Goldblade

Last updated

Goldblade
Goldblade 'Flaming Skull' Logo.png
Background information
Origin Manchester, England
Genres Punk rock, hardcore punk, art punk
Years active1996–present
Labels Captain Oi!, Ultimate Records, Overground Records (Current May 2013-)
Members John Robb
Pete 'Gorgeous' Byrchmore
Keith Curtis
Rob Haynes
Johny Skullknuckles
Past membersWayne Simmons
Jay Taylor
Martin Gray
Andy Taylor
Website http://www.goldblade.com/

Goldblade are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. The band formed in early 1995 when ex Membranes frontman, John Robb, put the band together with Wayne Simmons and former Membranes and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, Rob Haynes (ex Houndgod and Killing for Pleasure/K.F.P.) on drums and Jay Taylor on guitar. [1]

Contents

The band signed to Ultimate Records and released their first single, "Soul Power", before releasing several more singles and two albums - Home Turf (1996/97), and Goldblade Drop the Bomb (1998) before Simmons departed. In 2000, Goldblade then recruited a new percussionist, Martin Gray, into the line up and recorded two further singles "AC/DC" and "Who Was The Killa?" together with a third album Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock 'n' Roll all released in 2002 on a new label, Twenty Stone Blatt.

In 2001, Jay Taylor left the band to concentrate on his Bonebox project, and two new members Johny Skullknuckles and Pete 'Gorgeous' Byrchmore (ex-Nightingales, and U.K Subs) were recruited to begin work on the next album, Rebel Songs (2004). Second percussionist Gray left shortly after the recording sessions, and the album was released in 2005 on the Captain Oi! label. The band continued gigging and recording as a five-piece, with the next album Mutiny (also on Captain Oi! Records) released in 2008. Both "Rebel Songs" and "Mutiny" were also issued internationally.

Goldblade continue to tour extensively. They regularly appear at major UK music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival, Wickerman Festival and Rebellion Festival, and several smaller ones (Strummercamp). They have played in St Petersburg to 25,000 people, in Serbia and, in early 2010, in Algiers (being one of only a handful of Western bands to do so).

In March 2010, Skullknuckles departed to be replaced by another guitarist Andy Taylor (not the one from Duran Duran).

Goldblade issued a compilation album, Beyond God & Elvis in China (on Kids-Union Records) in September 2010, following it with dates in Beijing.

On 20 May 2013 Goldblade released the album The Terror Of Modern Life on Overground Records in CD, Vinyl and download formats.

Since the release of the 2014 album Acoustic Jukebox, Goldblade's activities have taken a backseat to the reformed The Membranes, which features John Robb, Peter Byrchmore and Rob Haynes of Goldblade. They have reunited on several occasions to play festival sets, including two charity shows at Manchester pub The Star & Garter in 2018 and 2019. Both of these shows featured the return of Johny Skullknuckles.

History

Goldblade formed in Manchester in the mid 1990s playing what they called "punk rock hooligan blues", and what was described in The Independent as "a shamelessly fundamentalist collision of The Ramones, James Brown and The Stooges". [2] The band toured a lot and signed to Ultimate Records. Their debut single, "Soul Power", was single of the week in the NME , and their third single "Strictly Hardcore" was a minor UK UK Singles Chart hit. [1] The band's debut album Home Turf was released in 1997 on the Ultimate Records label, produced by Gavin Monaghan.

Their second album, Drop The Bomb, was recorded in Brighton at The Levellers' studio, and again released on Ultimate Records (TOPP CD071) in May 1998. The single "Hairstyle" saw an improbable live appearance on children's Saturday morning TV on CD:UK.

Do You Believe In The Power of Rock n' Roll? was released in summer 2002 on the independent label Twenty Stone Blatt Records. The band toured Germany previewing new songs for the album. Guitarist Jay Taylor left shortly after recording, to concentrate on his own band Bonebox. Rebel Songs was released in the UK by Captain Oi! Records (AHOY CD252) in 2005, and in Germany via KB-Records. Mutiny was released in the UK by Captain Oi! Records (AHOY CD305) in September 2008. The album was also released in Germany via KB-Records (KB 037) in a vinyl only edition. "Riot! Riot" was used on the soundtrack for the film Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground . The band's world tour included a stadium gig in Russia and a headline show in Algeria where they were the first western rock band to play the country for 20 years.[ citation needed ]

The Terror Of Modern Life was released by Overground Records] (OVER132) on 20 May 2013, and was followed by the release of an acoustic album, Acoustic Jukebox the following year.

On Sunday, August 9, 2015, GOLDBLADE and friends hired a vintage tram for 40 guests and took them on a trip filled with laughs and great songs, as a temporary get-away from Rebellion Festival 2015, where the band had stormed the Empress Ballroom the previous day. Starting with an acoustic set from THE MEMBRANES in HMV, Goldblade then took to the streets of Blackpool for a sing-song, before boarding the tram to Fleetwood and back. Along the way was a TV SMITH acoustic set, some poetry, chit-chat, and a break for ice creams, before the trip back up along the promenade.

