Bram Tchaikovsky (b. Peter Bramall, 10 November 1950, Lincolnshire, England) started playing guitar in his teens and was already in a group by the mid-60s. In the 70s he formed the All-Time Heroes with James Roper (bass), Majo (keyboards) and Keith Line (drums). They recorded some demos and also landed themselves a spot supporting Man on tour, but by this time they had become Roper. They changed their name again, reverting to a shorter version of their first name - Heroes - and put out a cover version of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Growing Up’. Bram originally auditioned for the Motors in February 1977 and although he failed the first audition he was soon taken on, thus ending the career of Heroes. In 1978, when Andy McMaster and Nick Garvey had the Motors idling whilst they wrote songs, Tchaikovsky formed Battleaxe with Micky Broadbent (bass, guitar, keyboards) and Keith Boyce (drums, ex-Heavy Metal Kids). They put out a Garvey-produced single, ‘Sarah Smiles’, on the Criminal label before signing to Radar. Now known simply by the name of their leader (whose split from the Motors was permanent but highly amicable), Bram Tchaikovsky set about recording Strange Man Changed Man in November 1978. As well as Broadbent and Boyce, Mike Oldfield played tubular bells on the track ‘Girl Of My Dreams’, which breached the US Top 40. Co-producer Garvey provided backing vocals and former Heroes sideman Roper took some of the photography. By the time of the second album, Boyce had left and Heroes drummer Line had taken over. Denis Forbes had also been brought in to help Tchaikovsky and Broadbent with guitar, bass and vocals. Bob Andrews (of the Rumour) helped out with keyboards on the track ‘Pressure’, which was the title of the album in the USA. Broadbent had left by 1981 and the band themselves left the rapidly disintegrating Radar label and signed to Arista Records. Funland was recorded at Rockfield studios in January and February 1981 with a brand new line-up of Tchaikovsky, Forbes, Lord Richard Itchingham (bass), and Derek Ballard (drums). It would be the last album by the band and despite persistent rumours of a Motors reunion Bram remains out of the limelight.