Little Angels Big Bad EP

 

Toby announced as lead vocalist in 2007 version of FASTWAY...  Toby live at Chepstow Castle....  Toby playing Europe festivals with Fastway....  Toby On Tour in September 2007...
The Little Angels were a British band, specializing in light rock. They formed in 1984, renamed to the Little Angels in 1987 and their third (and last) album, Jam, sold over 1 million copies.

  

Specialising in radio-friendly, very American-style rock (they toured with acts like Guns 'n' Roses, Aerosmith, Van Halen and Bon Jovi) Scarborough-based Little Angels formed in 1984 and split on July 2nd 1994 after a farewell mini-tour which ended at the Royal Albert Hall. Their third and last album, Jam, sold over a million copies but Polydor were reluctant to promote the band outside the UK and they quit while they felt they were ahead.

Since then, band members have moved on to Skunk Anansie, Page and Plant, The Younger Younger 28s, Film Producing, The Academy of Contemporary Music, tour managing Boyzone and Ronan Keating, Feeder, and Thin Lizzy.  Toby toured the country in 2002 performing a mixture of Little Angels songs; material from his solo album "Ignorance is Bliss" and new stuff from the "Refresh EP", and in February 2004 Toby's latest and allegedly final album was released entitled "Twisted Rhapsodies".  In 2006 Toby threw caution to the wind and relaunched his solo career by touring as special guest of Thunder.  The tour was a major success for Toby and he followed up with the release of an EP Guitar, Bass and Drums and a tour.  He's just been announced as lead vocalist in the 2007 version of Fastway and has a further 2 EP releases and a September tour planned in 2007!

This site will endeavour to keep track of what the band members are up to, as well as providing forums for exchanging merchandise, getting hold of bootlegs, and communicating via the Notice Board. 

As BBW now enters its 10th year of existence, I hope it will continue to develop and grow with more and more contributions from other Little Angels fans out there.

 


 

 

Little Angels

She's a little Angel

Well, she walks like a millionaire
The black in her eye
Picked out the red in her hair
Well she talks like she's tired of it all
But in an hour or two
She'll be having a ball


Hot Legs
Your love potion
Much more
Than just a crazy notion
And if ya want more
Try her hot water
She'll be leading you on
Like a lamb to the slaughter
She's A little Angel


Don't  ya know that you're mine
Just a Little Angel
Makin' movies, she's dancing like a queen
She lived like a star but they don't
Know where she's been
Her man he is a drunk and a hood
So she's back on the streets
'Coz to her she feels good


Freight train, ride into the night
She'll drive the fast lane
If the time was right, and if you want
More, try her hot water
She'll be leading you on
like a lamb to the slaughter.

Little Angels

Little Angels

Little Angels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Little Angels were:

Lead vocals, acoustic guitar: Toby Jepson, lead guitar, acoustic guitar: Bruce John Dickinson, bass, backing vocals, percussion: Mark Plunkett, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals: Jimmy Dickinson, drums: Mark Richardson.

And featured:

The Big Bad Horns: Dave Kemp and Grant Kirkhope.

The Beginning...

Hard Rock is the category in a world of categories for Little Angels.  The football season of 1989/90 saw the first serious blast of Little Angels hard rock unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.  After a rapid rise from Scarborough crazies in mid 1987 to Marquee headlines and record company desirables in early 1988, the band chose Polydor above various US and UK majors to handle their route to the big bad world of international rock success.  So far, so good...

After a brief US East Coast tour with Yngwie J Malsteem in July 1988, they returned in the autumn for the release of their first UK single "90 in the shade".  The Rock and Roll Education Tour saw Little Angels playing school lunchtime blast-out gigs and the club circuit in the evenings.  A number of headmasters are still recovering from the event but the band's fan club grew overnight!!  This was followed by a support tour on Cinderella's UK winter tour which showed an immense maturing of the band's songs and prompted Cinderella main man Tom Kiefer to announce Little Angels as "the most happening band in Europe".

1989 got off to a great start with the 4-track Big Bad EP entering the UK Top 75 and a sell-out tour in February/March.

A 7-track version of the EP sold big in Japan.  During Spring and Summer, Little Angels pre-produced and finally recorded their debut album in locations such as the Yorkshire Wolds, the South Welsh valleys and sunny Fulham!  Thirteen tracks were actually recorded in four weeks during June, having eventually found the right producer in Owen Davies.  With mixing now complete, Little Angels were excited and spring loaded for their next launch to the world market.  Their album "Don't Prey for Me" was in the shops by November 1989 to glowing reviews and the release of "Kicking Up Dust" and the "Get Radical" EP, combined with constant touring, saw Little Angels in the Top 40 and firmly established as major league players.  Little Angels had grown up and in April 1990 swept the Metal Hammers readers' poll.  Their subsequent headline tour, which culminated at London's town and country Club, proved to any doubters that the Angels were here to stay.

Top of the Polls!

Then what?  Gigs with Marillion at Hull, Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena in July 1990 and another single "She's a Little Angel" in the same month. 

The Middle

The rest of this web site documents what has happened since right up to the band re-signing to Sony Music shortly before they announced their decision to split. 

The End and New starts...

The Little Angels reckoned they'd reached and passed the point at which they could have made it bigger, so decided to quit while they were ahead and go out on a high.  Perhaps the cartoon below sums up the reason behind the split:

Little Angels 0 Polydor 1

All of the band members have gone on to lead successful careers all in some way associated with the music industry.  The latest rumours on what the ex-Angels are up to now is reported under Hot Off the Press, whilst confirmed "gigs" will appear on each band member's profile page.

My thanks...

All that's left for me to say is Thank-you all for supporting bigbadworld.net since its launch in 1999.  Tell your friends!  My sincere thanks to Toby Jepson, Rich Richardson, Simon Nixon, John Dickinson, and not least my wife Lisa!

Iain Roy