Healthy Junkies

Last updated
Healthy Junkies
Healthy Junkies 2019.2 by Andras Paul.jpg
Healthy Junkies
Background information
OriginLondon, Paris
Genres Punk rock
LabelsBanana Castle Records / Cargo Records
MembersNina Courson, Phil Honey-Jones, Dave Whitmore, David Gaut
Past membersTjay Tarantino, Steve Nightmare, Dave Renegade, Steve Grainger.Tony Alda, Pumpy, Dany Fury
Websitewww.healthyjunkies.co.uk

Healthy Junkies are a punk rock / grunge band based in London, UK. The current line-up consists of French-born singer Nina Courson (vocals), Phil Honey-Jones (guitar/vocals), Dave Whitmore (bass) and David Gaut (drums). The band have achieved press coverage in the music magazines Vive Le Rock [1] and Black Velvet , [2] as well as website Louder Than War. [3]

Contents

History

Courson met guitarist Honey-Jones at a Soho nightclub in 2009, after relocating from Paris to pursue her musical career. [4] They named their band as "a reflection of the mental health epidemic currently spreading like wildfire through the very core of western society", [5]

The group played their live debut in Brighton at the end of 2010, [6] supporting Goldblade and Viv Albertine. They have since released four studio albums and toured extensively across Europe, the United Kingdom and United States, gaining a loyal following for their highly energized and theatrical performances. [7]

The band have supported the likes of The Rezillos, Sham 69, UK Subs, The Professionals, GBH, Vice Squad, The Buzzcocks and Theatre of Hate, and regularly play at festivals such as Rebellion and Camden Rocks. Enthusiastic supporters of the underground punk scene, [4] Courson and Honey-Jones also promote the 'Punk and Roll Rendezvous' club night in Camden, which has become internationally renowned [8] and spawned a yearly festival. [9]

Musical style

Lauded for their "blistering, trashy, punky glam rock sound", [10] the band has been described as "a homage to psychedelic rock/punk rock and grunge of days gone by but ...with a fresh, modern twist." [11] Black Velvet Magazine praised their "addictive songs with bounce and energy" [2] and Artrocker wrote "the band excel at peripherally gothic action rock." [12] Nina's "sultry melodic" [13] vocals have drawn favourable comparisons to Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie Sioux and Patti Smith [14] whilst Louder Than War commented that Honey-Jones' guitars "provide an energetic binding agent that helps meld together goth, glam, grunge, punk and psychedelic sensibilities." [3] Vive Le Rock described Delirious Dream as "gorgeous yet nightmarish", [1] and Devolution magazine noted that "To be able to take a sound that is recognisable from the 60s ...and DeLorean it into something fit to please and thrill people well into the 2020s and beyond is astonishing in itself. To do so with such panache and flamboyance is truly amazing." [15]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Collaborations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grunge</span> Genre of rock music

Grunge is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal. The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom.

<i>The Velvet Underground & Nico</i> 1967 studio album by the Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut studio album by the American rock band The Velvet Underground and the German singer Nico, released in March 1967 through Verve Records. It was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour. The album features experimental performance sensibilities and explicit lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadomasochism and sexual deviancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Temple Pilots</span> American rock band

Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of Scott Weiland, brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz (drums), the band's lineup remained unchanged from its formation until the firing of Weiland in February 2013. Vocalist Chester Bennington joined the band in May 2013 but left amicably in November 2015. In 2016, the band launched an online audition for a new lead vocalist; they announced Jeff Gutt as the new lead singer on November 14, 2017.

Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Cure.

Alternative rock is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s with the likes of the grunge, shoegaze, and Britpop subgenres in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. During this period, many record labels were looking for "alternatives", as many corporate rock, hard rock, and glam metal acts from the 1980s were beginning to grow stale throughout the music industry. The emergence of Generation X as a cultural force in the 1990s also contributed greatly to the rise of alternative rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Weiland</span> American singer (1967–2015)

Scott Richard Weiland was an American singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2013, recording six albums with them, and as the lead vocalist of the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver from 2003 to 2008. He also released one album with rock supergroup Art of Anarchy in 2015, as well as four solo studio albums and several collaborations with other musicians throughout his career.

<i>Sublime</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Sublime

Sublime is the self-titled third studio album by American ska punk band Sublime. Produced by Paul Leary and David Kahne, the album was released on July 30, 1996, in the United States by MCA Records. It is their first release following the death of singer Bradley Nowell and is the final studio album to feature him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex Type Thing</span> 1993 single by Stone Temple Pilots

"Sex Type Thing" is the debut single of American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released from their debut studio album, Core, in March 1993. "Sex Type Thing" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album Thank You. The song spawned a music video which received moderate rotation on MTV. The single peaked at number 23 on the US Album Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Jane</span> Song by Lou Reed performed by the Velvet Underground

"Sweet Jane" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Appearing on their fourth studio album Loaded (1970), the song was written by band leader and primary songwriter Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances after he left the band.

