08/01/2026
Forty Years of Music, One Final Thank You
After an unforgettable 40 years of playing live rock music — much of it performing our own material for an incredibly loyal and passionate fan base. We, The Force, have decided that March 2026 will mark our final gigs. It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly, but we feel the time has finally come to bring things to a close.
The past year has been especially tough. We lost our great friend and longtime band manager Norman, and we spent most of 2025 without our fantastic drummer Geordie after his heart attack in May. Thankfully he’s doing well now, but it was a huge setback. Add to that the reality that we’re not getting any younger, and age‑related hand problems have made it harder to play the way we want to.
We want to say a massive, heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us over the decades. To our fans - your dedication, your voices, your energy, your friendship and your belief in our music have meant more than we can ever express. You’ve been the heartbeat of this band.
To our wives, families, and friends: thank you for standing by us through late nights, long drives, and all the chaos that comes with being in a rock band. Your patience, encouragement, and love have kept us going.
There are far too many people to thank individually, and we’re bound to miss a few names, but every one of you has played a part in this story.
Huge appreciation to all the musicians who’ve shared the stage and the journey with us. From the early days with Mick Simpson, Phil Gillespie, and young Andy, through the first two CDs with the brilliant Franco Zuccaroli, then the inimitable Micky Kerrigan, and later Bill Hornsby, who joined us for a relatively short but thoroughly enjoyable spell as vocalist and front-man.
We also want to acknowledge our former managers: Robin “The Light Show” Alderson, Colin “Keep It Live” McCosh, and Terry “Take That for Now” Stansfield, whose ingenuity made our first live CD possible. And to John and Linda, whose support was invaluable for the second. (With thanks to John Taylor and Fred Purser for their work on the production of the CDs.)
Special thanks go to the friends who’ve stood by us in so many ways over the years: Clem, who supported the band for more than two decades and made sure we were always seen and heard; Norman and Marion, who kept the gigs coming; Phil and Kim Shakesby; Glynn; Beefy; Ian and Phil Gustard; Kev (Lude) Millburn; Colin Smoult; and Sadge our sound engineer, producer, and friend, who we sadly lost recently. Rest in peace.
To those who kept us on the road - Paul Shaw, Tom Robson, Gary Anderson, Geof Dow, Derek Playle, and Ken Pearson, who provided the van and P.A. for many years, thank you.
While keeping the band on the road in Geordies absence - Mick Simpson, Addo Koranteng and Graeme Wall, we appreciate your help.
And although we’re stepping away from the stage as The Force, our love for live music hasn’t gone anywhere, and you’ll no doubt spot us at gigs, cheering on other bands. If you see any of us around, come over and say hello — we’d love to catch up, share a drink, and reminisce about the incredible ride we’ve had together.
We hope to see you at one of our remaining shows.
Dave, Mick, Phil, Geordie and Clem
