(c’88-’95) Mr. Andy Forrest (guitar), Chris Brewer (keyboards), Mike Warrington (vocals / harmonica), Kevin Whitchurch (tenor sax), Will Rowland (alto sax), Michael Quill (drums), Dan Beard (trumpet #1), Paul Huggett (rhythm guitar).
Possibly the largest band of any on the local scene, Forrester and the Choppers featured a rotating list of band members that maxed out at 11 for one memorable Christmas gig at the Cricketers, Westfield in ’88. Other choppers between ’88 and ’92 were Adam Wolters (?), and Catherine and Heather Webb (backing vocals) who helped boost the bands blues / rock & roll that included ‘Route 66’, ‘Shake Your Money Maker’, ‘When Love Comes To Town’, ‘Jackpot’, and ‘Johnny B. Goode’. The band formed for Woking College’s Rag Week in ’88, from a nucleus of a college theatre bands, and then opened ABC Music’s Showcase ’89 at Guildford’s Civic Hall Huggett stopped playing with the band in ’92.
In ’95, Forrest was invited to put the Choppers back together for a mini festival in Chertsey. The band has gigged sporadically ever since doing weddings, parties, working men’s clubs & the like. The current line-up is Forrest (vocal/guitar), Mike Veness (bass) Huggett (guitar/vox) Jonny Grew (drums) and whoever else can be roped in on the night to beef up the sound! There was a notable attempt to get all the original members together a few years back, including a Facebook group called ‘Bring Back Forrest and the Choppers’ – the question remains if that will ever happen.
Our Soundscene 