Band Archive » Blog Archive » Delusions of Grandeur

Location : London, south, England

Band Members :
Kurt van der Linde (vocals and guitar)
Brad Ryan (lead guitar)
Andy Ryan (bass)
Mark Tate (drums)

Band Biography :
“we are going to be the biggest band in the world” “This London based group has
quite a few indie rock tracks that touched us, and it was the consistency of
their material that made us want to feature them. They have a sound that many
rock fans may warm to, only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, they
cerainly have the quality, and the drive to take them places. With a name like
DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, you definitely cant miss them, and their equally
selfproclaiming manifesto… “we are going to be the biggest band in the
world”… should go some way to describing their whole ethos as a band, they
believe in them selves, and their music 100%” “That should give you guys a taste
of the buss behind this group.’ DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR’ for sure, never was a
bands name more fitting, take our word for it!!!! MUSIC SAVES … that’s how the
group sees it, they fill their music with all their collective passion, love and
anger, and this comes though in the tunes, they are all trips, that take a
twisted journey, up and down, and all around” - www.queeporganicmusic.co.uk Mark
Tate - Drums (21) Mark was born in Shepherd’s Bush, England. Rock ‘n roll
must’ve been bred into him in the womb through his music loving parents; it’s
the only way to explain his talents. When he was 9 years old the worship band at
his church had a problem… they had a drum kit but no one to play it. Mark sat
down behind the drums, picked up the sticks and started playing… pretty damn
good. So at 9 years old Mark joined his first band. Through the years Mark also
picked up the guitar, bass and singing - as well as finding the time to complete
music B-Tec course. On Sunday mornings you can still find him in West London
bashing away on the drums during worship. During the last year Mark joined the
“Dreamcatcher Project” where he gives drum lessons and helps disadvantaged
children in the East Acton area with personal development. Andy Ryan - Bass (25)
Andy Ryan was born in the south of Auckland. He discovered his love for music in
his early teens through bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica. After a
demonstration by an amazing guitarist at his school, Andy started taking
lessons. He learned how to play but his passion for music never matched his
passion for the instrument. One day by pure chance a bass made it into his hands
at a friends house - it was a match made in heaven. He had finally found his
passion and started saving up for a very expensive ticket. In the meantime his
youger brother Brad had been learing the guitar… Brad Ryan - Lead guitar (24)
On a fateful mid summers afternoon Brad’s grandpa decided it was time to clean
up round the house a bit and handed down his dusty record to young Brad. The
collection contained Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Deep Purple (to name a few).
Grandpa had created a monster. In his teens he started learning on Andy’s guitar
and soon got his own. He found it easy and was progressing fast… unfortunately
after a couple of years of being told that bands are silly and to grow up, Brad
put his guitar down and became an electrician. He moved to Australia. Away from
everyone and their opinions he picked the guitar up again with new
determination. He studied all aspects of the guitar determined to master his new
craft. Andy visited Brad in Australia and the brothers discovered that they
shared the same passion. They decided to move to England to pursue their dream.
Kurt van der Linde - Vocals, rhythm guitar (24) Kurt was born in Port Elizabeth
South Africa. The earliest account of him displaying and interest in music comes
from his mother. Apparently at 2 years old Kurt was already entertaining his
extended family with Elvis-like renditions of south african songs using a broom
stick and a empty can of coke as his “microphone” and of course a pair of shades
- a taste of things come. In his teens he started up on the guitar inspired by
bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden. Then at 18 he left his
electric guitar and home town behind for Johannesburg where he studied a degree
in Film editing, pushing music to the back of his mind. Somewhere along the way
he discovered an acoustic guitar and his voice again, and was soon recording
songs for student films - enjoying it much more than editing. After university
he packed his bags for London bringing his guitar and voice this time around.