27 July 10. Feltstock!... How exciting! The Phants have agreed to take part in next Summers hottest new festival! Check out the gig#47 page for details. More info to follow over the coming months...
When September Ends!... The boys are back, hard at it rehearsing for the next gig at the Grey Horse on Sat 11th September with a couple of new songs in work & not one, but two special guests already confirmed! Phantastic! If you have yet to do it, log onto the Phantoms PhaceBook Phangroup ‘Are You The Caterers?’ & let us know you are coming! See you all soon.

28 June 10. Download Festival!... For all you phans of ex-Phantom Brian's other band, Angelfield, mp3's of his songs are now available for a limited time only here: http://www.angelfield.com/secret.html. Get downloading! Right Click, Save Target As, enjoy!

14 June 10. Happy Birthday Phantoms!... Read all about the events from the Phantoms 10th birthday gig on the gig#44 page. Thanks for helping the band make this a memorable evening & look forward to seeing you all again in 3 months time.

5 May 10. Phantoms Picture Perfect!... Check out the last 3 pix on the Grey Horse's picture gallery. It now contains some iconic photos of the old & new Phantoms playing at their phavourite venue! Phantastic.

1 May 10. New Songs Galore!... Sorry it’s been so long since we last spoke but your phavourite covers band have been busy in rehearsals learning a ton of new stuff for the bands 10^th Anniversary gig in just over a months time. We have added a couple of old ‘classics’ that the band have not played for a few years as well as 7 completely new songs never before performed live! And I can confirm that the rumours of a Lady Ga Ga cover are all true! This batch of new songs will see the band reach the milestone of having performed over 100 different covers at gigs during the last 10 years! Pleasing! Bri’s sister Lynne has also agreed to come along & reprise her performance of ‘All I Know’ for those of you that were unfortunate enough to miss it the last time round. It’s all shaping up to be a great night!
Pharsical!… Talking of the Phantoms next gig, click here to see what the Grey Horse have to say about the evening. I think they may have taken the alliteration thing a bit far!
Get Well Soon... The Phants frontman is well on the mend after just having his tonsils out but let's all cross our fingers for when he returns to rehearsals next week. Otherwise Nov may have to sing on 11th June and no-one wants that!!
Support… At the next gig it is planned that the Phants will be supported on the night (in the front bar) with a solo acoustic performance by Roger Henderson (who last supported the band back in 2006), so if you don’t want to miss him, ensure you get there early!
The Brian Spencer Memorial chase… In honour of our ex horse loving Phantom we have sponsored a race in his memory to be held on Sun 9^th May at Plumpton Racecourse. Brian’s race will be the ‘feature’ race of the day. Doors open 12 noon with Bri’s race at about 2.30PM. More info here. I like the sound of the Children’s Trust Mascot Champion Hurdle! Does anyone have a manatee costume? All the band will be in attendance (in the Premier Enclosure) so hope you can join us to raise a glass to Brian, plus probably lose a load of cash in the process! If you cannot make it to Plumpton please still stick a few quid on one of the appropriately named runners down your local bookie (here’s hoping the field contains a horse called ‘The Phantom’) & let us know if you get lucky!
Unleashed a Monster!… Do any of you remember the meek & mild acoustic front man of the Woodcut Process? Well, after joining the Phantoms he is now completely unrecognisable after recently purchasing the world’s biggest amp stack! Ear plugs may be required to see Mr Hyde at the Phantoms next gig! Although you can still catch Dr Jekyll at the Grey Horse in Kingston on 23^rd June, the Blue Anchor Folk Club in Byfleet on 20^th May & a beer festival in Bath (Cross Keys pub) on 30^th May. Hopefully he should have enough potion left to turn back into a Phantom Monster on Friday 11^th July! Talking of the Woodcut Process, did anyone see the other member (Gons) busking at Waterloo Station a few weeks ago! Apparently he went down a storm with the commuters making the princely sum of £14 for his efforts! That should just about cover the cost of his train ticket there & back! Nice.

7 January 10. Happy New Year!... Hope you all had a great Christmas & are looking forward to a Phantom (ph)illed new decade! How exciting!
Phant Vids… As promised, some of the eagerly awaited video footage from our final gig of 09 is now available on the 'See' section of our website (see above menu item). We have also unearthed a ton of long lost video clips from the dim & distant past (including the bands debut gig!) that we think you may find amusing! Hope this lot will keep you happy till the Phants first live gig of 2010, coming soon...

