Published on 1st July 2025

Guitarist Greg Hart and keyboardist Andy Stewart have performed in rock bands since they were teenagers growing up in Horsham. While youthful ambitions were thwarted, their rock ‘n’ roll dreams have finally come true as members of Cats in Space, culminating in a support slot for ELO this summer. AAH met the musicians at Sedgwick Park House to hear about their journey…

SWEET DREAMS

Back in 1982, Greg Hart was putting together a rock band. From the age of 11, he had wanted to be a rock star and formed his first band, Snow Blind, while still at Forest School. When they split, he set about forming a new group inspired by his passion for American rock.  

One Saturday afternoon, he went into town, intending to place an advert in the window of the local music shop appealing for a keyboard player to join the band, Icemon. He popped into Dixon’s in Swan Walk to borrow a piece of card and a pen from a friend who worked there. As it turned out, one of the other shop assistants was Andy, a budding keyboardist. Andy recalls: ‘Greg handed me a cassette tape of songs that he liked, and the first two tracks were Separate Ways by Journey and No Way Out by Jefferson Starship. I knew immediately that I wanted to be in his band, and I’ve still got that cassette more than 40 years later.’

LONG WAY TO THE TOP

After Icemon, Greg and Andy were both founder members of Moritz, a six-piece band that saw them join forces with musician friends from London. At the time, Adult-Orientated Rock (AOR) was big business, with bands such as Bon Jovi and Foreigner enjoying chart success. In 1986, Moritz played two well-received shows at The Marquee in London and released an EP, Shadows Of A Dream, featuring lead single Can’t Stop Loving You.

 Despite being touted as a leading-light of the British AOR scene, a major label deal failed to materialise and the band folded two years later. Out of the ashes, Greg, Andy and bassist Ian Edwards formed If Only, fronted by female vocalist Jackie Bodimead. This project saw Greg collaborate with experienced songwriters including Geoff Downes from rock supergroup Asia. With a host of well-crafted songs, the band were tipped to replicate the success of other British acts such as Def Leppard and Thunder. However, the musical tide was turning…

‘We came close to a commercial breakthrough with If Only,’ says Greg. ‘We were recording an album that cost over £100,000, using some of the best production equipment available at the time. However, we took too long and the musical landscape changed. It was a time when every “hair metal” band looked identical, with the same ripped jeans, same long hair, same guitar solos, same beautiful girls in the videos. But we had MTV playing in the studio and noticed that these three guys with straggly jumpers were getting more and more airtime. That was Nirvana. Grunge signalled the end for bands like ours.’

Looking back, Greg and Andy can reflect on sliding doors moments that didn’t go their way. A leading AOR agent was critically injured in a motorcycle accident while on the verge of signing If Only. One of the band’s songs was offered to Cher but never released, while Greg turned down a request for another song to be recorded by American singer Patty Smyth. Her album was subsequently a million-seller thanks to global hit, Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough. 

Greg said: ‘The stars never aligned for us and our window of opportunity came and went. In hindsight, there are things we might have done differently, but you’ve got to make bold decisions in this industry and when I was in my mid-twenties, I was cocky, ambitious and wanted to keep the best songs to myself, as you always believe things are going to work out.’ 

IMITATION OF LIFE

Grunge would make way for other genres, such as Britpop and Nu Metal, and there would be no soft rock revival for decades. If Only parted ways and Andy turned to piano teaching, also establishing himself as a Musical Director, working with amateur theatre groups including HAODS. Greg began performing in tribute acts including Flairz, who captured a nostalgia for glam rock by donning glittery outfits and platform shoes, playing hits by the likes of T-Rex, David Bowie and Queen.

He also performed in Limehouse Lizzie, a Thin Lizzy tribute. Although he earned good money, he grew tired of touring and took a sabbatical, focusing on painting at a collaborative arts project called The Gallery in Park Place, Horsham. But it wasn’t long before he rediscovered his love of guitar... 

Greg said: ‘I grew up loving the pop music of the 70s, from glam rock to heavy rock bands like Rush and Kiss. I loved the hair metal groups of the early 80s too, but my heart always belonged to the 70s. So, I reunited with Andy and formed the Supersonic 70s Show, playing everything from ABBA to ELO. We had some great times, but we only played covers and it niggled that I wasn’t performing my own material. I felt more like an entertainer than a guitarist. 

