Here's an article on ALVERNA GUNN by Neil Jeffries from the "Armed & Ready" section of issue 12 of Kerrang! magazine:
You could be forgiven for thinking that the only kind of rock to come out of Lowestoft is the long, thin, pink variety with the town’s name running all the way through. Thanks to Alverna Gunn though this is not the case.
This superbly named four-piece (the moniker supposedly comes from an ex-Crufts champion!) have been together in their present form for a little over two years. Drummer Paul Hale provided both the name and the initial drive when he teamed up with Keith Thacker (vocals), Mark Holmes (guitar), and Steve Gamble (bass).
Although the lads (average age 20) can’t put their collective finger on a single common influence, Budgie and AC/DC would seem firm favourites. Not surprisingly then, Alverna Gunn provide aggressive, punchy rock and, while none of it has yet appeared on vinyl titles such as ‘Once Bitten Twice Shy’ (not the Ian Hunter song) and ‘East Or West’ certainly merit this kind of exposure.
Record companies, however have chosen to ignore the latest demo-tape-despite its magnificently hard-edged guitar sound but undaunted, the Gunn soldier on, rehearsing in a wind-swept community centre annexe, up to their ankles in cigarette butts and leads.
In between numbers they bemoan the lack of local venues, though they’ve been fortunate enough to get one-off support slots with the likes of Budgie, Samson, Hawkwind and Lionheart. The solution, they agree would be a move to London but they’re caught in the Catch-22 situation of needing a deal to finance that kind of step.
In a later general article about the NWOBHM in Kerrang!, Jeffries added this info on Alverna Gunn:
The band has long since splintered but the driving force, drummer Paul Hale, (who long ago nearly joined Samson), has soldiered on with the Bash Street Kids, who won studio time in Rolling Stone Bill Wyman's nationwide talent search competition.
Hope this info is of some use/intrest.
)