27 December 09. Late Xmas Present… Rather than brave the sales, stay at home & visit our gig#43 page to see the photos from the Phants last gig. Nice.
World Wide Phants... The 'not so useful links' section on the 'Misc' page (see top menu) has now been updated for easy access to PhantomAlf's YouTube Channel & Pholky Phantoms MySpace site. Both packed full of good stuff. Check em out.

19 December 09. It’s Alive!... Apologies for the recent delay in Phant news. I’ve been off for a few weeks following an operation which will hopefully enable me to play the drums in time from now on! Anyway…
And As We Say Our Long Goodbye’s… Read all about the emotional evening that was the Phantoms (ph)inal gig of the decade (including a couple of bonus mp3’s!) on the gig#43 page. Photos & video clips to follow soon in the new year. Most pleasing...
Draw A Map Of Your Life... Check out the new Angelfield website here. It's recently been updated paying tribute to the Phantoms very own Brian Spencer. Apparently he once played for them too!
England vs The Phantoms… We recently informed you of the band’s future gigs at the Grey Horse in 2010. Well, following the World Cup draw we have rearranged one of the dates as we felt that if you had the choice of watching us or England stuff the USA then we might have a more minimal crowd than usual! Plus we want to watch the football ourselves! If the Grey Horse want a crowd that night they may need to try and book U2 or Coldplay! Therefore, the gig that was going to be on Saturday 12th June will now take place the day before on FRIDAY 11^th JUNE. Hopefully the Phants will prove more of a draw than Uruguay vs France!
Choose Our 100^th Cover!... Early next year we hope to spend a few months learning a bunch of new songs so please let us know what new material you would love to hear the band decimate (or any past covers we have let slip you want to hear again) on the Phantoms PhaceBook Phangroup ‘Are You The Caterers?’. Just log on, select the Discussions Tab and tell us what you think. Note. All requests for Genesis will be ignored! Over the past 43 gigs the band have so far performed 95 different songs! Your choice could be the magic 100^th!
See You Next Year… (Ph)inally, thanks for all your support over the last year, and a huge thank you for your continued following over the last decade. It’s been ten great years, full of ups & downs, but mainly ups! Here’s to the next 10 years of The Phantoms! Oh, and I hope you all have a phantastic xmas & new year. See you sometime in 2010! xx

25 November 09. Decade of the Phantoms!... As you know the Phantoms first burst onto the scene in the year 2000 and after 10 years of Phantom magic the band will be playing their final gig of the year (and the decade!!!) at the Grey Horse in Kingston in only 10 days time! So get the baby sitters sorted for this not to be missed event!
Pheltham in the News!... Yesterday, a memorial to Freddie Mercury was unveiled at the home of the Phantoms (where the teenage Queen frontman once grew up). Eighteen years after his death the rather garish commemorative pavement star was unveiled by big haired bandmate Brian May to an enthusiastic crowd of teenage mothers. Now a precedent has been set I can only presume that in eighteen years from now the people of Pheltham will also be honouring the towns other legendary musician, Brian Spencer, in a similar manner!
Forward Planning!... How’s this for organisation! The Phants have had their gig dates at the Grey Horse for next year confirmed already! Get these dates in your new 2010 diaries now: Saturday 12th June 2010, Saturday 11th September 2010 & Saturday 4th December 2010. Here’s to another decade of the Phantoms!

20 October 09. Alright!… A month ago I spoke to you about Brian singing the two most popular Phantom covers. Well, in our recent root around the Phants archives we discovered a couple of mp3's that you may want to hear. The first is Bri singing Alright (MP3, 4Mb) recorded at the Phantoms one & only venture into the recording studio. The second is a slightly less professional version of Bri singing Teenage Kicks (MP3, 3Mb) recorded at a band rehearsal by our old sound man, Knobs (Colin Hills). I hope this brings back some good memories! Enjoy!

19 October 09. Archives Unlocked!… The internet pixies have been busy over the weekend uploading a ton of videos onto YouTube that were recently discovered in the bowels of the Phantoms Vault. Including classic moments in the bands history like the 2002 Battle of the Bands, Phantoms in silly xmas hats, the infamous Kylie Minogue cover, Gar Bar!, Simon singing!, and much, much more. Links on the See page. Watch Al get greyer & Gibbo get balder!
Xmas Starts Here!... There's now only a month and a half to go till the Phants eagerly awaited next gig at the Grey Horse on Sat 5th Dec. The word on the street is that it could get a bit busy so stick the date in your (ph)estive diary and ensure you get there early! See the gig#43 page for further info.