Chris McCormack is an English rock guitarist, best known as the guitarist and co-founder of 1990s rock band, 3 Colours Red and the organiser of Camden Rocks Festival.

Hatcham Social are an English indie pop band. The group first met and formed in New Cross, London in 2006 and have since released a string of singles on indie labels, followed by three studio albums. With the debut album, they made headway in the mainstream media with The Guardian describing them as "irrestistible" and Tim Burgess calling them "a wonderful pop group with the world's coolest drummer."

The Woe Betides are an English rock band, formed in London in 2008 by Simon Mastrantone and Grundy le Zimbra.

The Featherz are a Welsh and English band with glam and punk influences led by Danie Centric on lead vocals and guitar. Centric formed the band with two fellow former members of Poussez Posse, a band fronted by Georgina Baillie and mentored by Adam Ant. After leaving Baillie and Ant to form their own group, they received press coverage in the Ipswich Star, Wales On Sunday, Basingstoke Gazette, website Louder Than War and rock magazine Vive Le Rock who included their track "RNR★" on the free CD with the January/February 2014 edition. They also completed a UK national tour supporting Boy George, in three of whose videos Centric appeared and subsequently toured with The Damned.

Teen Angels was an American grunge rock band. It was formed by singer Kelly Canary and another former member of the band Dickless, drummer Lisa Smith, along with Julie Ransweiler. Nalini Cheriel (Adickdid) was also a member at one point. They released two EPs on Scooch Pooch, and then a single and an album (Daddy) on Sub Pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in punk rock</span> Womens music history


Women have made significant contributions to punk rock music and its subculture since its inception in the 1970s. In contrast to the rock music and heavy metal scenes of the 1970s, which were dominated by men, the anarchic, counter-cultural mindset of the punk scene in mid-and-late 1970s encouraged women to participate. This participation played a role in the historical development of punk music, especially in the US and UK at that time, and continues to influence and enable future generations. Women have participated in the punk scene as lead singers, instrumentalists, as all-female bands, zine contributors and fashion designers.

Black Peaks were an English rock band from Brighton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Top of the Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band</span> Musical artist

Keith Top of the Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band is a London-based indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Keith Top of the Pops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mutants (UK band)</span> UK musical group

The Mutants is a punk rock supergroup based around Chris Constantinou, Rat Scabies and Paul Frazer, hosting an all-star cast of guest musicians.

Deadcuts is an English post punk group formed in 2012 by former Senseless Things front man, Mark Keds (vocals/guitar) and Jerome Alexandre . Keds was also known for his previous work with The Wildhearts and Jolt, as well as co-writing The Libertines' "Can't Stand Me Now".

The SoapGirls are a South African based rock band consisting of French-born, South African-raised sisters Noemie Debray ("Mie") and Camille Debray ("Mille"). Camille is the elder by 11 months. The sisters are the only full members of the band, using various session drummers when touring and recording. The band have achieved press coverage in the music magazines Planet Rock, and Vive Le Rock as well as website Louder Than War.

References

  1. 1 2 Bruce, Turnbull (March 2019). "Healthy Junkies". Vive Le Rock.
  2. 1 2 Huckett, Clare (4 November 2011). "Album review". Black Velvet Magazine.
  3. 1 2 LinkUpAndy (2018-10-15). "Healthy Junkies: Delirious Dream - album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  4. 1 2 Chaligne, Craig (2016-02-19). "Interview and album review: Healthy Junkies". Louder Than War. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  5. "Healthy Junkies - female fronted London punk band - wipeoutmusic.com". Wipe Out Music :: Independent Music Publishers :: WipeoutOutMusic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  6. "Healthy Junkies". maytherockbewithyou.com. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  7. "Mind Noise Network - Festival Review: Camden Rocks 2018". Mind Noise Network. 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  8. Ashby, Mark. "Healthy Junkies – 'Delirious Dream' (Banana Castle Records)". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  9. "Healthy Junkies Bring Back Punk". Camden Live Music Blog. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  10. E, Gaz. "Healthy Junkies - 'Sick Note' (Self Released)". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  11. Andy Thorley (2018-07-09). "BAND OF THE DAY: HEALTHY JUNKIES". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  12. Suzuki, Cindy (3 July 2011). "Sick Note Review". Artrocker Magazine.
  13. "Healthy Junkies - Box Of Chaos CD (STP)". Mass Movement. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  14. Jukebox, Jason's (2019-02-21). "Healthy Junkies – Delirious Dream". Jason's Jukebox. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  15. "Review: Healthy Junkies – Delirious Dream". devolutionmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-26.