Heavy Load (punk band)

Last updated

Heavy Load
Origin Sussex, England
Genres Punk rock, crust punk
Years active1996–2012
MembersSimon Barker
Jimmy Nichols
Paul Richards
Michael White
Mick Williams

Heavy Load were an English punk rock band, described by The Sunday Times in 2009 as "possibly the most genuinely punk band touring today". [1]

Contents

Its members met at Southdown Housing, a non-profit assisted-living community for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities, and were a mix of service users and staff. [2]

The band composed the theme for the BAFTA-nominated film Cast Offs and is itself documented in the film Heavy Load.

The band were also the founders of the charity Stay Up Late, a campaign seeking to improve the social lives of people with learning difficulties by calling for more flexible staff hours. [3] Stay Up Late is a national charity promoting full and active social lives for people with learning disabilities.

Heavy Load split in September 2012 with a final gig in London's Trafalgar Square as part of the Paralympic festivities. [4] Simon Barker died suddenly on 10 August 2017. [5]

Band members

Albums

TitleDate of Release
Wham2011
Shut It2008
The Queen Mother's Dead2006

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Joe Armstrong</span> American rock musician (born 1972)

Billie Joe Armstrong is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder, and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side projects Foxboro Hot Tubs, the Network, the Longshot and the Coverups. Armstrong has been considered by critics as one of the greatest punk rock guitarists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chumbawamba</span> British alternative rock band (1982–2012)

Chumbawamba were a British anarchist punk band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", "Enough Is Enough", "Timebomb", "Top of the World ", and "Add Me". The band drew on genres such as punk rock, pop, and folk. Their anarcho-communist political leanings led them to have an irreverent attitude toward authority, and to espouse a variety of political and social causes including animal rights and pacifism and later regarding class struggle, Marxism, feminism, gay liberation, pop culture, and anti-fascism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian MacKaye</span> American singer and record label owner

Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore punk band Minor Threat and post-hardcore band Fugazi. MacKaye was also the bassist for the short-lived band the Teen Idles, and frontman for Embrace, and Pailhead, a collaboration with the band Ministry. MacKaye is a member of The Evens, a two-piece indie rock group he formed with his wife Amy Farina in 2001 and in 2018 formed the band Coriky with Farina and his Fugazi band mate Joe Lally.

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

Goldfinger is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. In their early years the band was considered a contributor to the movement of third-wave ska, a mid-1990s revitalization in the popularity of ska. However, the releases of Open Your Eyes and Disconnection Notice saw the band shed most of the ska influence, and they have been more commonly placed in the punk rock genre in later years.

<i>New Found Glory</i> (album) 2000 studio album by New Found Glory

New Found Glory is the second studio album and major label debut by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000, through Drive-Thru and MCA Records. Featuring a new recording of the band's breakthrough single "Hit or Miss", the album was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with shipments of 500,000 units.

<i>Entertainment!</i> 1979 studio album by Gang of Four

Entertainment! is the debut album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released in September 1979 through EMI Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in North America. Stylistically, it draws heavily on punk rock but also incorporates the influence of funk, dance music, reggae and dub. Its lyrics and artwork reflected the band's left-wing political concerns. It would be an influential release in the burgeoning post-punk movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom DeLonge</span> American rock musician (born 1975)

Thomas Matthew DeLonge is an American musician best known as the co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and guitarist of the rock band Blink-182 across three stints: 1992 to 2005, 2009 to 2015, and again since 2022. He is also the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Angels & Airwaves, which he formed in 2005 after his first departure from Blink-182. DeLonge is noted for his distinctive nasal singing voice.

<i>Pink Flag</i> 1977 studio album by Wire

Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in November 1977 by Harvest Records. The album gained Wire a cult following within independent and post-punk music upon its initial release, later growing to be highly influential on many other musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard-Ons</span> Australian punk rock band

The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guitar. The band issued five studio albums prior to their disbandment in 1994. The band reformed in 1997. In 2002, de Silva announced his departure from the band. He was replaced on drums by Front End Loader's Peter Kostic, while Black took over on lead vocals. Kostic was later replaced in turn by Conation drummer Murray Ruse in 2011. de Silva returned as a guest vocalist in 2014, and permanently rejoined the band in 2016. This version of the band would stay together for a further five years and one studio album, prior to de Silva's second departure in 2021. You Am I frontman Tim Rogers has since taken over as the band's lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">+44 (band)</span> American rock band

