Vardis were an influential three-piece heavy metal band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who enjoyed hits between 1978 and 1986.
They formed a prominent part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, then prevalent in the United Kingdom. They consisted of frontman Steve Zodiac on guitar and lead vocals, Alan Selway on bass guitar and Gary Pearson on drums. Alan Selway was later replaced by Terry Horbury (previously of Dirty Tricks) on bass guitar.
The band were originally formed under the name 'Quo Vardis' (Latin for wither goest thou) because they did not know which direction they were going. This was later abbreviated to Vardis. Their first recordings were made at Holyground Studios in Cass Yard, Kirgate, Wakefied. The first ever track laid down on vinyl was titled 'Jiving All Night Long' with the B side titled 'Stay With Me', both penned by Zodiac. This was followed up with a second record, both cover versions, those being 'Roll Over Beethoven' (Chuck Berry) and 'Don't Waste My Time' (Status Quo).
Vardis quickly gained notoriety for high energy live performances, the unique approach of incorporating elements of 70's glam rock and heavy metal music and frontman Steve Zodiac's searing Fender Telecaster sound. Zodiac was reputable for playing Vardis concerts barefoot and bare chested, his look completed by long, naturally ice-blonde hair.
They took the unorthodox approach of comprising their debut album, '100MPH' (1980), of entirely live recordings. This is largely considered to be their finest hour and gained the band a large following early on in their career. They were invited to play the Heavy Metal Holocaust music festival in August 198l alongside Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne and Triumph. Around 30,000 heavy metal fans were estimated to have attended with the PA reportedly reaching new heights of amplification at over 100,000 watts.
Their second album, released in April 1981 and called 'The World's Insane', featured a cover version of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine", and featured bagpipes played by Judd Lander, making it one of the few heavy metal albums to ever feature bagpipes. The album also featured a guest appearances from Status Quo's Andy Bown on keyboards. In 1982, Steve Zodiac was voted in the top 15 rock guitarists by Sounds Magazine readers.
Vardis dissolved in the mid 1980s amid lengthy legal disputes with former management.
Two compilation albums, 'The Best of Vardis' (1997) and 'The World's Gone Mad: Best of Vardis' (2002) have been released since their premature split, but no new material. Original Vardis records are rare and are valued in most record collector's books and guides. An original copy of "100mph" including the enclosed tour guide and poster has an estimated value of approximately £500 ($940).