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Be My Guest

Steve ‘Wispa’ Cundall is the original bassist and, more recently, vocalist of The Drones. Recognised as one of Manchester punk’s most highly rated foundational bassists, his playing style and stage presence are cited in many retrospectives on the city’s punk history.

Wayne Jackson is a highly experienced multi-instrumentalist and singer, with over fifty-five years as a professional musician. His extensive CV includes stints on drums for Herman’s Hermits and percussion for Gloria Gaynor, in addition to fronting various bands on vocals, as well as playing guitar and bass.

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How It All Came Together

“This is actually the first track we tackled for the Stan’s Guest List album.

When Glenn and I joined V2, we played Stan a track we’d recorded at Unit 26 Studio, Media City, Salford, in 2017. It was called ‘America Calling’ back then. Stan liked it, but wanted a new title and lyrics.

After a couple of failed efforts, it was Stan who finally came up with ‘Breakdown!’. As the title suggests, the lyrics have a mad One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest feel to them.

Back in 2017, we’d roped in Wayne to lay down bass, having played with him many times. When Glenn asked Stan what he wanted for bass on the new track, he didn’t hesitate:

‘Let’s just leave Wayne on…’

Extra guitar was then added by Liam, and we got Wispa down to Glenn’s garage to record the vocals. His performance was spot on — full of manic personality, doing the lyrics full justice.

Stan was thrilled to bits and sent it to friends and musical colleagues to demonstrate where we were going as a band. It got a thumbs up all round and was played on the influential Berlin-based punk radio show, New Rose Radio, by our good friend Frank ‘Nolti’ Nolte.

With ‘Breakdown!’, Stan’s Guest List was officially up and running.”

Martin Smith