I am very aware that I haven't updated the site very much in 2008, so I'm starting off 2009 with a bumper round up of all things Europeans and How We Live.  This website has been running for just over 10 years now, which I cannot really believe myself.  I still regularly receive emails via the site showing interest in both bands, and it is a testament to the appeal of their wonderful music.  Thanks to everyone who has emailed with comments, clippings, tapes, videos, interviews etc... over the past decade.  I am constantly surprised to find "new" things to do with the Euros & HWL, and I still have a lot if fun updating the site.  I have lots of great stuff coming up in the year.  Here's to the next 10 years... who knows what will happen?

Steve Hogarth 

Another recent release is Naked in the Chapel, a DVD from Steve's September 2007 solo show at the Union Chapel in Islington, London.  Steve explains: "If you were there, thanks for coming - it was a great night among many great nights. It was about as relaxed as I have ever felt on a stage and I'm indebted to all who came and created such an atmosphere in such a beautiful little church. I'm thrilled to announce that the DVD of the concert is now ready; The Boom Boom Boys shot and edited it, I mixed it myself, and it looks and sounds great! The vibe was lovely and I think we've captured it. There's also bonus material of a handful of excerpts from my diary - a few interesting days including prison in Poland, the Pulp Fiction evening in San Diego and the bizarre 37 hour flight to Mexico City via most of America (so that the FBI could arrest Cat Stevens, and - very nearly - me too..) ..You couldn't make it up!"

The DVD is available from the Marillion website at http://www.marillion.com/music/solo/h-chapel-dvd.htm.

There have been a few more h natural (solo piano & voice) shows, including two sold out dates in Liverpool and London just before Christmas.  Steve reads excerpts from his diary at the shows, and at the London date it was an entry about the How We Live "Edinburgh Playhouse Incident" as mentioned elsewhere on this site.  You can download complete h natural shows at http://www.h-tunes.com/, whereas the h natural myspace site at http://www.myspace.com/hnatural has an exclusive video clip of Steve performing HWL tune Working Town.

You can watch a complete h band show from 2002 over at Fab Channel http://www.fabchannel.com/hband_concert.  Filmed at the Amsterdam Paradiso, it includes a rarely performed version of the How We Live song India.  (It's Track 9 on the playlist)

Finally, Steve has a myspace page of his own at http://www.myspace.com/stevehogarth and his own website at http://www.stevehogarth.com (although it is not updated very often)

Geoff Dugmore 

"Well, I just played to about the biggest audience I will ever play to! An estimated 2 billion people watched the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and heard me playing Whole Lotta Love on the handover with Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis.  Quite a gas really!"

There are numerous articles and interviews available via Geoff's site, but this one from Mike Dolbear's website is a particularly good one: Geoff Dugmore: British Drum Icon:  http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=1673

Finally, Geoff too has a myspace page and it can be found at http://www.myspace.com/geoffdugmore1

The Animal Song - Various versions on the web 

 

Live Version (from the Live LP) at: 

http://www.esnips.com/web/NewWaveCollection/  

 

Cross Country Version (from 12"):

http://arcimage2006.multiply.com/video/item/129/Europeans_-_Animal_Song.flv 

 

It has also made its way onto a Best Of New Wave Megamix CD compilation: http://www.discogs.com/release/725993

Lucy Jordache (Marillion's Marketing & Communications Manager) tells me that "I don't think we have any plans to release the other albums but you never know - plans do change all the time!"  Here's hoping that the remaining two albums will finally make their way onto CD in the near future.  There is a lot of support for a re-release via this website!

Europeans on YouTube 

This website's own YouTube channel EurosHWL can be found at http://www.youtube.com/EurosHWL.

Another channel called (amusingly) 'musicvideosthatsuck' has uploaded a very good quality version of the legendary Animal Song video clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxGZYIHmmfs.  Previous copies of this have been removed for copyright infringements, so enjoy it while you can!

Randomly, there is a video for Europeans' AEIOU featuring a computer animated girl dancing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXThbF4ga0k 

For the more brave of you, check out the video of Polish artist Iza "covering" the Animal Song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie_x7_TJsFE

Interviews with Steve Hogarth 

 

A few extracts, and links to interviews with Steve where he talks about Europeans & How We Live

Interview with Steve Hogarth from Polish cgm.pl site (Nov 2004)

 

Q) In the 80s you were a member of Europeans.  What can you say about that part of your career?

