Sputnik Weazel

Last updated

Sputnik Weazel (born 1960s) is a British singer-songwriter, composer, artist and session musician. In a career that was inspired by the beat poets and politicised by punk, Sputnik has busked with Eddie Izzard, jammed with Jools Holland, and performed at numerous venues and festivals throughout Europe. Sputnik has written and released over 200 original songs to date, and has released 20 independent studio albums. From 2011 to 2016, Sputnik occupied the drum stool for the folk/punk band The Men They Couldn't Hang, playing drums and piano on their crowd-funded album, The Defiant (2014). Sputnik's latest studio recording Eulogy is a thought provoking collection of eclectic tracks, covering a wide range of subject matters. [1]

Contents

Bands

Musical career

Sputnik was one of the founder members of The Weazels (or Jimmy The Weazel as they were also known) in the 1980s. The Weazels toured extensively and in one year, the original band members (Polly, Al, & Sputnik) did over 250 gigs, once doing five gigs in three countries in two days, plus busking in every town they visited. The Weazels played to any audience willing to have them, and at every kind of venue you could imagine; from arts centres to bikers bars, and front rooms to stadiums.

Personal life

Sputnik was born in Manchester. In 2007, he moved to West Wales where he lives with his partner.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violent Femmes</span> American rock band

Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie, joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza, and drummer John Sparrow. Former members of the band include drummers Victor DeLorenzo, Guy Hoffman (1993–2002), and Brian Viglione (2013–2016). Violent Femmes are considered to be an integral part of the then-underground folk punk and alternative rock scenes of the 1980s, and remain influential or inspirational to the subsequent movements, particularly on folk rock, indie rock, grunge, pop punk, emo, and the late 1980s and 1990s alternative rock scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeleye Span</span> English folk rock band, formed 1969

Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and were commercially successful in that period, with four Top 40 albums and two hit singles: "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairport Convention</span> British folk rock group

Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater. They started out influenced by American folk rock, with a set list dominated by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell songs and a sound that earned them the nickname "the British Jefferson Airplane". Vocalists Judy Dyble and Iain Matthews joined them before the recording of their self-titled debut in 1968; afterwards, Dyble was replaced by Sandy Denny, with Matthews later leaving during the recording of their third album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mclusky</span> Welsh post-hardcore band

Mclusky, originally known as Best, are a Welsh three-piece post-hardcore group formed in Cardiff in 1996. The group originally consisted of Andrew Falkous, originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, Geraint Bevan (bass) and Matthew Harding (drums); the latter two were replaced by Jonathan Chapple and Jack Egglestone in 1997 and late 2003 respectively. The band released three studio albums before splitting in 2004, reconvening in 2014 – without Chapple – under the monikers 'mclusky' and mclusky*, before ultimately dropping the asterisk.

<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">Skids (band)</span> British punk rock band

Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson. Their biggest successes were the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016, the band announced a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Subways</span> English rock band

The Subways are an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn, Charlotte Cooper, and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding member and original drummer Josh Morgan left the band for personal reasons in October 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Rock Miners</span>

The Hard Rock Miners are a Canadian rockabilly/hillbilly/country/folk band based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Folk punk is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by The Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade. In more recent years, its subgenres Celtic punk and Gypsy punk have experienced some commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony James (musician)</span> English pop musician and record producer

Anthony Eric James is an English pop musician and record producer, who was the bassist for the 1970s–1980s bands Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and the Sisters of Mercy.

The Nips are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 as the Nipple Erectors by punk artist Shanne Bradley. They were Shane MacGowan's first musical group.

The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush, Paul Simmonds, Philip "Swill" Odgers, Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Burgess (musician)</span> English musical artist (born 1950)

Paul Burgess is an English rock drummer, notable for his association with a wide range of British rock and folk-rock bands. In addition to extensive session work, he has been an official member of 10cc, Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portico Quartet</span> British musical group

Portico Quartet are an instrumental band from London, United Kingdom. They are known for their use of the hang, a modern percussion instrument. Their debut album, Knee-Deep in the North Sea, was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize and was Time Out's Jazz, Folk and World album of the year 2007.

Foxes Faux were an English band that play a mixture of folk, punk and rock music. They formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England and played their first gig at Victoria Hall in their home town in January 2009. Originally, they choose to busk or play acoustically over traditional gigs. They also have become well known for playing additional acoustic sets after their typical PA gigs have finished. Since adding a rock rhythm section, they have almost exclusively played pub and club gigs.

The Surfin' Lungs are an English surf music band originally from Bracknell, Berkshire, who were formed in 1981 by Chris Pearce and Geoffo Knipe. The original line-up consisted of: Chris Pearce, Geoffo Knipe, Steve Dean and Lee Money (drums).

<i>Surf, Drags & RocknRoll</i> 2005 studio album by The Surfin Lungs

Surf, Drags & Rock 'n' Roll is the sixth album released by surf music band The Surfin' Lungs, released in 2006 on the Spanish label Wild Punk Records and featuring another new line-up, with Sputnik Weazel replacing Ray Webb in the drumseat. Apart from being a soloist in his own right, Sputnik also previously played in a band called The X-ocettes. All 13 tracks were written by the group who had moved to a new label, Spain's Wild Punk Records. Recorded in Brighton, the album had a grittier edge to it than their previous release, although the subject matter remained the same, with punk meeting surf head on. Vocal duties were shared around, with Clive Gilling headlining two songs, while new member Sputnik Weazel grabbing the spotlight on "She Can't Dance".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxik Ephex</span>

Toxik Ephex is a Scottish anarcho-punk band, who was first formed in 1979 as The Abductors by founding member Fred "Inspector Blake" Wilkinson.

Sydney City Trash is a Sydney-based Country/Punk band consisting of Mitch Hell, "Browny" Brown, Paddy Finn McHugh, Jamie "Jim Mongrel" Skjeme (bass), James Eric Bones and Austin Ringo Citizen (drums). Three of its six members grew up in the small town of Tamworth in rural New South Wales, which is also Australia's Country Music Capital and their country roots are frequently reflected in the band's lyrics. The band has been described as the saviours of Australian Country, and is widely respected for its bitingly satirical and dense storytelling lyrics. To date, the band has released three studio albums: Classic Country Hits (2004), Once Upon A Time in Australia (2006)and Terror Australis (2009).

The Trials of Cato are a Welsh/English folk band that originally consisted of Tomos Williams, Will Addison and Robin Jones. Their 2018 debut album Hide and Hair won Best Album in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019. In 2020, Will Addison left the group, and was replaced by Polly Bolton, a mandolin player and vocalist known for her work with The Magpies and Stillhouse.

References

  1. "SPUTNIK WEASEL – EULOGY (Steampunk Crooner Records)". Folking.com. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2020.