Greg Bryce Interview - Founder of DV8 (Newcastle Series Ep #8)

In this episode of Vinyl Vibes, Jack closes his 8-part Newcastle Vinyl Vibes series by talking with Greg Bryce, Founder of DV8. Over the course of this series, Jack has spoken with a range of local rockers important to the Newcastle music story. 

Greg bought his first album when he was a teenager, a copy of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out by the Rolling Stones. The album sparked Greg's love for raw live rock and roll and began his interest in music. Greg formed his first band, Meccalissa, in 1974. As the years went by, the band started to get paid gigs, and in September 1979, they would open for Heroes the night of the Star Hotel Riot. The month after the riot, the band would record their first and only single. Its A-side was "Darby Street Blues," and its B-side was "Kill The Warden." The single was recorded at Anglewood Studios in Newcastle and would become a top 20 hit locally, reaching 17 on the Newcastle charts. Soon after recording the single, in late 1979, Meccalissa would split and transform into DV8. 

DV8 was formed to embrace the raw live sound that first got Greg into music. Their first album, Stab in the Dark, was a live album recorded between May and June 1981 at the Bel Air Hotel. It would be a big local hit, reaching number 2 on the Newcastle album charts, being kept off the number one position only by the Rolling Stones' album Tattoo You. However, there would be a five-year gap between Stab in the Dark and DV8’s second album, Back to Basics. During this five-year gap, the band built up their audience across Newcastle, and Greg wrote a lot of new material. After this album, DV8 would release two more albums: Live! in 1987 and Can You Hear Me? in 1988. 

After the Can You Hear Me? album, DV8 went on a long hiatus when Greg left to travel the world. He would not return to Newcastle until 1993. DV8 would play intermittently throughout the ‘90s, even releasing an album in 1998 called Big Green Monsters. Since 2000, the band has not stopped playing and is still doing gigs around Newcastle. More recently, Greg has begun a new music project called All Without a Space Suit. All Without a Space Suit is a funky jam band that Greg formed during the COVID lockdowns. The band is recording songs and has new music on the way. 

Jack talked with Greg in the studio about his early life, how albums such as Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out sparked his interest in music, the formation of Meccalissa, the early Meccalissa gigs, his memories of playing at the Star Hotel Riot, the recording of Darby Street Blues, how DV8 came to be, the success of the band's first album Stab in the Dark, DV8's rise to becoming Newcastle's top group of the late '80s, why Greg left DV8 to travel the world, how much music had changed in Newcastle on his return in 1993, his work with DV8 today, and his new band All Without a Space Suit. 

"We were coming into the '80s, and there were a lot of bands with very succinct short names like INXS and U2... came up with DV8, saw it on the number plate of a cartoon character or something like that, because DV8 really means to change direction, and we were just in the process of changing direction." - Greg Bryce on this episode of Vinyl Vibes talking about the formation of DV8. 

Episode Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins. 

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