Stampede

Stampede is the name used by several different groups from different countries and genres. The name appears for a NWOBHM band formed in 1981 by the songwriting duo Reuben and Laurence Archer; a ska band from Utrecht in the Netherlands; a stoner and doom metal group from Lexington, Kentucky; and a former powerviolence band from Bonney Lake, Washington. It also appears in connection with a Tejano band.

NWOBHM band

The NWOBHM Stampede forms in 1981 around Reuben and Laurence Archer, who have already been involved in the movement through Lautrec, Lionheart and Wild Horses. Before Stampede, they tour with artists including Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Gary Moore. In 1982 the band play Reading and Mildenhall festivals, and material from those performances appears on their first album, The Offical Live Bootleg.

Between 1981 and 1983 the band record the studio album Hurricane Town for Polydor. They also release a four-track EP, Days Of Wine And Roses, a single of the same name, and two further singles, The Other Side and Photographs. Hurricane Town is later fully remastered and reissued by Rock Candy Records in 2006 with an essay by Malcolm Dome, original artwork, unpublished photographs and four bonus tracks from Lautrec. Reuben later decides to reunite the band following that reissue, with interest in festival appearances in the UK and overseas.

Utrecht ska band

The Utrecht Stampede starts at the end of 2005 when the guitarist and drummer from the former ska band Tiny Tones form a new group. The lineup expands to include trumpet, trombone and saxophone, then bass and keyboards, giving the band seven members in total. From the outset, writing new material is the main focus, although covers appear in the early setlist. The band develops a sound that draws on traditional and contemporary ska and mixes in other styles. In November 2006 it records a five-track demo, which it presents at Café Havana in Utrecht in January 2007. Early performances at parties, festivals and clubs build a following and encourage further new material.

Lexington metal band

The Lexington, Kentucky Stampede starts in 2010 with its original members still in place: Clay Rice, Adrian Dickerson, Teige O'Brien and Andy Hibpshman. The musicians have already been active in the local scene, but the group forms around a shared interest in stoner metal. Their music keeps the groove and hooks of stoner metal while also drawing on doom, death metal and progressive rock. The band helps drive growth in Lexington’s metal and extreme music scene. In 2011 it records its first album, Stampede.

Other groups using the name

Stampede is also used by a former powerviolence band from Bonney Lake, Washington.