Website tag: Band members

Williams, Steve

Steve’s musical career began at the age of nine when he started learning piano and drums. Later he studied in London, first orchestral music at the Royal Academy of Music, then jazz and rock at the Guildhall School of Music.

The late Eighties led Steve to a career in pop as Musical Director for various touring acts of the time: Rick Astley, Kim Appleby and Lisa Stansfield. He did a couple of albums with Midge Ure and worked on soundtracks for From Hell (starring Johnny Depp) and Crossroads (starring Britney Spears).

Steve was percussionist during Kim’s Hits Tour in 1994. He was working with Kim Appleby in 1991, when he met Steve Byrd. They got on well, and he introduced him when Kim was looking for a band for her live shows in December 1992. During the Hits Tour this same band was used.

Steve Williams about Kim

Steve: Kim is so easy to work with. I dare to say the easiest and nicest boss I’ve ever had. A pleasure. Her working attitude is fun but very professional. She knows what she wants. (1)

Interview source

(1) Wilde Connection magazine, Spring 1994


Williams, Boris

Born in Versailles (France) on 24 April 1957, Boris Peter Bransby-Williams is an English drummer. He’s worked with various bands such as Thompson Twins, Tomato City and Strawberry Switchblade. In 1983, he joined Kim’s band for the Catch Tour in November and December.

After this tour, Williams joined The Cure, replacing Andy Anderson who was fired for destroying a hotel room. He stayed with the band for a decade. He started another band called Babacar with his then girlfriend Caroline Crawley.


Twigg, Gary

Gary Twigg played Fender Jazz Bass on Is It Over, Suburbs of Moscow and Thought It Was Goodbye, all on the album Teases & Dares, plus several tracks on the album Another Step.
He also played bass on albums by, amongst others, Peter Godwin, Private Lives, Roger Chapman and Bucks Fizz.


Stevenson, James

James Stevenson was still in school when he joined Chelsea, a punk band that had previously employed William Broad (a.k.a. Billy Idol), John Towe and Tony James. They went on to form the punk band Generation X.
James joined Chelsea in April 1977 and played guitar on their first single ‘Right to work’, released on 1 June 1977, and during the first of Chelsea’s BBC Radio 1 sessions. Stevenson continued to work with Chelsea for three years, but by the end of 1980 he joined Generation X. Following the demise of Generation X in 1981, he went on to spend a year in Kim Wilde’s band. He played guitar on her debut album Kim Wilde and appeared in many TV performances with her. He is even spotted in the videos for Kids in America and Chequered Love.
After this, he formed Hot Club with former Sex pistol Glen Matlock. in 1985 he joined Gene Loves Jezebel, with whom he still works, co-writing most of their hits. He has also played on many records including Tricky’s debut album Maxinquaye. In 1994 he was invited by his old friend Billy Duffy to join The Cult’s forthcoming world tour as a second guitarist. He has also worked live with The Alarm’s Mike Peters. He has also shown up on albums by pop artists such as Jimmy Nail and Louise.

You were in the “promotional” band of Kim Wilde for her mega-hit ‘Kids in America’ period, in the time pre-Gene Loves Jezebel and after Gen X, right? Now, how do you look back at the period? Were you just a hired hand, or do you feel you were able to contribute ideas and help her establish a presence, since she didn’t have a band at the time of the recording (I believe)?
James: I played on a few tracks on the first and second albums, but I was very much a hired gun – by Mickie Most, not Kim. Though I loved Kim – she’s really one of the boys and drank me under the table more than once! But I missed playing live. All I did with Kim was TV shows, that’s why I put Hot Club together with Glen Matlock. I did all the guitar soloing at the end of ‘Water On Glass’. I remember being quite proud of it at the time. (Source: David Ensminger, Mavericks of Sound: Conversations with Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music. London, Rowman & Littlefield, cop. 2014. ISBN 978-1-4422-3590-8)


Power, Steve

Steve Power was born on 7 July 1975 in Manchester (UK). He became part of Kim’s band in 2006, playing keyboards and has toured with Kim ever since then. He plays on the studio tracks Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Let It Snow, Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree and Winter Wonderland.

He also plays keyboards with Rick Astley.

