Fastway (band)

Fastway
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1982
Founder	"Fast" Eddie Clarke, Pete Way
Defunct	2018
Headquarters	England, United Kingdom
Products	Hard rock music, albums, singles

Fastway was a British hard rock group established in 1982 by ex-Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke alongside former UFO bassist Pete Way. The band underwent several personnel changes, with Way exiting early on to join Ozzy Osbourne.

Career

Clarke and Way founded Fastway in 1982 under CBS Records, bringing in Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and then-unknown singer Dave King. The band's name was derived from a fusion of their surnames. However, Way left shortly after due to contractual conflicts and an offer to perform with Ozzy Osbourne. Session bassist Mickey Feat played on their self-titled debut album Fastway (1983) but was not officially credited.

After achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success, the group toured with session bassist Alfie Agius before appointing Richard McCracken as their full-time bassist. Their next release, All Fired Up, also garnered positive reception, though Shirley and McCracken eventually departed citing difficulties with touring.

In 1985, Clarke and King reassembled Fastway with musicians from King’s former band Stillwood, producing Waiting for the Roar. This record marked a shift towards an album-oriented rock approach but encountered limited commercial impact. That same year, Fastway composed the soundtrack for the heavy metal horror movie Trick or Treat. Despite the film's poor performance, the soundtrack maintained a presence on the Billboard Top 200 for eleven months, reinforcing Fastway’s standing in metal circles. Financial disputes within the band led to its breakup; subsequently, King established Q.E.D., releasing a two-track single.

Clarke resurrected Fastway in 1988 with vocalist Lea Hart and various session musicians, issuing On Target, which failed commercially. In 1990, Clarke and Hart released Bad Bad Girls featuring multiple session players including members of Girlschool, yet it received little attention. A live album appeared in 1991 before the pair reunited in 1998 to rework On Target, again without commercial success.

On 25 May 2007, ex-Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson joined Fastway for festival performances such as Sweden Rock Festival and Download Festival. This lineup included Clarke, Jepson, drummer Steve Strange, and bassist John McManus (Mama's Boys). Later that year, Clarke confirmed intentions to collaborate with Jepson on new material. Jepson left in 2008 to concentrate on leading Scottish hard rock band Gun full-time.

By late 2010, Clarke returned to record what would become Fastway’s final album with Jepson entitled Eat Dog Eat, released on 14 November 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer—marking the band's first new output in over twenty years.

Clarke died on 10 January 2018 at age 67 after a battle with pneumonia. No formal announcement was made regarding Fastway’s continuation following his passing; the band had been largely inactive. Pete Way passed away on 14 August 2020.

Band members

Lead and rhythm guitar

"Fast" Eddie Clarke (1982–1991, 1998, 2007–2011; deceased 2018)

Vocals

Dave King – lead vocals (1982–1986)
Lea Hart – also rhythm guitar and bass (1988–1991, 1998)
Toby Jepson – also rhythm guitar and bass (2007–2011)

Bass

Pete Way (1982; deceased 2020)
Alfie Agius (1983 – official touring member)
Richard "Charlie" McCracken – bass (1983–1984, 1991)
Paul Reid – bass (1985–1986)
John McManus – bass (2007–2010)

Drums

Jerry Shirley (1982–1984, 1991)
Alan Connor (1985–1986)
Steve Clarke (1987–1989)
Steve Strange (2007–2010; deceased 2021)

Keyboards and rhythm guitar

Shane Carrol (1985–1986)

Session musicians

Rhythm guitar

Bass

Mickey Feet (1983)
Neil Murray (1988)
Nibbs Carter (1998)

Drums

Gary Ferguson (1998)
Matt Eldridge (2011)

Keyboards

Don Airey (1998)
Paul Airey (1998)

Studio albums

Fastway (1983, CBS) – US No. 31
All Fired Up (1984, CBS)
Waiting for the Roar (1986, CBS)
Trick or Treat (1986, CBS)
On Target (1988, GWR Records)
Bad Bad Girls (1990, Legacy Records)
Eat Dog Eat (2011, Steamhammer)

Singles and EPs

"We Become One" (1983)
"Say What You Will" (1983)
"Easy Livin'" (1983)
"All Fired Up" (1984)
"Tell Me" (1984)
"The Stranger" (1984)
"The World Waits for You" (1986)
"A Fine Line" (1988)
"I've Had Enough" (1990)
"Bad Bad Girls" (1990)

External links