Alisha’s guitarist gets career out of attic

By Nicola Cowell

WHEN his band split up in the 80s, he never expected to be playing to sell-out crowds 20 years on.

But Marcus Myers, whose group Hard Rain had a hit in Spain in the 90s, has been touring the country playing at top venues.

Myers, who is most famous for his time as guitarist with girl group Alisha’s Attic, moved to Cortes de la Frontera ten years ago and earns his living performing on the local bar and club circuit with covers band Equis.

Playing gigs at El Gecko in Cortes de la Frontera and Bar Allioli in Jimera de Libar, Myers is popular in the Guadiaro valley but thought his days of global fame were well and truly over.

But then he got a call from a man who turned out to be Hard Rain’s biggest fan.

“We didn’t even know, but we’d had a hit in Spain in the 90s with a song called Diamonds and it turns out one of our biggest fans is a DJ in Barcelona invited me and Bruce Maxwell-Smith to play at his club,” Myers explained.

“It was a truly surreal experience playing a song we had recorded 20 years previously to an audience of 7000 people who all knew the words!”

After their soaring success, the band were chosen to headline the Delta Sound Festival in Amposta near Barcelona.

And Myers, who has also toured with Belinda Carlisle and Jerico, is now recording a new album in Granada with band-mate Bruce.

Diamonds, by Hard Rain will be out later this year.