‘One day, the former singer of Moritz walked into The Gallery. We got talking and decided to finish the album we never got around to recording in 1986. Remarkably, rock journalists took an interest in the story and we had more column inches than we had ever enjoyed before. The band had developed a small cult following in the intervening years, without us really knowing about it. We contacted our old sound engineer, Ian Capel, who we worked with on If Only, and recorded two albums. While it was only ever going to be a short-lived project to resolve unfinished business, it was the catalyst for us putting together the band I had always wanted to form, which was a proper 70s style band with modern production values.’

WHAT’S NEW, PUSSYCAT?

Cats in Space formed in 2015, with Greg and Andy joined by drummer Steevi Bacon, guitarist Dean Howard, bassist Jeff Brown and vocalist Paul Manzi, who had also been part of the Supersonic 70s Show. Mick Wilson, formerly of 10CC, joined as a backing vocalist and collaborated with Greg on songwriting. Following the success of their debut single, Mr Heartache, the band released their debut album, Too Many Gods. The songs kept coming and Cats released a second album, Scarecrow, with lead single The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party becoming a live favourite during the band’s support slot for Thunder’s UK tour in 2017. Later that year, they supported Phil Collins at Hyde Park, Deep Purple on their Long Goodbye UK Tour and opened 10 nights of Status Quo’s Plugged In Live and Rockin’ Tour.  

Having earned a reputation for dynamic live shows, the band released two live albums, as well as Day Trip to Narnia, the third studio album with Harmony Factory Records. Lead single Thunder in the Night saw the band blend rock and disco influences. When Paul Manzi departed to join Sweet as a full-time member, Mark Pascall stepped in as lead vocalist and performed on the fourth album, Atlantis, featuring catchy rock anthems such as Listen to the Radio. This was followed by 2022’s Kickstart The Sun and 2024’s Time Machine, with the eponymous lead single one of the band’s finest to date.

Andy is the grandson of English entertainer Arthur Askey and his experiences with the band have seen him follow in his footsteps. He said: ‘We have been lucky enough to support acts such as Blondie, Blue Oyster Cult and Deep Purple. We had to wait until we were in our 50s, but Greg’s tenacity has provided us with amazing memories. We performed at the Hammersmith Odeon twice in one year, and I know it meant a lot to Greg to play the same venue as Queen and Black Sabbath. But for me, the highlight was playing the London Palladium. We were supporting Bonnie Tyler and I got to play on the same stage where my grandfather used to perform. When you’re a supporting act, you may only have a 30-minute set and it’s over in a flash, but you have to savour those moments.’

WHAT’S MY AGE AGAIN?

Cats in Space was formed with the working title of The Vanity Project. When it came to discussing a permanent name, Greg and drummer Steevi threw around the usual rock clichés over a pint in a Parsons Green pub. The eureka moment came when they talked about their recently-deceased pet cats looking down on them from space! The name has been pivotal to the brand, with a feline-friendly space pod featuring on album sleeves, promotional videos and merchandise. Last year, the band signed to Cherry Red Records, with Time Machine the first of a mooted three albums with the label. With six studio records, two live albums and a 2019 Christmas release behind them, the band have a rich source of material at their disposal, ensuring fans flock to live shows.  

Andy said: ‘Fans like the fact that the records take them back to the 70s, as they thought that kind of sound was dead. Rock fans are very passionate and can become quite emotional when they discover a band playing new material with the old rock spirit. Greg has a head full of songs and continues to develop as a songwriter. He has been doing this since his teens and to maintain that passion for music is incredible.’ 

ELECTRIC DREAMS

This year, the band will be writing new material and will release a box set of their first four albums. As part of a concerted effort to grow their European fan-base, the band will perform on a rock ‘n’ roll cruise in the Norwegian fjords too. But despite their recent success and priceless memories, their story serves as a cautionary tale.  

Greg said: ‘I’m not completely satisfied with my musical journey, although it’s strange how those sliding doors moments that worked against us in the 1980s have turned in our favour decades later. But this industry presents serious challenges to your mental health. In the late 80s, there were hundreds of people like us, all wearing the same clothes with the same hair styles, enjoying life in what was a great time to be young. A few years later, many were broken, as we’d been sold a dream, but ended up without homes or families of our own. 

‘Many friends gave up on the dream to do other things, and sometimes they tell me that they wish they’d stuck it out, like I did. I point out that they have paid off their mortgages, and have wives and children. I just couldn’t surrender to music, as it’s what I love. But it’s only recently with Cats in Space that I’ve achieved a lot of what I wanted. On 13 July, we’ll be one of the support acts for the Electric Light Orchestra at Hyde Park, which will be a dream come true. The motto of the story is that if you keep knocking, eventually the door will open.’  

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

Further details: For more information on albums, tour dates and merchandise, visit www.catsinspace.co.uk