The Vow was formed in September 1989 around singer / songwriter Graham Trust. Previously members of Liverpool post punk 3 piece No Exit, Trust and lead guitarist Martyn Gilbert were joined on drums by Tony Potter, on bass guitar by Paul O’Brien and on vocals by Jacqui Lancaster. The Vow gave themselves 2 years to secure a record deal. By autumn 1990, it was decided a change of direction was required and a more raunchy, rockier style was adopted. Lancaster and O’Brien left the group and Nick Reynolds was drafted in on bass guitar. By Autumn 1991, having received only luke warm record company interest, The Vow had run its intended 2 year course and duly disbanded.
Motivated by the death of his organist / choirmaster father, Eric , and after a 13 year hiatus, Graham began writing once more in 2006. From this point onwards, his lyrics focused on themes of infinity, the transcendental and the fey. By the Summer of 2008, he’d written enough songs to fill an album, which had been intended to be a solo acoustic effort. However, when recording commenced in August 2008 at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, he had been joined once again on lead guitar by Martyn Gilbert. Tony Potter flew in from his home in the United Arab Emirates to lay down drums on 12 tracks in a 2 day session in March 2009. Guy Davies played keyboards and co-produced, with Andy Strange, the band’s first commercial release in 2011 – the classic Spacedust EP. Thereafter, the 3 founding members continued with the album project. Mike Smith was drafted in on keyboards, and The Vow’s first album ‘FOR A DREAMER‘, was finally released in March 2012. In 2021 The Vow are to issue their 5th studio album “Igloo”.
2013’s “BLUER THAN YOU” consists of several tracks not considered appropriate for the occasionally melancholic debut album. Here, there are re-workings of old Vow rockers like “Free the World” and bright, catchy ditties like “Someone to Talk To“. Amongst the new songs was the single “Falling Stars“.
The “YOU ARE?“, album, released in 2014, consists of newly re-recorded old Vow songs (I’m Over You, Flunky and Coal Fire) and new material, including the title track – “You Are“.
The 2015 album “GHOST WRITER” consists mainly of old Vow and old solo Graham Trust recordings from the ’80s and ’90s, all greatly enhanced for the 21st century. The only brand new song, “Ghost Writer” (about a romantic liaison with a dead Victorian authoress) was chosen as the single.
2016 was a barren year.
The Vow’s 5th studio album “IGLOO” is due for release in 2021. This comprises 12 songs from between 2017 and 2021 which have either been recorded and produced at Igloo Studios in Liverpool or have been processed in some way there. This includes the 2017 single “I am immortal” / “Je suis immortel” (a tribute to the deceased French racing driver Jules Bianchi ) for which some piano parts and the bass sequencer were Igloo recorded. 2 complete songs were recorded there in 2018: “All the other boys” which concerns the so called Universal Laws which feature in the book and film of The Secret, and “That’ll be the day” – a sweet ballad about a love affair which can never be. A reworking of 2013 track “Caroline” accompanied by Simon Denny’s string arrangement completes the 2018 contributions .
4 new songs from 2019’s Venus Girl ep are included: The upbeat / up tempo “Madrid” carries the fundamental message that it doesn’t matter to which beautiful place you travel, you can’t run away from yourself. The love song “Venus Girl“, which is also up tempo was initially inspired by the title of a book “Men are from Mars…Women are from Venus“. Finally, “Julia” explores the feelings Winston Smith may have held for Julia in George Orwell’s classic novel “Nineteen Eighty Four“.
2020’s sole single release was the very melancholic “God Help Me“. 2020 also saw the release of the compilation album “Best of The Vow (Greatest Misses)“. The new album IGLOO will be completed by the inclusion of 2021’s “My Blues Tomorrow“, “Che” and “If Only”. Watch this space.