 Wow! What an extremely emotional experience reading this was. Utterly intense and compelling. Breathtaking.’ In 2017 Tony Bray strolled into Mearfest North at Trillains, I was 24 weeks pregnant with Amélie and I had no clue who he was. However, Brian was in raptures that he had turned up at all, later confessing it was a long-shot invitation! Antony Bray had been a founding member of Venom since 1979. They were the most influential NWOBHM band in history as they created the Black metal genre that went global. Tony had come along with his girlfriend, Rachel. He was a magnet to everyone there who knew more about his musical career than I did. He kindly allowed a zillion selfies to be taken, signing albums, t-shirts, maybe some bare naked chests? Shortly after, he set up his own band, using his stage name ABADDON. 2018 Mearfest North in Queen Vic, South Shields, Newcastle, is where Tony played his first-ever gig under his own name of Abaddon. We gave him the second top spot on the bill; It was a total SMASH! I absolutely loved it, as it was slightly punky in places. Tony's drumming is exceptional, and he really is a superstar showman. Mr Bray also brought along a special little guest, 6-month-old Anja. She was his first child with Rachel, who had since our first show become his wife. It was a perfect day. Since then, Tony has supported absolutely everything we have done in the name of Mearfest. Unfortunately, Abaddon was meant to play both Mearfest 2020 gigs, North & South, but alas, bloody Covid put a stop to that. I asked Tony to read Rocker Bye Baby as he is the proud father to two little ones, his son was born this year 2020 during national lockdown. I knew he understood all the stresses involved. I valued his opinions as a well-travelled and experienced man of this world. THANK YOU TONY X  
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