rem-iniscing

Tony looks back at his time on the tribute band circuit

Besides creating videogame music, Tony also played in live bands, and between 2002 and 2012 he was a member of successful REM tribute band Stipe. In 2008 they even played on the BBC’S The One Show – in front of Michael Stipe himself.

“That was a random thing,” he says, revealing how it all began. “After Game-play closed, when I wasn’t doing anything, I was sat in a friend’s house with Rick, who’s the singer in the band, and we were playing guitars and just recording stuff for a laugh. He told me that he was having real trouble getting a bassist for his new line-up and I said, ‘I’ll give it a go.’ I’d played guitar a lot but never bass, so I went out and bought a bass, turned up for some rehearsals, and it worked out. As Stipe we played all over the UK, and Ireland and around Europe, too. The band was like a gang and they were good times.”

You could say that Tony took his Mick Mills impersonation seriously. “I grew my hair long and dyed it blonde – that’s commitment for you!”