13 October 09. Read All About It!… Having finally got round to updating the meet section of the website you can now learn all you need to know about the two new boys, (Ph)olky Phantom & Metal Phantom!
What a Geysir!... More action in the Phar Away Phan T-Shirt Competition.

6 October 09. It's All Yellow!… As promised, photos from the bands last gig are now available on the gig#42 page. You will be pleased to know that our keyboard player/singer has now returned to his normal hue!

5 October 09. Cross Dressing… This weekend saw the new look Phantoms play a great warm up gig prior to the bands imminent return to the Grey Horse at an exclusive invite only affair. See the gig#42 page for a brief synopsis of events. Photos of the band in full cross dressing action to follow!
Next Gig… Talking of the Grey Horse, after a year’s absence the band will be returning to our phavourite venue on Saturday 5^th December. Hope you can join us for what promises to be an emotional night. New songs & guest appearances promised.

14 September 09. Pharewell... I’m extremely saddened to inform you of the death of Brian Spencer, who died tragically last week in a road accident. As most of you probably know, he was a key figure in forming the Phantoms back in June 2000 and over the next 9 years went on to play nearly 40 gigs with the band bringing joy to hundreds of appreciative audience members. He was a vastly talented, intelligent & funny individual and his absence is already being greatly felt by those of us that were lucky enough to have spent time with him. He was a hugely talented musician, adept at the guitar and equally gifted vocally. It was no coincidence that Brian provided the vocals for the two most popular Phantom covers the band has ever performed (Alright & Teenage Kicks). As well as playing with the Phantoms, Brian was also a former member of Angelfield, a band formed with his sister & old school friends, where he wrote and performed his own songs to a higher standard than the Phantoms could ever hope to achieve. He was a very clever individual and it’s no secret that he was the brains behind the Phantoms all conquering quiz team, also responsible for the creation of this website. Music was the love of Brian’s life & I know that his fellow band members & loyal Phantom followers all feel privileged to of shared so much of it with him. His absence will be hugely felt at the bands next gig at the Grey Horse in Kingston on Sat 5^th December but I hope you can all come along to join the band in saying farewell to Brian. He will be sadly missed.

 

Brian Spencer
1961-2009
RIP
 

4 August 09. Message Board!... Due to demise of the Phantoms old message board we have now replaced it with a link to the bands 'Wall' on Facebook (see 'Message' link above). If you feel the need to leave the band a message, become a member of 'Are You The Caterers?' & do it there! We look forward to seeing what you have to say! I think!
See, hear, smell, the Phantoms!... From the above new link (called 'See') you can now access the phantastic new Phants Video page! This is an exciting amalgamation of all the Phans video clips that have found their way onto YouTube in recent times. More to be added soon! Happy watching, but you may want to turn the sound down a bit!
Pholk Music2... If you are available on Thursday 27^th Aug, come along to the Duke of Cambridge http://www.dukeofcambridgetilford.co.uk/ pub near Farnham where you will be treated to music from a couple of bands, climaxing with a 45min set by our very own Woodcut Process. Apparently they had a rehearsal yesterday and it's starting to sound pretty good (so they say)!

28 July 09. Abbalicious!... More details of the intriguing Phantom spin off project taking place on Sat 22nd Aug here. It's got to be worth a drive to Bishop's Stortford just for the chance to see Abbalicious, let alone the bonus of a couple of aged Phantoms!
Pholk Music!... Talking of Phantom spin off's, The Woodcut Process will be appearing at the Duke pub in Farnham on Thursday 27th August and again at NPL in Teddington on Friday 4th September. Go see them!
Phant Action... With all these side projects on the go you may be thinking that things are a bit quiet at Phantom Central at present! Au contraire Blackadder! The boys are hard at it mastering the back catalogue (and a couple of new surprises) are are looking forward to the band's scheduled return to the Grey Horse later in the year. If you haven't put Saturday 5th December in your diary yet - do it now!

23 July 09. The Traveller!!... It's another couple of entries in the Phar Away Phan T-Shirt Competition from possibly the most travelled Phantom t-shirt. Apparently these pics would have been submitted sooner but he couldn't work out how to get the pictures off his camera! Idiot!

