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Oliver Drake, 42, lives in Ramsbottom, plays lead guitar and sings in thrash metal band Evile, and has just set up a GoFundMe to clear the last of his debts. If you’ve not heard of Evile, formed in Huddersfield in 2004, signed to Earache Records, six studio albums, tours across Japan, the USA and Canada. One of their songs even features in the film Final Destination: Bloodlines. Not bad going.

But here’s the thing about being in a touring band that a lot of people don’t realise: it’s really, really hard to make it pay.

Oliver has spoken to the Bury Times about how years of funding the band, selling possessions, and being unable to hold down a steady job while disappearing on months-long tours gradually built up into a serious debt problem. Add in the cost-of-living crisis, and chipping away at that debt has become incredibly difficult.

He put it plainly: “Metal music is not the most lucrative genre to be a part of, and pretty much since we started, I was doing most things like writing music, logistics and everything behind the scenes. No one will give you three months off to go touring, and then you come back for two weeks and then leave again.”

Evile still exist and still play the occasional festival when something good comes up, but regular touring is off the table. Oliver now works full-time as a service engineer, which means long stretches away from his wife and two daughters, aged five and eight. Both girls have autism, and his wife, who works at a nursery, manages things at home whilst also dealing with her own mental health. The debt hanging over the household makes all of that harder.

That’s really why he set the fundraiser up. As he says himself: “It’s all for them, really.”

Alongside his day job he runs an online guitar school, streams on Twitch, and makes guitar and comedy content online. He’s done 24-hour charity streams before to raise money towards the debt, and this GoFundMe is described as “the last hump to get over.” The goal is £8,000, and it’s already raised around £3,000 in the early days.

The response from Evile fans has been something else. Oliver told the Bury Times: “A lot of Evile fans have come forward and said, ‘You helped me through tough times, so this is me repaying it’. It’s very humbling.”

Running a band for two decades, funding it largely from your own pocket, and then having to ask for help publicly takes some guts. Worth giving the campaign a look if this resonates with you.

You can find the full story over at the Bury Times.

Bury Council has published revised proposals for improving how people get around Ramsbottom town centre, and there are two public events coming up where you can find out more and ask questions.

The scheme is part of the wider Bee Network investment across Greater Manchester, funded by the UK Government through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. The money is ringfenced for walking, cycling, and sustainable transport improvements specifically.

The big goal across Greater Manchester is for 50% of all trips to be made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2040. These town centre improvements are Ramsbottom’s piece of that puzzle.

What’s actually being proposed?

The revised plans focus on making it easier and safer to get around the town centre on foot, by bike, or by public transport. Key proposals include:

• A new controlled pedestrian crossing on Bolton Street, north of Kay Brow
• A shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists on Bridge Street, between Crow Lane and Palatine Street
• A 20mph speed limit across the town centre
• A number of other new and improved pedestrian crossings

What changed after the last consultation?

There was a public consultation back in 2022 and another in 2024, which received 1,504 responses. People clearly had a lot to say, and to their credit, the council listened.

The most significant change is that the proposed one-way system has been scrapped entirely. Residents and local businesses raised serious concerns about congestion, emergency vehicle access, HGVs on Kay Brow, and the potential impact on footfall and deliveries. Those concerns were heard, and the one-way system is gone.

With it goes the associated pavement widening on Bridge Street and at the northern end of Bolton Street, which was only needed to accommodate the one-way traffic flow anyway.

The 20mph zone, which had strong support during consultation, has been kept in.

Come along and find out more

There are two public presentation events being held at Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Market Place, BL0 9AJ:

• Wednesday 27 May – 6.30pm to 7.30pm
• Tuesday 2 June – 5pm to 6pm

Each session includes a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. If you’ve got questions or opinions about how all this affects your part of town, it’s well worth turning up.

After these events, Bury Council councillors will consider the revised scheme for approval. If it gets the green light, construction is expected to start in 2027 and take around 12 months.

If you can’t make the events but want to get in touch, you can email the project team at [email protected].

Full details of the revised proposals are on the Bury Council website.

Are you planning to go along to one of the events? And what do you make of the revised plans? Let us know in the comments.