The band went on semi-hiatus after this, while members focused on The Membranes reunion, and the recording of the Membranes albums Dark Matter/Dark Energy, Inner Space/Outer Space, and What Nature Gives/Nature Takes Away, in 2015, 2016 and 2019 respectively. Since 2015, they have intermittently reunited for occasional live shows, most notably the 2018 and 2019 charity gigs F**k Cancer and F**k Cancer 2 in support of Kathy Rocker, owner of Manchester alternative store Rockers, who died in late 2019. These shows saw the return of Johny Skullknuckles to the band's lineup.

Discography

Albums

Singles

DVDs

Related Research Articles

Punk rock is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles with stripped-down instrumentation. Lyricism in punk typically revolves around anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian themes. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through independent labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari Teenage Riot</span> German digital hardcore band

Atari Teenage Riot (ATR) is a German band formed in Berlin in 1992. Highly political, they fuse radical left-wing, anarchist and anti-fascist views with punk vocals and a techno sound called digital hardcore, which is a term band member Alec Empire used as the name of his record label Digital Hardcore Recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Exploited</span> Scottish punk rock band

The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and their debut EP, Army Life, and debut album, Punks Not Dead, were both released that year. The band maintained a large cult following in the 1980s among a hardcore working class punk and skinhead audience. Originally a street punk band, the Exploited eventually became a crossover thrash band with the release of their album Death Before Dishonour in 1987.

Queercore is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically society's disapproval of the LGBT community. Queercore expresses itself in a DIY style through magazines, music, writing and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaughter & the Dogs</span> English punk rock band

Slaughter and the Dogs are an English punk rock band formed in 1975 in Wythenshawe, Manchester. Their original line-up consisted of singer Wayne Barrett-McGrath, rhythm guitar Mick Rossi, drummer Brian "Mad Muffet" Grantham, lead guitarist Mike Day and bassist Howard Bates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Nowhere League</span> English punk rock band

Anti-Nowhere League are an English punk rock band, formed in 1979 by lead singer Animal, guitarist Magoo, Bones on drums and Chris Elvy on bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nightingales</span> British band

Nightingales are a British post-punk/alternative rock band, formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, by four members of Birmingham's punk group The Prefects. They had been part of The Clash's 'White Riot Tour', recorded a couple of Peel Sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by US indie label Acute Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">999 (band)</span> English punk rock band

999 are an English punk rock band, formed in London in December 1976. From 1976 to 1985, their line-up consisted of Nick Cash, Guy Days, Jon Watson and Pablo LaBritain (drums). LaBritain was temporarily replaced in 1980 by drummer Paul Edward while he recovered from a motor accident. Bassist Jon Watson left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Danny Palmer, who was succeeded by Arturo Bassick in 1991.

The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore, the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of hardcore punk, Oi!, heavy metal, football chants and shock rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.K. Subs</span> English punk rock band

U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. One of the first hardcore punk bands, elements of rhythm and blues music - including harmonica - also remained an occasional element of their work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cock Sparrer</span> British punk rock band

Cock Sparrer is an English punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London. Although they have never enjoyed commercial success, they helped pave the way for the early '80s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre. Their songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and hardcore punk bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Business (band)</span> English punk band

The Business were an English punk band formed in 1979 in Lewisham, South London, England. The band lasted for four decades until their frontman Micky Fitz died from cancer in December 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robb (musician)</span> English music journalist

John David Robb is an English musician and journalist. He is the bassist and singer for the post-punk band the Membranes. He is also the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick Records</span> Record label

Thick Records is a Chicago-based independent record label which actively operated from 1994 to 2007. It now exists as a catalog only label for its previous releases.

A Witness are an English post-punk/indie rock band, who were originally active in the mid-1980s alternative music scene. Their first EP Loudhailer Songs and début album I am John's Pancreas brought them to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel, for whom they recorded four sessions. Their career was brought to a halt with the death of guitarist Rick Aitken in 1989. Founder member and songwriter Vince Hunt revived the band with a new line-up for a series of UK-wide dates in 2014 marking the 25th anniversary of Aitken's death, and the band continues to play live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven's Basement</span> British rock band

Heaven's Basement was an English rock band formed in 2008 and signed with Red Bull Records. Band members included Aaron Buchanan (vocals), Sid Glover, Rob Ellershaw, and Chris Rivers (drums). The band split up in January 2017.

Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was partly a response to the perception that many participants in the early punk rock scene were, in the words of The Business guitarist Steve Kent, "trendy university people using long words, trying to be artistic... and losing touch."

The Ejected were an English punk rock/Oi! band from Dagenham, London, active mainly between 1981 and 1983.

Captain Oi! Records is a punk rock and Oi! record label based in High Wycombe, England. The company has released over 300 albums by many notable punk and Oi! bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. The label was set up by Mark Brennan, former bassist of The Business, who had previously co-run Link Records and the Dojo subsidiary of Castle Records. Brennan's inspiration had been Ace Records, with Captain Oi! targeted at being "the Ace Records of retro punk rock", reissuing material by classic punk bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign Legion (band)</span> Welsh punk band

Foreign Legion is a punk band from South Wales.

References

  1. 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p.414-5
  2. ↑ Price, Simon (2002) "The Breeders, Academy, Birmingham/Gold Blade, Garage, London/Le Tigre, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow", The Independent , 2 June 2002
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 230. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.