 

A) The band was from Glasgow. In the early 80s their keyboard player had left the band and I replaced him.  Fergus Harper was the lead singer.  During one of the first rehearsals I showed the band some of my songs & they were very pleased.  From this moment on, The Europeans had 2 singers.  We played experimental music.  We were influenced by post-punk and industrial: Heaven 17, Joy Division and Talking Heads.  Our music was more raw.  During gigs we were dressed like sportsmen or wild animals.  We wore masks.  We had a great fun.  Europeans were a great live band.  We had tours in Europe and USA.  It was an excellent lesson in singing live, and being a singer.  The experience was helpful when I joined Marillion. It's also helpful nowadays.  I learnt that you should always be self-confident while on stage.  (The full interview (in Polish) can be found here)

Q&A with Steve Hogarth - Montreal Gazette (June 2007)

Q) How about your early-career songs that you've been singing? How is it different for you singing a Europeans or How We Live song now as opposed to 20-some years ago?

A)  I guess I'm someone else now, really, to the point where I don't really remember who I was back then. It's very hard to compare. I'm very conscious of who I am and how I am now, but it's such a long time since back then, and I guess I'm such a cabbage that I actually can't remember. I've lived so many lives, almost, since then that the person I was back then, I would barely know him if he walked in the room now. I don't know what I'd make of him. I'd probably have a big argument with him. (Laughs)  (Read the full interview (in Canadian) here)

Ice Cream Genius: a nice little biography / blog: http://rissan.blogspot.com/2008/07/ice-cream-genius.html  

 

Steve Hogarth Speaks His Mind (Dutch Prog Rock Pages) http://www.dprp.net/specials/2006_hogarth/  

"It has been 25 years or more since I worked with them. I was there for nearly every transition, I have held the guys in my heart since then.  They influenced my life more than any other band I have worked with.  Being their tour manager and sound engineer through it all helped me see them from both angles, both professionally and personally.  I saw Geoff in Japan a few years back, and Steve at an old haunt of mine in the Midlands, JB's Dudley.  Steve was performing there with Marillion, and I was over visiting from the USA. It was an amazing night, to see him perform, and then spend a few hours with him going over our past 20 odd years apart, 

I have be very fortunate in this business to have travelled to over 60 countries, and played stadiums in nearly all of them with bands such as Metallica, AC/DC and many more.  At present I part own and run one of the largest sound companies in the USA (www.thunderaudioinc.com) with tours such as Steely Dan, Robert Plant and Dolly Parton out at present,  I am just about to embark on an other world tour with Metallica.  It may be my last, but I've been saying that for 10 years now.  Over my 30 years in this business, no band has been as close to me as the Europeans. And trust me, I have seen a few.  They are a band that had so much talent, and yet like so many of them during that time, never made it big.  I often wonder how different my life would have been if they had.  Listening to the CDs brought a few tears to my eyes.  I will always have the deepest respect for all of them. I feel Steve Hogarth is one of the greatest front men of our time, fire extinguisher and all!  I still have a live shot of them on my desk at work.  And, if by a miraculous work of fate they get together and do a show, I will drop whoever I'm with, fly over, and be honoured to mix them again." (Paul Owen)

Review of Dry Land Album 

 

"Dry Land sounds remarkably fresh and fun after 13 years of confinement, and you know what? The compositions aren't half as bad as you might expect. If you grew up with the music of the eighties (like yours truly) then this albums just sounds familiar and new at the same time."

 

Read the full (and very complimentary) review of How We Live's Dry Land album at:

http://frisiansotherfavorites.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-we-live-dry-land-1987.html

How We Live bass player Dave 'Taif' Ball has played with many artists, including Jools Holland, Killing Joke, Paraphernalia, David Knopfler and Steve Hackett.  His website can be found at http://taif.co.uk/taifbass/index.cfm?page=gallery, where you'll find some exclusive photos taken during his stint with HWL.  There is also a small entry in the Biog section in the site.  Well worth a look.

HWL Discography Additions 

 

A couple of updates to the Discography.  I have managed to track down one of the Rock Over London radio shows, which has an insert describing How We Live as "Anglo-Scottish duo making their worldwide debut."  See Cover Page / Cue Sheet.

I also now have the "Rock-Pop Live in Concert" album, which includes two How We Live tracks Games in Germany & All the Time in the World.  Contrary to the album title, the tracks are not live.  This 2LP set was a tie-in release for the Munich Open Air Concert in 1987.  Other artists on the record include Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Eurythmics & John Farnham!  See Cover / Back Sleeve Credit / Label

 

More details of the video broadcast of the concert (including HWL track Working Girl) can be found at http://www.concertarchiv.net/Rockpop-1987.htm.

Finally, here are a number of clippings & photos from 1989, when former Europeans and How We Live singer Steve Hogarth was announced as the new lead singer of Marillion.  The first promo shot released to the press shows Steve in the same sheepskin jacket he wore on the cover of How We Live's Working Girl single here!  Click the pictures to see the bigger versions.

Rock World Magazine	Alternate Colour Promo	Kerrang Mar 1989
1989 Promo Photo	1989 Press Pack	Q Magazine
	Kerrang Sept 1989
	'Raw' Sept 1989