Mamas Gun

Mamas Gun are a five-piece fronted by the charismatic nay striking singer/composer/producer/designer Andy Platts but they are by no means a one man operation. Bassist ‘Professor’ Rex Horan, another focal point of the band’s feisty stage show, was born in the Western Australian desert and is equally adept on violin and piano and in classical music. Keyboard player Dave ‘Eighties’ Burnell Oliver’s musical education, originally in Hertfordshire, embraced everything from barbershop singing to French horn and now includes jazz, soul and Cuban playing. Guitarist Terry ‘Spiller’ Lewis studied music in Essex, got his diploma and taught guitar, going on to tour with Jools Holland as part of brother Christopher Holland’s band. And ‘Union’ Jack Pollitt notably played drums on ‘Green Light’ for Beyoncé’s ‘B-Day’ album, with producer Pharrell Williams.

Having said all that, one should take a deep breath before contemplating main-man Platt’s cultural and musical heritage. Born in a military hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong, to a nomadic father who’d landed in the Far East as a police recruit in their battles with underground triad organisations, Platts soaked up the musical ether that surrounded him (which included the Beatles, the Doors and ELO from his father, and a Filipino mother who played Spanish-influenced guitar), attending countless schools in the process before winning a place at Liverpool’s LIPA institute. Subsequently, Platts played on Corinne Bailey Rae’s hugely successful debut album and then, in 2006, landed his own publishing deal with Zomba Music. This led to collaborations with an extraordinary song-writing A-list that included Rod ‘Thriller’ Temperton, John Oates, Jed Leiber (son of hit-making legend Jerry) and former Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson.

Read full Bio