He got married to his partner Amy on 20 May 2012. They had a son Max on October 17, 2009 and another son Jack on 19 January 2013.


Padovani, Henry

Henry Padovani (born 13 October 1952 in Bastia, Corsica) is a musician. He was originally the guitarist with The Police. In 1977, he was replaced by Andy Summers.

Since then he has recorded and performed as a musician in his own right. After The Police, he joined Wayne County & the Electric Chairs.
In late 1981 and early 1982, he was part of Kim Wilde’s band during TV performances.

In 1980, he formed his own guitar instrumental band, the Flying Padovanis, and released the single Western Pasta (1981). The Flying Padovani’s recorded two albums: ‘Font L’Enfer’ (1983) and ‘They Call Them Crazy’ (1987) before disbanding at the end of 1987. A few years later he contributed to a Johnny Thunders tribute album by performing Cosa Nostra.

Henry was the Vice President of IRS Records between 1984 and 1994, and then managed Italian superstar Zucchero for 5 years.

After a five year sabbatical, Henry decided to return to guitar playing. He released a solo album in April 2006, ‘À Croire que c’était pour la Vie’, sung in French, including the song ‘Welcome Home’ featuring Stewart Copeland and Sting of The Police.

Henry also released a book in April 2006, Secret Police Man, that recounts many episodes of his “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” London lifestyle in the late 1970s and the early days of The Police.

In 2010, a documentary about Padovani was released. Kim is one of many people interviewed about him and she appears in the movie a few times.


North, Chris

Chris North was born on 18 January 1954 in Billericay, England (UK). He played with the 60’s pop band Love Affair. He joined The Enid in 1980 to replace their drummer Robbie Dobson. Two years after that, he left the band again but continued to function in the band as an occasional session musician until 1993.
Meanwhile, in 1981 he played on Kim’s debut album Kim Wilde and also played drums on most of the tracks on the album Teases & Dares.


Murrell, Trevor

Trevor Murrell played drums on Kim Wilde’s first three albums Kim Wilde, Select and Catch as Catch Can and also performed drums and percussion duties during Kim’s Debut Tour in 1982.

He went on to play on albums by Wham!, Matt Bianco, Des’ree, Sade and Joe Cocker, amongst others. Since 1985 he also plays drums at the annual event Night of the Proms.


McLaughlin, Aileen

Aileen McLaughlin was the backing vocalist during Kim’s Hits Tour in 1994. She’s also performed with artists like Michael Bolton, Cher, Johnny Hallyday, Kylie Minogue, Lisa Stansfield and the Stereophonics. She’s performed as part of Bjorn Again and other Abba tribute bands over the last decade.


McAlea, Kevin

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 10 April 1949. Having played keyboards with bands like Skid Row and having done session work with X-Ray Specs vocalist Poly Styrene, he joined Kate Bush for the Tour Of Life in 1979. Interested in electronic music, McAlea built his own synthesizers, one of which he used on the Tour.

In 1983, he joined Kim Wilde’s band for the Catch Tour, playing on all of the live dates in 1983.

He went on to work with Bees Make Honey, Clannad, Barbara Dixon, Dr Feelgood, Enya, David Gilmour, Roy Harper, Kirsty MacColl and Seal. He has his own band, Celtic Orbis.


Jones, Neil

Neil Jones was born on 18 March 1979. He started playing the piano at an early age and then turned to the (left-handed) guitar aged 11. In the Nineties he started working as a session guitarist and teaching the instrument.

Since 2007, he plays in Kim Wilde’s band, replacing Perry ap Gwynedd.


Heyman, Preston

Preston Heyman is a British session drummer who started playing drums in 1971. His credits include among others playing with Kate Bush on her 1979 tour (as evidenced on the ‘Live at Hammersmith Odeon’ video), with Atomic Rooster on their sixth album ‘Atomic Rooster’ (1980) and with the Tom Robinson Band on the album ‘TRB Two’ (1979). He also played with Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Massive Attack, Sting, Terence Trent d’Arby and others. In 1984, he joined Kim Wilde’s band and toured with Kim during the Rage to Rock tour in 1985.

He is the co-founder of London based production company Flipside Productionsand plays live with Zohar and Avivit on the London circuit.