Galahad

The Dorset prog squad

Galahad formed in Bournemouth in 1985, and Louder calls them the Dorset prog squad with a 30-year career. Stuart Nicholson, the singer from the start, says they really did play just for fun in the early days. Wikipedia says they have sold tens of thousands of albums without ever having a major record deal, playing with Pendragon, IQ and Twelfth Night. The single "Dreaming from the Inside" / "The Opiate" came out in July 1987, followed by the tape One Knight at Mr Cs. Albums include Nothing Is Written (June 1991), In a Moment of Complete Madness (April 1993), Sleepers (September 1995), Following Ghosts (June 1998), Year Zero (2002), Empires Never Last (2007) and Battle Scars (April 2012).

Sleepers was recorded, engineered and mixed by Tony Arnold, described by the band as a Robert Fripp and King Crimson associate; his other commitments, including the King Crimson Frame by Frame box set, stretched it over four years. The band says it was self-funded with money borrowed from family and friends, the masters were acquired in spring 1995 after a tense final payment, and the loans were repaid within a year, with Voiceprint's Rob Ayling helping with pressing and distribution; it was their best seller to that point. A 20th anniversary remaster appeared in 2015 on Oskar Records, with Karl Groom tweaking the recording, and an LP in 2020.

Beyond the Realms of Euphoria came in October 2012, Quiet Storms in May 2017, Seas of Change in January 2018, The Last Great Adventurer in October 2022 and The Long Goodbye in late 2023. Roy Keyworth left in March 2017 and Lee Abraham was announced as guitarist on October 23, 2017. Neil Pepper died in September 2011, and Battle Scars is his last album. Live albums include Classic Rock Live (1996), Resonance: Live in Poland (2006), Sleepless in Phoenixville (2009), Solidarity: Live in Konin (2015) and Alive at Loreley (2025), dedicated to him. They celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2025.