In the summer of 1984 singer Steve Overlandand his brother, guitarist Chris (both formerly of Wildlife) teamed up with drummer Pete Jupp(ex Wildlife and Samson) and bassist Merv Goldsworthy (ex Diamond Head and Samson) to form FM. Joined by the keyboard talents of Didge Digital, by December that year they had secured a recording contract with CBS/Portrait and the band headed to Germany for a run of dates with Meat Loaf.
Further tours with Tina Turner, Foreigner and Gary Moore built up the momentum. On 8 September 1986 FM released their debut album INDISCREET (featuring the hugely popular single "Frozen Heart") to great critical acclaim and the year ended on a high with FM supporting the white-hot Bon Jovi on their "Slippery When Wet" tour.
For the next nine years FM consolidated their position at the forefront of British melodic rock, touring extensively as headliners and also joining bands such as Status Quo and Whitesnake on tours to promote releases such as 1989's TOUGH IT OUT album; TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS released in 1991 (with Andy Barnett on guitar replacing the now-departed Chris Overland); APHRODISIAC in 1992 (featuring Tony 'Slim' Mitman of Romeo's Daughter on keyboards) and what was to be their 'final' album, 1995's DEAD MAN'S SHOESwith new recruit Jem Davis (Tobruk, UFO) on keyboards.
In 2007 - after a 12 year sabbatical - FM were persuaded to return to the stage for a 'one-off' headline performance at a sold-out Firefest IV at Nottingham Rock City.
The rapturous reception from the fans at Firefest led to FM quickly making the decision to record a new album and following a return to Firefest in 2009, in March 2010 FM released their much-anticipated sixth studio album METROPOLISwith Jim Kirkpatrick replacing Andy Barnett on lead guitar.
…And FM haven't stopped since… Headline tours both in the UK and overseas, Special Guest slots touring with Foreigner, Journey, Thin Lizzy and Heart; festival appearances including Download, Planet Rockstock, Sweden Rock, Graspop, Steelhouse Festival, Frontiers Rock Festival, HRH and HRH AOR, Cambridge Rock Festival and in 2018 their first-ever live show in the US at Melodic Rock Fest 5.
When not touring, FM have been busy in the studio and since their 2010 'comeback' album they have released 2013's double helping of ROCKVILLE and ROCKVILLE II (with two songs playlisted by BBC Radio 2 - "Story Of My Life" and "Better Late Than Never"); HEROES AND VILLAINS in 2015 and INDISCREET 30 - a new 2016 recording of FM's classic debut album to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its release.
ATOMIC GENERATION was released on 30 March 2018, featuring the lead track "Black Magic". The radio single "Killed By Love" has proved to be a popular addition to the live set.
2019 saw the release of THE ITALIAN JOB on 22 February via Frontiers Records - a live recording of their set at Frontiers Rock Festival in April 2018 - on Blu-ray and as a DVD/CD package. FM toured throughout the year including European dates with Skid Row and festivals including Graspop, Sweden Rock, Ramblin' Man Fair and Barcelona Rock Fest. The year ended with December's Big 3-0 Tour - a triple headline bill with Dan Reed Network and Gun for the 30th anniversary of their 1989 albums Tough It Out, Slam and Taking On The World.
FM released SYNCHRONIZED in 2020. With the world at a standstill that year, the band used their time productively to record their thirteenth studio album. The aptly-titled THIRTEEN was released via Frontiers in March 2022.
2024 sees FM celebrate their 40th Anniversary with the release of their 14th studio album OLD HABITS DIE HARD on 3rd May accompanied as ever by an extensive touring schedule throughout the UK, Europe and South America.
FM are (left to right)
Merv Goldsworthy – bass / Pete Jupp – drums / Steve Overland – vocals & guitar / Jim Kirkpatrick – guitar / Jem Davis – keyboards
Photo by Paul Stuart-Hollingsworth
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