The Bus Station Loonies are a British cabaret

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, England. They have been described as a cross between

Splodgenessabounds Splodgenessabounds are an English punk rock band formed in Keston, Kent. The band is associated with the Oi! and punk pathetique genres. Their frontman is Max Splodge (born Martin Everest). They have scored three UK Singles Chart entries, i ...

and

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

. Original Loonies Tony Popkids (drums) and Chris "Felcher" Wheelchair (real name Chris Willsher b.1971 in Ilford, London) (vocals, keyboards, kazoo; ex-drummer with Oi Polloi,

Disorder Disorder may refer to randomness, non-order, or no intelligible pattern. Disorder may also refer to: Healthcare * Disorder (medicine), a functional abnormality or disturbance * Mental disorder or psychological disorder, a psychological pattern a ...

Riot/Clone Riot/Clone was a punk band often associated with the anarcho-punk scene, active from 1979 to 1983 and then revived in the early 1990s until they split up again in 2005. The band were originally known as ''Riot'' but the name became ''Riot/Clo ...

and

DIRT Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

, among others), sharing a mutual love of such U.S.

outfits such as

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

, still continue with the band today, having recruited approximately 30 other band members over 18 years. During their initial UK tour of April 1996, with contemporary punk bands PMT and The Filth, The Loonies were billed as "a vicious headbutt between

Johnny Moped Johnny Moped are an English punk rock group formed in South London in the mid-1970s, who once had Chrissie Hynde (later of the Pretenders) and Captain Sensible (later of the Damned) as members. Biography Formed in Croydon in May 1974, the b ...

and

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...

". The band was featured in the UK's

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

documentary, ''Punx Picnic''. The Bus Station Loonies were the first band to set the official world record for the most concerts/gigs performed in 12 hours (25 different shows) on 29 Sept 2001 in and around Plymouth,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, UK raising money to buy musical equipment for pupils of the Dame Hannah Rogers (special needs) school in

Ivybridge Ivybridge is a town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Andy Hughes’ new house in Ivybridge now he’s forgotten Ugborough. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England an ...

, Devon. The band featured in the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'', until 2006, when the record was beaten. Music journalist

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Bichael Bercer, 2 June 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth, punk and indie music scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the gothic scene and its mus ...

's 1997 book ''The Hex Files: The Goth Bible'', references The Bus Station Loonies for their 18-minute

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

rendition of

The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is an English rock band, formed in 1980 in Leeds. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasin ...

composition, "Temple of Love".Mercer, Mick (1997). Hex Files: The Goth Bible. Overlook Press; 1 Amer ed edition. In October 2008, said version (from their debut album) was nominated on a live broadcast on

BBC Radio 6 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

as 'one of the best cover versions of all-time' (''The Music Week'' with Julie Cullen and Matt Everitt). In Autumn 2010, The Bus Station Loonies completed recording their second full-length album. Entitled ''Midget Gems'' and released on their own Ruptured Ambitions record label it features eighth

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Angus Old (real name Phil Cawse) and the recently recruited ninth guitarist Chris "The Machine" Mildren. The bands' latest release, ''More Bullshit'' was released in Autumn 2022, and is an official tribute to several bands featured on the

Crass Records Crass Records was an independent record label that was set up by the anarchist Punk rock, punk band Crass. Overview and history Prior to the formation of Crass, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher had published their creative works via their own D ...

Bullshit Detector ''Bullshit Detector'' was the name of a series of compilation LPs put together by the anarcho-punk band Crass and released on their Crass Records label. Three editions were released between 1980 and 1984, consisting of demo tapes, rough recordin ...

compilation LP series, originally released between 1980-84. The band's frontman, Chris Wheelie, is currently involved in a solo project

Harakiri , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese Kanji#Readings, kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their Bushido, code of honour but was also practised b ...

Karaoke, as well as drumming with several other bands (including The Spoils Collective, WAGs to Wytches, Eastfield, Anarcho Folko, HIV and The Positives, The Sexy Offenders and his old band, originally formed in 1989, C.D.S.).

Discography

* "Dodgy Cider Fix" cassette (1995) * "Squiffy on a Small Amount" 7-inch EP (Campary Records 1996) * "Everyday Bullshit" track on ''A Scream From the Silence vol.4'' LP (Loony Tunes 1996) * Split cassette with Fungi Gone West (1996) * "In Cider We Trust" split cassette with Combat Shock (1997) * "Save Our Cider" and "The Blacksmith's Arms" tracks on ''Punks, Skins and Herberts vol.1'' LP (Helen of Oi! 1997) * "Charlie Harper" track on ''Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records'' 7-inch/CD (Ruptured Ambitions 1998) * "The Sideboard Song" track on ''The New Wave of Chas'n'Dave'' CD (Spanking Herman 1998) * "Ensure Your Needle is Clean and Free from Dust" split 7-inch EP with Anal Beard (Ruptured Ambitions 1998) * ''Mad Frank's Zonal Disco'' LP/CD (Ruptured Ambitions 1999) * "The Last Post" track on ''It Don't Come Right to Me'' CD (Beat Bedsit 2000) * "Can't Cheat Karma" track on ''Angry Songs and Bitter Words'' CD (Ruptured Ambitions 2003) * "Hungry, Hungover and Skint" (live tape) * "You Won't Find a Bigger Knob" (live tape) * "The Blacksmith's Arms" track on ''UK Punks Vol.1 CD'' (Pumpkin/EHC 2005) * "Dick Dastardly" track on ''Blackpool Bounce'' (Through the Net 2006) * ''Midget Gems'' CD (Ruptured Ambitions 2010) * "Black Rat and Prosecco" Live Download (Ruptured Ambitions 2020) * "More Bullshit" 7-inch EP/CD/Download (Ruptured Ambitions 2022)

References

External links

Bus Station Loonies Myspace page
(archived)
Contact Bus Station Loonies on Facebook
{{Authority control English punk rock groups English pop punk groups