Popular Wolverhampton band set to take to the stage for the first time in nearly 20 years

Bridge 55 will play at the Wolverhampton Arts Centre in October, in a comeback gig which will also raise money for the Wolves Foundation.

The band, which consists of singer Joe Karchud, guitarists Richard J Campbell and Sam Collins, Richard Willis on bass and Luke Bryant on drums, were on the brink of signing a record deal and regularly sold out venues across the city in 2007.

And, now, frontman Joe said they are very excited to be getting back on stage.

He said: “It never really felt that the band reached a conclusive full stop, leaving behind many bemused fans.

“Here we are, years later, it feels like the right time to bring Bridge 55 back to our fans.

“We know there will be hundreds of people wanting to hear our songs again in a live setting, so we are really looking forward to performing this ‘homecoming gig’.

“We are resurrecting our original catalogue, with one or two new songs, as well as paying homage to some important covers that helped shape us and influenced our sound. “

The band, so called because when they were young Joe and Richard would walk from Wednesfield along the canal and turned back when they reached Bridge 55 in Castlecroft, came first place in a few county-wide Battle of The Bands competitions in its infancy.

By 2008, the band’s manager Martin Davies arranged for them to play a showcase for record labels at the Camden Barfly in London.

Island Records, the label Amy Winehouse was signed with, had liked their subsequent EP but said at the time they could see the way the industry was changing, with an increase in downloads and decrease in physical sales, so felt they would be unable to forecast a return on their investment.

Bridge 55 never did sign a record deal and Joe puts it down to bad timing.

He said: “By 2007, we were in an incredibly strong position in our music-making careers. 

“We had management, new music to record, discussions around potential tours and a solid Midlands fanbase to boot.

“Our online play statistics were also nodding heavily to parts of Europe and the US. We opened for some incredible acts and I know it sounds arrogant, but we outperformed some of those bands.

“When we played the showcase in Camden there were rumours that Amy Winehouse was at the venue too. She could have been, but unfortunately we didn’t get to meet Amy that night.

“We put all our cards on the table, giving the performance of our lives and had a great opportunity to record an EP in a studio at a beautifully converted house in Birmingham, recording drums in the basement and guitars in the living room… That was a key moment for all of us.

“But once the interest from Island Records started to wane, it led to our own disillusionment with the industry and slowly, one by one, we all started to seek alternative careers.”

The comeback gig will take place on October 3 and the band will be donating £1 from every ticket sold to the Wolves Foundation, with match funding secured from Tettenhall Round Table.