The Band

The band was formed in early 2018 by Nigel Minchin. Although he has been a fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers since the late 1970s, when he first heard Refugee, he had lost track of what Tom Petty had been doing in recent years as he got little media exposure in the UK and rarely toured Europe. After Tom Petty died Nigel revisited his back catalogue and discovered many hidden gems and also realised how much he loved the classics. Initially rehearsing with Marcin Bochinski on bass and and Mark Gustafson on guitar, they started to put together a list of songs they liked to play and eventually recruited Andrew Zsigmond (after Nigel met him in a guitar shop and they bonded over favourite guitars and the benefits of D’Addario strings) on guitar and Pete ‘Peroni’ Wright on Drums. Since then Steve Keen and Philip Raby have completed the lineup.

Petty Criminals try to be as authentic as possible to the sound and approach of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including playing Rickenbacker guitars, dressing similarly and wearing Ray Ban sunglasses! Whilst we recreate the sound as closely as possible, Nigel has made the conscious decision not to pretend to be Tom Petty himself, with a blond wig and a fake American accent. Our shows increasingly utilise multimedia and stories to put the songs in context and where possible let the great man explain things himself.

Nigel Minchin (Tom Petty) – Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica

Nigel began his musical career in the choir at primary school. After taking up the electric guitar in his teenage years, he played in numerous bands during the 1980s, mainly blues, psychedelic and goth rock as a guitarist and lead or backing singer. After several years hiatus during the 1990s, he was persuaded to join a Neil Young tribute band and played the great man in various venues over a 4-year period. During the 2000s Nigel returned to choir singing and also sang in the chorus of a local opera production, Alban. The untimely death of Tom Petty in October 2017 was the catalyst to listen again to his music. The realisation that he loved to play the songs and that his voice suited the range and qualities of Tom Petty’s, prompted him to look for like-minded musicians to form an authentic and quality tribute band to the late-great Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Favourite Tom Petty song to sing – Room At The Top.

Andrew Zsigmond (Mike Campbell) – Guitar, Backing Vocals

Andrew, hailing from Liverpool, is a professional musician since the early 80’s, working with projects on RCA, Columbia, Sony and EMI records, and has toured as opener for the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Richard Marx (oh, the hair…), Don Henley, Tina Turner and many others. He has also produced, managed, tour managed, guitar tech-ed and engineered for a living. With his wife he moved to the USA to pursue her musical career for a total of 19 years in California and Connecticut. Andrew also performed in the US underground circuit joining a rich community of musicians in New Haven, CT and the North East. You can find out more at his personal website – www.zsigmond.net. He moved back to the UK in 2017 and joined the St. Albans music community, met Nigel in a guitar shop and was asked to play the part of Mike Campbell in Petty Criminals. Although originally not a fan, he has rapidly grown to love Tom’s music and appreciate the man greatly. Playing Mike Campbell’s parts is a real treat. Favourite Tom Petty song – Honey Bee.

Steve Keen (Ron Blair/Howie Epstein) – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

Steve first picked up a bass at the tender age of 13 and by 17 was already playing in various pub/club bands with players many years his senior. During these early days he was learning his trade playing traditionally British R & B, Rock n Roll and Rockabilly and even managed a few support slots with bands such as Dr Feelgood & Chicken Shack. Over the next few decades he expanded his experience to playing in bands of many different genres, from wedding style function bands, 70’s Disco/Funk outfits, Indie rock bands and Ska tribute bands. His musical versatility makes him a perfect fit for his role with Petty Criminals. In his own words “what I love about the Tom Petty sound is that the bass is never too much, or too little, it just sits right where it should be and creates a great groove”. Favourite Tom Petty song – American Girl.

Philip Raby (Benmont Tench) – Keyboards

After many years moving and storing his late father’s VOX Continental organ, Philip decided to have it restored to full working order. It was a simple matter of taking this iconic piece of the British 60’s music scene to the experts and parting with sack full of cash. Six weeks later in October 2010 Philip became the poorer, but proud and privileged owner of a fully working Vox Continental II organ. The next step proved to be a little harder: Learning how to play it! Philip is self-taught, learning to read music, play scales and chords and then, progressing onto his local live music scene. When there’s room on-stage, the Vox Continental is in the show along with the Hammond, piano, synthesiser and Leslie speaker. Claim to fame? Some years ago, Philip jostled Alan Price at the bar to get served at the Bull at Barnes. Favourite Tom Petty song – Saving Grace.

Pete ‘Peroni’ Wright (Stan Lynch/Steve Ferroni) – Drums

Pete’s passion for music began at an early age. His parents bought his first kit when he was just seven years old and consequently the hapless neighbourhood were subjected to an unrelenting storm of flams and paradiddles. By the time he was fifteen he had graduated to rattling the dental fillings of a real-life audience in a semi professional pop/rock group. The pub rock circuit was vibrant and he played in a number of wayward bands on occasion supporting bigger acts including Mungo Jerry and Steeleye Span. His most notable achievement was receiving a lifetime ban from the Little Chef Restaurant chain. He was also sick on a tortoise once. Pete resided with a number of function bands for many years until fate took a hand and a Tom Petty impersonator spirited him away, and the rest is history. Favourite Tom Petty song – Refugee.