The Batfish Boys | |
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| Origin | Leeds/York, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1984–1990 |
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| Members | Simon "Detroit" Denbigh Loz Elliott Tom Ashton Martin "Bomber" Pink Bob "Diablo" Priestley Murray Fenton Johnny Burman Zero Rek (Martin Herbert) |
The Batfish Boys (later simply called Batfish) were an English rock band from York and Leeds, England, active between 1984 and 1990. They released three albums.
The band was formed by former March Violets vocalist Simon Detroit (b. Simon Denbigh) and ex-Skeletal Family drummer Martin "Bomber" Pink, initially assisted on their first single, 1985's "Swamp Liquor" (their first release on their own Batfish Incorporated label) by Denbigh's ex-bandmates in March Violets, bassist Loz Elliott and guitarist Tom Ashton. [3] Their goth tendencies evolved into a more Stooges-influenced garage rock sound, and debut album The Gods Hate Kansas [4] prompted comparisons to the likes of The Cramps and The Gun Club. [5] By that point, the band had added bassist Bob "Diablo" Priestley and guitarists Johnny Burman and Murray Fenton.
In 1986, Zero Rek (Martin Herbert) replaced Fenton on guitar. The Batfish Boys' second album, Head, also appeared that year, laced with psychedelic blues overtones. [5] With the band's sound getting progressively heavier, they were signed by Motörhead's label, GWR, in 1987, and shortened their name to Batfish. The first release on GWR was 1988's "Purple Dust" single, a mash-up cover of "Purple Haze" and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". [4]
The third Batfish Boys album, Batfish Brew, was released in 1989, but the band split shortly afterwards.
Denbigh, who later issued an album under the name D-Rok, and reformed the March Violets in 2007, was declared Cult Hero No. 36 by Classic Rock Magazine in 2010. [4]
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The Batfish Boys' early music was classified as gothic rock, [1] post-punk [2] and swamp rock, [1] [2] as well as grebo, [1] before they changed their style to a hard rock, [1] psychedelic blues and arena metal sound. [2] The band, however, resisted classifying themselves as "goth" or "grebo". [1]
Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart. [6]
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. The band released seven studio albums, five EPs, and three compilations.
Ozric Tentacles are an English instrumental rock band, whose music incorporates elements from a diverse range of genres, including psychedelic rock, progressive rock, space rock, jazz fusion, electronic music, dub music, world music, and ambient music. Formed in Somerset in 1983, the band has released over 30 albums selling over a million copies worldwide despite never having signed to a major recording label. Throughout many line-up changes over the years, co-founder and guitarist Ed Wynne has remained the only original member of the band. The band is now credited as one of the major influences of the UK festival scene's re-emergence, becoming particularly associated with the Glastonbury Festival and their handmade series of cassette releases, mostly sold at gigs and through a fan club.
The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators, guitarist Brian James, bassist Dave Tregunna and drummer Nick Turner. Launched in 1981, the band released three studio albums prior to their dissolution in 1989. During this time, they underwent several line-up changes.
The Bolshoi were an English London-based music group prominent mostly in the mid to late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A way" or "Away".
The March Violets are an English post-punk/gothic rock band formed in 1981 in Leeds, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo-laden electric guitar, much in the style of fellow Leeds band the Sisters of Mercy. Seven March Violets singles reached the UK Indie Chart; the Natural History collection also was an indie hit.
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, also known very briefly as the Lorries, are an English rock band formed in Leeds in early 1981 by guitarist and songwriter Chris Reed, vocalist Mark Sweeney, bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown. After breaking up in 1991, the band reformed in 2003 and have released 5 studio albums over the course of their career.
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stating that their music "spark[ed] the musical transition from fifties rock and roll to sixties funk."
Skeletal Family are an English rock band formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in December 1982. The band was formed from the remaining members of an earlier group called the Elements, and took their name from the title of the song "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" from the 1974 David Bowie album, Diamond Dogs.
Purple Blue is the third album by the Canadian indie band Eric's Trip. The album marked a turn to a heavier, more psychedelic sound, which Rick White would further explore with Elevator.
Ben George Christian "G. C." Green is an English musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist of the industrial metal band Godflesh.
Swamp rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the mid-1960s as a fusion of rockabilly and soul music with swamp blues, country music and funk. The genre originated in Louisiana by artists such as Tony Joe White, but was subsequently popularized by California band Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
The Adult Net was a British indie pop band formed by British-based American singer and guitarist Brix Smith in 1984, while she was a member of The Fall.
Crazyhead are an English garage punk band from Leicester, England. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock of the late 1960s, as well as bands like The Ramones, The Stooges and Captain Beefheart. They have often described themselves as an "urban bastard blues band", and their songs range in theme from trenchant social commentary to the surreal, but always with an underlying vein of black humour.
Plasticland is an American Neo-Psychedelic and Garage rock (revival) band, formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1980 with two members of Arousing Polaris, Glenn Rehse and John Frankovic.
GWR Records were an independent record label active in the UK from 1986 through to 1991.
Lightning Dust is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2007 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band is a side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, both members of Black Mountain.
Soul Merchants were an American deathrock band formed in March 1985 in Denver, Colorado by vocalist Malcolm Black and guitarist Michael Moore. They are regarded as Denver's first goth rock band. Their sound were compared to other goth rock groups such as the Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division. In fact, they have been regarded as the Denver's version of the Sisters of Mercy. The band incorporated genres such as Goth Rock, Psychedelia, Punk rock and Glam rock. The group described their music as "Psychedelic Death Rock". They were noted for their live shows for performing a different cover song in every live show they made. They have performed a cover of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in one of their live shows. The group had disbanded in March 1987.
Tom Ashton is a musician, producer and film composer. He is also an original founder member and guitarist of early 1980s British gothic rock/post-punk band The March Violets. Based in Leeds, England, the band released many tracks which went on to be rated as classics of their genre. He also guested in bands The Sisters of Mercy, The Danse Society and toured and recorded with Clan of Xymox. As a side project to The Violets, he also co-wrote and recorded the first album from The Batfish Boys, The Gods Hate Kansas.
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