Paul ‘Wags’ Wagstaff, former Happy Mondays and Black Grape guitarist, has died at the age of 60. As a core player in Manchester's thriving “Madchester” scene back in the ’80s and ’90s, Wagstaff formed Paris Angels, a band closely associated with the acid house scene and The Haçienda nightclub, run by the legendary Factory Records.
After Paris Angels called it a day, Wagstaff was recruited for Black Grape – the band Shaun Ryder and Bez formed in 1993 after the disbandment of Happy Mondays.
Wagstaff's guitar playing was essential to the new band's sound – which went on to score a number one album in the UK charts with their debut record, It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah (1995), while their sophomore album, Stupid Stupid Stupid (1997), was certified gold in the UK, before their split in 1998.
When Happy Mondays reformed in 1999, Wagstaff was brought into the fold to replace Mark Day. The two-year reunion included supporting Oasis on their Standing on the Shoulder of Giants arena tour – alongside extensive touring and releasing their own rendition of Thin Lizzy's The Boys Are Back in Town, which reached number 24 in the UK Singles Chart.
At the time of writing, no official cause of death was made public. However, tributes poured in from former bandmates and fellow musicians, celebrating the Manchester hero.
Leading the tributes was former Happy Mondays and Black Grape member Bez, who shared a photo of Black Grape on social media with the caption, “Mr Paul Wagstaff (Wags), remembering the good times. RIP my friend.”
Mike Bennett, The Blockheads frontman, wrote a heartfelt tribute via Louder Than War. “Legendary Paul Wagstaff also known as Wags was an important part of Paris Angels, Black Grape, and Happy Mondays. I knew him for years and he was not just a musician but a literary scholar, and always had a kind heart and a lightness of touch with the disenfranchised.”
He continued, “He was a one-off and told me great stories of working with the likes of Joe Strummer and Snow Patrol. We will never see his like again!” Other tributes poured in from Paris Angels bassist Scott Carey, British presenter Terry Christian, and singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy.
Wagstaff was said to have been recently working on a project with his longterm partner, Royal Shakespeare Company actor Tamara Smith.
