I Love Thunder


Location: London

Challenge: Various Disabilities

Website: ilovethunder.co.uk

I Love Thunder are an inclusive rock band that first got together in early 2010. Their ages range from 17 to 67 - collectively about 317 years old - which is more than the Stones but not quite up to the Beach Boys or Iron Maiden! They have a wide range of musical heros who influence the music the band plays. Their sets include songs from Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Pink Floyd, Steve Harley, Bob Marley, Sha Na Na, Chuck Berry and others.

I Love Thunder have recently started working on their own tunes and featured their theme song called, confusingly "I Love Thunder" at the Brentford St George's Day Festival early in 2011. Most recent composition is "The Himsagar Express" which had it's first public airing last month.

I Love Thunder are part of Ealing Mencap who helped them secure funding which enabled them to buy their instruments which was brilliant.

They also provide space for their weekly rehearsals and look after the band's money side of things.

They are also proud to be members of the Dissimilis organisation in Norway. They created the colour coding system the band uses and have a huge amount of experience with helping people with learning disabilities to enjoy and perform music of all types. DIssimilis have often performed at the Opera House in Oslo!

The band's line up is Eric Percival on lead guitar, Lee Gentle, Paul Goodger and Anne Corrigan on vocals, Nick Radclyffe on rhythm guitar, Dan Highfield on drums, Vince Wise on bass guitar and Luke Radclyffe on keyboards.

Socially, I Love Thunder provides a really important focus for the entire band and their weekly rehearsals are getting better all the time. The more experience they gain playing live, the more creative their sessions become.

The band won a BBC Performing Arts Fund Award in late 2012 and used the money to organise a series of sessions with guest bands from a variety of different genres. This series of encounters was celebrated with an "I Love Thunder Super Session" held at a theatre in West London. There were only 49 awards in the whole of the UK so to be part of that was a great achievement for the band.

In addition they have their own easyread website specifically for people with learning disabilities. You can see it at www.clickstart.org.uk/ilovethunder.

I Love Thunder love playing live and have had a brilliant year in 2013 with plenty of gigs!


I Love Thunder in early 2012 - L-R: Nick Radclyffe, Luke Radclyffe, Dan Highfield, Lee Gentles,
Eric Percival (just), Paul Goodger, Vince Wise and Anne Corrigan.


I Love Thunder - The Super Sessions