Fire

Fire is a psychedelic rock group from Hounslow, active in 1978–1979, and also associated with an earlier 1966 lineup in the material provided here. The name has been used by several different bands, but the best-known version is the British psychedelic act built around a concept album called The Magic Shoemaker.

The Magic Shoemaker

The band is linked with songs intended for a concept album, and The Magic Shoemaker is the central release associated with them. It includes passages described as showing genuine psychedelia, especially the transition between “Reason for Everything” and “Only a Dream”, alongside elements of pop and R&B. The album is also tied to songs such as “Father’s Name Is Dad” and “Treacle Toffee World”.

Original line-up

The original members named for this version of Fire are Dave Lambert on lead vocals and guitar, Dick Dufall on backing vocals and bass guitar, and Bob Voice on backing vocals and drums.

Later performances

Fire later re-forms for two concerts at The Windlesham Theatre in Surrey, England, on 30 November and 1 December 2007. For those shows, the trio performs The Magic Shoemaker in full, something that had not previously been achieved because of difficulties within the music industry. The set also includes older material such as “Father’s Name Is Dad” and “Treacle Toffee World”.

Context

The band is noted as an unusual psychedelic group to emerge from Hounslow, and it is described in relation to the broader late-1970s revival of interest in psychedelic music.