Rock 'n' roll reunion: Viva High Rollers to play live for the first time in 17 years!

“PUTTING the band back together” isn’t always smooth sailing a after all, most groups break up for a reason.

So you can forgive Ian Huddleston for having more than a few butterflies when the singer-songwriter decided to reunite his wild-living 2000s band Viva High Rollers “for one night only”.

In his own words, the “Vivas” were “the most dysfunctional band you could ever meet”.

But the musician, who has also fronted Be the Revolution and The Decades, happily reports that all is amicable so far and rehearsals are stepping up nicely ahead of that one night \_ at the Chantry Brewery Tap in Parkgate next Friday (May 19).

It will be the first time the band have played live together since they disbanded in 2006.

At their peak, they were renowned for their raucous live shows and rock ‘n’ roll antics, which inspired the name of their proposed album Riot in the Halls of Residence, after the band caused a riot at their gig at Tapton Hall in Sheffield.

The album was never released due to the split but the band have kept their old demos and recordings, and are looking forward to returning to the stage.

Ian said: “The Vivas were the most dysfunctional band you could ever meet, impossible to work with, which ultimately led to our end, but that’s also what made us special and one of the best live bands.

“You never knew what was going to happen, which is what people loved about us.

“It was absolute carnage and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

On-stage fights between band members, being thrown off stage by venues, “dodgy contracts” and “legal threats” were all among the factors which made the Vivas’ story all the more interesting but ultimately took their toll, admits Ian.

The band had been formed from the wreckage of local act The Solution, who split in 2005 following success in signing to New York label Dirty Earth Records, twice touring Europe.

The new group enjoyed their own high points, including playing Leeds Festival in 2006.

Vivas members will join up with ex-members of The Solution for the Chantry show to play some old songs.

Ian said: “Having finally got back together for one last time, this will give fans an opportunity to celebrate that period of time when rock ‘n’ roll ruled.”

The Vivas’ is not the only musical reunion in Rotherham this year 80s new romantic quartet My Pierrot Dolls enjoyed a sellout comeback at the Chantry Tap in March and are planning to keep working together.

Drummer Richard Littlewood said he had very fond memories, adding “well, what memory I do have of the time with the band”, with his own highlights including recording tracks and playing Leeds.

“It was just one huge party from start to finish, with various line-up changes and name changes,” recalled the drummer, also known as Woody.

“I was a little hesitant to start with about getting back together.

“I would have jumped at the chance, but I wasn’t sure if all the others would feel the same, so I think I said to Ian, when he got in touch with me about the idea: ‘If you can get everyone else on board, then I’ll do it.’”

Asked what fans could expect to see from a 2023 version of the band, Woody predicted: “Uglier, fatter, balder versions of our old drunken selves”.  

He added: “Hopefully, we can still create the same energy and vibes from 2006. I’m certain that we can.  

“The rehearsals have been sounding great. In fact, I don’t recall us working this hard back then.”

Woody said the Vivas also including guitars John Reed and Mark Chantler and bassist Lee Bradley had got back into the old groove surprisingly seamlessly, revealing: “It’s like there hasn’t been a gap and that we never stopped.  

“We’ve gone straight back in and onto the tunes after all these years like we all went out for a smoke break and came back in.  

“The same jokes make us all laugh and we all still like each other.

“The music sounds great and we all still like our beer!”

Asked if there could be new material on the way, frontman Ian said: “There are no plans to re-record anything or do anything new.

“I’m just concentrating on making this a real good celebration as we never really had a final gig or send-off.

“We just kind of fell apart, so this is a bit of closure.

“Hopefully, we will have a brilliant night, and we can still put on a good performance.

“It really has been nice catching up with everyone again the songs are sounding really good in rehearsals, so hopefully people will turn up!”

You can hear the band in action at https://spotify.link/CL3XipBgbzb and find their song Love That Girl at https://youtu.be/_sDNOxi2_uE.

Visit seetickets.com for tickets to the Chantry gig.