When Gavin Felvus left Cwmbran in 2003 to head to London he had £40 in his pocket and a contract to play a new character in BBC1’s Eastenders.
Nine years later he is the frontman of the world’s best Guns N’ Roses tribute act. To make this true story even more incredible his band has been joined by Ben Dover (also known as Simon Honey) , the former adult film star, to play on drums. Guns 2 Roses are so well regarded that several original and current members of Guns N’ Roses have joined Gavin’s act to perform. These famous names are Steven Adler, Gilby Clarke, Frank Ferrer and Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal.
Here is Gavin performing in India. Scroll down to read more and see some extra videos and photos.
1. Has played to crowds of over 100,000.
2. Has been the VIP guest of Guns N’ Roses on four of their tours.
3. Brought Ben Dover to Cwmbran on a mini pub crawl and gig.
4. Will soon be starring on Loaded TV in his own show with Ben Dover.
5. Has a single written that will be featured in an upcoming single with rap arist Lil Wayne.
6. Has performed live with four different members of Guns N’ Roses
So to pinch a famous anecdote about George Best…. where did it all go wrong for Gavin?
He grew up in Coed Eva and went to the primary school before joining Fairwater comprehensive school.
Gavin said: “It is only now I’m getting recognised for being Welsh and from Cwmbran. For years I’ve been mistaken for either being English or American. Earlier this year we were in India for a show and the management out there asked me ‘why haven’t you got an American passport?’.
“In 2003 I was going to start on Eastenders as a new ‘Londoner’ character. Just as filming was due to start I fell off my bike and injured my face. The BBC were not very happy.
“After that I did some work in the West End theatre and other TV stuff. I set the band up in 2004 and not long after toured with the drummer from the original Guns N’ Roses, Steven Adler. This was in the days before social media but I was able to use my entertainment contacts in London to get a lot of publicity.
“Our first publicised gig was in the Marquee Club in London where Guns N’ Roses had played in 1987. Everything snowballed really quickly after that. We looked like the real band and that along with having Steven on drums got everyone’s attention.”
Gavin joked: “We have been going for so long we are considered Z-list celebrities.”
His family still live in Cwmbran and run the taxi firm Chauffeur Cars.
“I still see my old friends when I come back to Wales. They aren’t all Guns N’ Roses fans but they usually just come along to see me at shows in Wales. My mum and dad are the same, when I’m home they shout at me for the same things…and my younger sister gets treated like she’s older than me. Ha ha.”
Gavin estimates that Guns 2 Roses have played “1000s of times” in countries that include Belgium, Czech Republic, India, France, Romania, Dubai, Switzerland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Poland.
“We’ve played to tens of thousands of people a few times at large festivals. At the Bulldog Bash in Warwickshire we headlined the main stage on the Friday night and on Saturday the headline act was Status Quo.”
He caused a stir in Cwmbran in August when the latest recruit to the band, Ben Dover, joined Gavin and came to the town for a charity gig.
“The one night we played the O2 Academy in Islington and the next night we were drinking in the Waterloo pub in Two Locks. Later that day we went to play at a charity night at the Six in Hand pub in Croesyceiliog. Ben Dover was with us and a few girls were asking him a lot of suggestive questions…”
So what’s next for Gavin?
“I’m starting a show on Loaded TV with Ben Dover. It’s going to be a cross between Letterman’s Late Show and Wayne’s World.”
Other media appearances have included A Question of Sport, Fifth Gear, Sky News, The Sun, NME and Esquire magazine.
Click here to find Guns 2 Roses on Myspace
Click here to like Guns 2 Roses on Facebook
The current views on their YouTube page of videos is 1.8million. Click here to find Guns 2 Roses on YouTube.
Cwmbran Life is in the Wales Blog Awards. If you enjoy this blog you can vote for it in the People’s Choice Category by clicking here. Voting closes on Friday 14 September at 5pm.
Posted with Blogsy