“A light was in the wrong place and he went straight off into the orchestra pit and broke his leg. He did the show, but he was obviously not feeling great”: The chaotic story of forgotten Deep Purple spin-off project Paice Ashton Lord

A composite photograph of Jon Lord and Ian Paice of Deep Purple and Tony Ashton.

Paice Ashton Lord are the neglected branch on the Deep Purple family tree. Not surprising, given that their existence amounted to just one studio album and a handful of live gigs. But it started with the grandest of intentions.

When Purple dissolved in 1976, drummer Ian Paice and keyboard player Jon Lord had two choices: they could start a soundalike band, or they could head off in a different direction entirely. “We thought: ‘If we carry on doing what we’d done before, it’ll be likened to Purple and it’ll never be accepted properly,” says Paice. “So we decided to do something completely different.”