14 July 09. Camera Shy!... As promised, photos of the Phants gig last month are now available on the gig#41 page. If any Phans took any more pics of this gig please send them into Phantom Central. Ta.

30 June 09. Glasto Celebrity Stalkers... The celebs were fighting over each other to get their photo taking with Al Phantom whilst he was wandering around the Glastonbury Festival site last weekend. Check out the results here.

15 June 09. The Boys are Back in Town!... Last weekend saw the welcome return of Phelthams phinest covers band! Read all about the Phants comeback on the gig#41 page. Pictures (and video!) to follow soon!
Are You The Caterers?... The Phantoms are back on Facebook! Apologies for the delay in service! As you know, we have been a bit absent both on & off line in recent months but the Phants Phan Group is now back! Check it out here. Write on our Wall or RSVP on our Events page! Nothing too rude please!
Moonlighting Phantoms!... If you happen to find yourself in the in Bishops Stortford area (where the hell is that?) on Sat 22nd Aug keep your eyes peeled for a couple of familiar faces playing at the local music festival! More info to follow...

11 June 09. Return of the Phants!... Having dusted off a handful of Phantom classics & with a final rehearsal under our belts, the new look band are looking forward to seeing you all at tomorrows comeback gig! More details on the gig#41 page.

29 May 09. Tree Rot!... With all the recent comings & goings the Phantoms family tree was looking a bit out of date! Fully updated story here.
Exclusive Phant Gig!... The new look Phantom line up have been hard at it for the last month or so and now have just enough songs up our sleeves to unleash to a small invite only audience at Phantom Central in 2 weeks time. Phantastic!

14 April 09. Phantom Swelling!... With Lily now old enough to be left in the car during rehearsals & our own bionic man now completely rebuilt, Paul has decided to dust off his bass & re-enter the arena! Phantastic news! The classic Phantom 6 piece line-up is now fully restored!

8 April 09. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye!... Well, it’s been a turbulent few months in Phant camp and it’s all change at Phantom central! I’m afraid to say that due to long term ill health reasons it looks like Brian will not be returning for the foreseeable future. We all hope he overcomes his issues and at some stage can return to the fold. The door is always open Bri. As if this isn’t shock news enough, our other long term guitarist Simon has decided to hang up his plectrum after 9 years with the band. Apparently building your own house/boat takes up quite a bit of time! On behalf of the remaining Phantoms I would like to say a massive thank you to both. We’ve had some awesome times together and without either of you there would never have been a Phantoms in the first place! So what now? After a brief spell contemplating if drum & bass is the way forward we decided that we needed to enlist the assistance of a couple of crack guitarists ASAP & I’m pleased to announce that we’ve found some! Whilst simultaneously folking around with his original band the ‘Woodcut Process’, Jason Biggs has agreed to trade in his acoustic for an electric & take up the mantle of the Phants new rhythm guitarist. Also returning from Manchester especially for the gig (not really!), Kevin Rogers (previously with fellow Pheltham band ‘Ruffcut’) will be taking up the lead guitarist’s vacant axe. The new look Phantoms will be hitting the rehearsal room hard over the next few months and hope to be in a position to inflict our usual brand of indie punk rock mayhem at a venue near you soon (as long as you live in Kingston!). Long live the Phantoms.
Technical Difficulties!... Sorry, but the Phants internet site is still unavailable! Like guitarists, I hope to get this replaced very soon & back in action! Watch this space.

26 January 09. Put 50p in the Meter!... Apologies to Phans who like to follow the adventures of the band on www.thephantoms.biz. Normal service will be resumed as soon as we get some small change!

14 January 09. Happy New Year!... HNY from all the Phantoms. Hope you all had a great Christmas.
Gig Pix… As promised, the pics from our final gig of the year are now available in the gigs section on the gig#40 page. Eagerly awaited video footage to follow soon!
Phants Live in 09… Currently the Phants only have one date in the diary (see gigs section for details) but plan to sort out more sometime soon! All additional dates will be advertised here at Phant Central so watch this space…
Phar & Wide!... Little Bri has been very busy over the Christmas period! Check out part 2, part 3 & part 4 of his latest travels! He's even had a book published! Wow!
Get Well Soon!... Unfortunately Keith, who plays bass for the Phants support band 'Fit For Purpose' suffered a mild stroke at the end of last year. Thankfully his recovery is progressing well and he hopes to be rocking out again very soon. We all wish him well for a speedy recovery.