Dreadzone Tickets

Performing a blend of reggae, trip hop, dub, house and electronica, Dreadzone is a British band that has been going since the early 1990s. Greg Roberts is the band's drummer; a founding member who had previously been in Big Audio Dynamite. Tim Bran teamed up with Roberts following a musical career that had involved studio time spent with Julian Cope. According to the pair, the name for the new project was suggested to them by Don Letts, also a member of Big Audio Dynamite, as well as being a director and DJ. Other members of the group include Earl Sixteen, MC Spee, Chris Compton and Leo Williams, the latter being the band's bassist. Former members include Dan Donovan, a keyboard player.

Dreadzone's career milestones

Soon after forming, Bran and Roberts were offered a deal by Creation Records, which meant that Dreadzone's debut album ended up coming out on that label. The band's first LP was released in July 1993, showcasing the progressive house style that the band would become famous for. Mixing their sound with Jamaican elements such as dub and reggae, the album included tracks such as “Chinese Ghost Story” and “House of Dread”, the latter being co-written by Letts. The work was played on BBC Radio 1 extensively by John Peel, the illustrious DJ.

In 1994, Dreadzone played on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival, with Alison Goldfrapp acting in the role of a backing singer. Later in the year, the band were signed to Virgin Records and a new studio album soon followed. Entitled Second Light, this nine-track work featured Roberts songwriting throughout, and it got to number 37 in the UK Album Charts. Biological Radio was the band's next offering. Two tracks, “Moving On” and “Earth Angel”, were taken as singles and went on to be minor hits. The album also included a cover version of John Holt's reggae classic “Ali Baba”.

It was not until 2001 that Dreadzone were ready to put out another album. Sound was put out on Ruff Life Records. Soon afterwards, Bran departed Dreadzone and Ben Balafonic came in to replace him. The new lineup recorded Once Upon a Time, an album that made it into the public domain in 2005. Further lineup changes came about before the band's sixth studio album was ready; a work given the title of Eye on the Horizon. More recently, the band has put out Escapades, in 2013, and Dread Times, in 2017. Dread Times gave the band their first chart success for a number of years, peaking at number 39.

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