Southern Enterprise Awards 2025/ 22 Award for Innovative Approach to Classic Rock and International Reach Flying the flag of classic British rock music, White Heat is a raucous, high-octane band originally formed in Stamford, Lincolnshire. With their current line-up of Simon Atack on lead vocals, Tolis Zavaliaris and Andy Saphir on guitars, Mike Hartnett on bass, and Darren Ashford on drums, the band has recently released ‘Perfect Storm’, an album recorded at the legendary Chapel Studios in South Thoresby. On the back of the band’s recognition with two awards in this programme, we sat down with Simon for more on the unique spin that he and his bandmates put on the classic rock genre. As the founder of the band and a student of rock and roll from a young age, Simon Atack has been singing and writing songs now for more than three decades. Simon studied at music college before getting stuck into the industry, working with such leading brands as Roland, Marshall, and Harman. The songs Simon has written and performed on over the years have been played on some of the UK’s biggest radio stations, as well as on numerous rock music compilations issued worldwide. This frontman believes White Heat has reached new heights with their latest record, ‘Perfect Storm’, which benefits from the stellar acoustics and production capabilities available at Chapel Studios, a space where the vintage rock sound the band was searching for within these songs could be found. The nine-track album runs a little over 50 minutes, with highlights including the ten-minute ‘Mary Celeste’, a song driven by some incredible guitar work, and the swinging ‘Feel The Heat’, which sees the band channel ‘Mark II’ Deep Purple. The album artwork for ‘Perfect Storm’, which was created by renowned neo-surrealist artist and rock aficionado George Grie, captures the feel and themes of ‘Mary Celeste’ perfectly, and serves as a stunning blend of the classic rock album covers of the late ‘70s and 80s with the more modern elements we have become accustomed to in album art today. This similarly describes the album’s unique sound, which is sure to appease fans of new and old rock music alike – a notoriously difficult task. Acclaim has followed the album since its release, with New Releases Now – often touted as the ‘bible of the US music industry’ – describing it as a “stellar new album that delivers pure, classic rock at its finest.” Thanks to these fantastic reviews, the digital launch of the album has been followed by expansive radio airplay internationally, with countries across Europe and North America being particularly receptive. ‘What is Mine’, the album’s penultimate track, even made it onto the cover of leading British music magazine Classic Rock. Several festival appearances have followed suit, including an upcoming gig at Hard Rock Hell, a three-day event held at Camp HRH in Great Yarmouth, this November. This comes hot on the heels of White Heat’s last appearance, this at Cambridge Rock Festival, where they headlined the Emerald Stage on Saturday night. As you can imagine, the band’s live shows are a lot of fun, and hearing the songs from ‘Perfect Storm’ performed in these settings adds a new dimension to them. More live shows are set for the future, and Simon told us that White Heat is excited to begin work on a new album, which will continue its trajectory of delivering new and engaging music in the vein of classic British rock. Simon explained: “White Heat is still championing good, old-fashioned rock and roll and the human touch in music creativity, despite the industry facing its own ‘perfect storm’ of challenges.” Many detractors have even argued that rock is ‘dead’, but if they do, they clearly haven’t come across White Heat yet. Released via Rock Road Records and The Orchard, the latter a subsidiary of Sony Music, ‘Perfect Storm’ is available to listen to for free here. Should readers like what they here, they should keep an eye out for a forthcoming limited edition vinyl release of the album, which is available as a picture disc depicting a striking image of the same ship – quite possibly the Mary Celeste – which is wrecked ashore on the cover. Other merchandise, including a t-shirt and even a bottle of hot sauce, can be purchased at the website link below. Bringing a healthy dose of innovation to classic rock through both their newest album and the all-round approach they have to their music, Simon and the other talented members of the British rock band White Heat are fitting of being celebrated within these pages. Contact: Simon Atack Company: White Heat Web Address: https://www.whiteheat.rocks/
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