John Hoye
Music career
In 1972 John, through a mutual friend, met Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (who later became members of Iron Maiden) and formed the band Stone Free. They rehearsed in the cellar of John’s house or in the back room of Dave Murray's house and on the stage of John’s school. Their first gig was in the art room at John’s school and their second gig was also in John’s school, but this time in the school hall for the end of term disco, for which they got paid a pocket load of change from the takings on the door. They went on to win a few local talent competitions.
In 1974 Dave decided to leave Stone Free and Adrian and John met up with guitarist Maurice Coyne, a friend of a friend. After a jamming session in John’s school hall, they decided to form a band and Evil Ways was born. The next step was to audition drummers and Barry Tyler joined the band. After gigging around local pubs and a residency in The Earl Amhurst PH in Hackney, they decided that they needed a singer/front man and recruited Dubliner Dave Hall.
By this time Evil Ways were playing regularly at most of the well known London venues and in August 1976 were signed by Nomis/Morgan (owned by Simon Napier Bell who also has managed The Yardbirds, Ultravox, T Rex, Marc Bolan, Japan, Asia, Candi Staton, Boney M, and Wham!) who changed the band's name to Urchin and got them a contract with DJM Records.
They went into a recording studio in London's Tin Pan Alley (Denmark Street) and recorded their first single "Without Love" by Dave Hall, B side of which was "Rocka Rolla" (the Judas Priest song). This was never released and soon after that, in early 1977 John left the band and was replaced by Alan Levett (an old school friend of Barry's).
John went on to form a new band called Headlights with Paul Tottman (drums), Jim Francis (guitar) and Rob Brown (keyboards). They played the London pub circuit and around the south coast until 1980, when the band split up.
From 2002 to 2005 John played in a three piece covers band Don’t Look Back and he sometimes deps for the show band The Smoking Jackets.
Acting career
In 1984 John went to drama school where he met Kevin Squelch and Barry Shannon and formed Operating Theatre Company (OTC). The company performed many shows in the two venues they ran - The Copper Theatre Club on Tower Bridge Road, London and The Hen & Chickens Theatre Bar in Islington, London. OTC also won two major awards for new works - The LWT Plays on Stage Award in 1988 for The Harlot’s curse written by Rodney Archer and Powell Jones; and the Guinness/Royal National Theatre Festival Award for Roberto Calvi is Alive and Well written by Roy Smiles. From 1992 to 1994 John acted in several professional stage shows, including several number one UK tours. He also appeared in the stage production of Alfie, starring 60s pop star Adam Faith, at Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End in 1993.
John has acted extensively on television, and has appeared in Allo Allo, Miss Marple, Love Hurts, Journey’s End. He also played the lead in a series of underwater commercials for Taunton Dry Blackthorn Cider.
In 2007 he wrote and directed his first short film Theatre of Souls which was shot on s16mm and was shown at the Cannes film festival that year.
In 2008 and 2009 the feature films Heathen - in which John plays Josh - and the feature Jen - in which John plays Brian the romantic lead - are due to go on release.