+44 was an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group consisted of vocalist and bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182, lead guitarist Shane Gallagher of The Nervous Return, and rhythm guitarist Craig Fairbaugh of Mercy Killers. Hoppus and Barker created +44 shortly after the initial 2005 breakup of Blink-182 and before it was later reformed. The band's name refers to the international dialing code of the United Kingdom, the country where the duo first discussed the project. Early recordings were largely electronic in nature, and featured vocals by Carol Heller, formerly of the all-girl punk quartet Get the Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pencey Prep</span> American punk rock band

Pencey Prep was an American punk rock band from Belleville, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blink-182</span> American punk rock band

Blink-182 is an American rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Their current and best-known line-up consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has diversified throughout their career, their musical style, described as pop-punk, blends catchy pop melodies with fast-paced punk rock. Their lyrics centre on relationships, adolescent frustration, and maturity—or lack thereof. The group emerged from a suburban, Southern California skate-punk scene and first gained notoriety for high-energy live shows and irreverent humour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Turbin</span> American singer (born 1963)

Neil Turbin is an American singer known for being the first full-time vocalist for thrash metal band Anthrax. He is the current lead vocalist and songwriter of heavy metal band DeathRiders and a member of hard rock band Bleed the Hunger.

<i>Heavy Load</i> (film) 2008 British film

Heavy Load is a 2008 British docudrama film directed by Jerry Rothwell.

Break Even was an Australian hardcore punk band from Perth, which formed in 2005. For most of the band's run, the band was composed of Perri Basile on bass guitar, Mark Bawden on lead vocals, Simon Dreja on drums and Steffen Sciuto on guitar. Their debut album, The Bright Side, was released in June 2009 and was dedicated to the band's original guitarist Rowan Willoughby, who died in November 2008. The group split in July 2012 but reconvened in December 2014. The band has been inactive since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät</span> Finnish punk band

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was a Finnish punk rock band, formed in 2009 in a charity workshop for adults with developmental disabilities. They are the main focus of the 2012 Finnish documentary film The Punk Syndrome. In 2015, they qualified for the finals of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, which they later won; they represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 but got knocked out in the semi-final. The group disbanded in December 2016 when guitarist Pertti Kurikka turned 60 years old and retired from playing punk rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Story Untold</span> Canadian rock band

Story Untold is a Canadian rock band based in Laval, Quebec. Founded in 2012, the band signed with Hopeless Records in May 2016. Shortly after signing, they recorded their self-titled EP, then went on tour with Simple Plan and Hit the Lights. Story Untold current line-up included vocalist and main songwriter Janick Thibault and drummer Jonathan Landry. In December 2019, the band left Hopeless Records and now remain as an independent group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fever 333</span> American rock band

Fever 333 is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarantine (Blink-182 song)</span> 2020 single by Blink-182

"Quarantine" is a song recorded by American rock band Blink-182. The song was released on August 7, 2020, through Columbia Records, and is the first single by the band to only feature bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker. The fast-paced punk number explores boredom during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was written by Hoppus, who sings solo vocals and plays guitar on the track in addition to his usual bass duties. Additional songwriting is credited to Barker and songwriter Brian Lee, both of whom also produced the song. Due to the lack of a home studio, then-guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba did not contribute to the track.

<i>Tickets to My Downfall</i> 2020 studio album by Machine Gun Kelly

Tickets to My Downfall is the fifth studio album by American musician Machine Gun Kelly. It was released on September 25, 2020, by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. The album marks the departure from his established rap sound and became a more guitar-driven pop-punk album. It was his first collaborative project with drummer and producer Travis Barker, and features guest appearances from Halsey, Trippie Redd, Blackbear, and Iann Dior, as well as Bert McCracken and Yungblud on the deluxe edition.

References

  1. Kate Spicer (1 November 2009). "'Fashion lovers with learning disabilities'". The Sunday Times Style Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
  2. "Heavy Load - Southdown Housing Association". Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. "Mencap | Stay up late". Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  4. "Heavy Load | Southdown Housing". Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  5. "In memory of Simon Barker". Stayuplate.org. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2020.