic music and the thought was I could maybe use that in the band. We manhandled the thing down into the cellar but it wouldn't work at all, so I went and got my guitar and that was it, I got to be second guitar in the band, just it time for the recording of the Round the Edges album. Playing with them was really great, they were all great musicians, very creative and for me I could relax a bit and just enjoy playing, not being centre of attention. They had roadies and even a photographer at gigs.

When did Mind Doctors come to be in the timeline that is your career? Can you tell me about forming that outfit and how that all came to be? How did you come to know keyboard and percussionist Dave “Doc” Wadley? What was your vision when creating this record? What was your process for writing and conducting the music? When and where was the album recorded?

Mind Doctors came about after Dark had finished and I was in-between bands about 76/77 I knew Dave through my girlfriend I was into Tangerine Dream and we thought we would get together to record some ambient type music Dave and I equally contributed ideas. The idea for the album was a film for the ears. we never gigged, it was just the one album, although we did have plans for another, it never happened. The album was recorded at Dave's house and mixed and mastered in a studio in Northamptonshire.

Over two decades later Wicked Lady would finally sees its first vinyl release on the label Kissing Spell. How did that deal with them initially come about? The history of the label is incredibly fascinating for anyone that wants to read about it! What was the experience and feeling like after so many years to finally have a physical copy of an amazing piece of heavy sonic history that you created?

The deal with Kissing Spell came about when Steven Smith asked me if I had been in any other bands, I told him about Wicked Lady and he was interested. I still had the reel to reel tapes (badly deteriorating) and sent him cassettes of it. He thought it was great and released it. It was received well which was great and still sells well to this day. Now on the Guerssen label from Spain.  

How did that release on Kissing Spell affect your life as far as the world finally hearing one of your brain children? Did you guys get together for a reunion? I understand the label reissued the Dark LP as well. What a coincidence!

No we didn't have a reunion it wasn't a big deal. I was more interested in the Dark release to be honest as we were enjoying a lot of publicity regarding the collectability of the album. We got on television and Radio and even in mainstream papers and magazines. It was our 15 minutes of fame extended.

In our correspondence you mentioned you were currently residing in Portugal where you have a studio. How did you end up living there? Can you tell me about your current project ‘Doctors Of Space’? How did this outfit come to be? Are you guys planning on playing any shows anytime soon. How have these rather strange times affected you both personally as well musically? How have you managed to keep ‘sane’? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers

We moved to Portugal after seven years of living in Bulgaria. Bulgaria suited me musically as there is a massive rock and metal culture there. I had retired from music and had sold all my kit except for an acoustic guitar. Almost as soon as I got there I was asked to join a rock band so had to buy a load of kit again. The music scene in Portugal is very different and fragmented I don't feel the urge to play rock here. Scott Heller aka Dr Space from the Oreson Space Collective had recently moved there, he knew of me and made contact through Facebook and became a real live friend. I played with his band when they came over for a two date mini tour here. then I played with Scott a couple of times when he released a solo album - Dr Space's Alien Planet Trip and once when I played guitar on his next solo album.

We thought we had something going, we work well together and have now produced a lot of music together (check Doctors of Space on Bandcamp) and released one single and one album called First Treatment. We have another double album due out early next year on the Guerssen label. We played a couple of festivals before Covid hit and during the lock down released a Covid Sessions CD sending tracks back and forth to each other via internet, helping to keep us sane! We were honored to be asked to play the online Roadburn festival. I also have a budding solo career as an acoustic guitar player (go figure!), which I am enjoying, you can find my instrumental acoustic ramblings on Spotify and all other major streaming/download platforms. Also I have a YouTube channel. I am hoping to get back to gigging soon maybe even some busking, just about the only way to earn a crust through music these days. Doctors of Space will also be gigging as soon as is feasible.

Dakota Brown