AndyDipper-Warwick Fortress

[andydipper]

Hi

Gear,

Warwick Fortress One 1994
[color=#333333][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Ashdown ABM C115-500 EVO III[/size][/font][/color]
Ashdown ABM 115 Bass Cab
[color=#333333][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Line 6 Relay G30 Wireless Guitar System[/size][/font][/color]




Many years ago, when moonlighting from Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant used to play low key gigs with a pick up band around Somerset and Gloucestershire under a variety of different assumed names. At The Crabapple in Clevedon, he used the name The Skinny Dippers, which was not lost on a young and impressionable musician called Andy Dipper.

The original line up of The Skinny Dippers formed around 1993 and comprised Steve - Guitar, Andy - Bass, Jon - Drums and Gary - Vocals. This line up played across the West until the Summer of 1995 when Gary left and Jon decided to give up playing drums.

Meanwhile, across town, Mike - Vocals and Paul - Keyboards/Bass were in a band with Darryl on Drums and Fudge,on Guitar. Here the hand of fate stepped into the arena, and at exactly the same time as Fudge left to go to college in London, Darryl bought Jon's Drum Kit via an ad in the paper. We found out that there were two half bands in town, we got together, two halves made a pint, and The Skinny Dippers mark II were born.

This line up played around half a dozen gigs before in true Spinal Tap fashion, Darryl mysteriously exploded live on stage at the Albert Hotel in Weston. Jon, who had been watching from the sidelines stepped immediately into the breach, bringing magic and mayhem with him. Many gigs later, in late 1997, Jon also exploded in the middle of a drum solo at the Avon Gorge Hotel in Bristol, setting off the Fire Alarm and evacuating the Hotel in the process. A new drummer was recruited called Simon. Simon lasted only a few gigs before he too, spontaneously combusted on stage at Caldicot Castle during a wedding gig, again setting off the Fire Alarm and introducing South Wales Fire Service to the Party..

We advertised again for a Drummer, and the only person foolish enough to join us was Gerry, ex of Phil Lynotts Skid Row. Sparks flew nightly, and Gerry actually caught fire several times, but he did not explode, such was the quality of his playing and flame retardent underwear. Gerry lasted a remarkable 8 years with the band until a major operation slowed him down in the late Summer of 2005.

Roger is the current man behind the kit. Roger has also caught fire several times, but is kept alive by his bio-mechanical Zildjian survival suit and a love of strong lager.


Andy Dipper - Bass Guitar/Vocals

Mike Dipper - Lead Vocals and jumping about

Paul Dipper - Keyboards/Guitars/Vocals

Roger Dipper - The Drums