The Guana Batz are an
English
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Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
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psychobilly band who formed in 1982 in
Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...
,
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...
, England.
The band are most well known for their frequent appearances at the
Klub Foot
Klub Foot was a London nightclub in the psychobilly scene of the early and mid-1980s. It started in the heyday of the psychobilly scene in 1982.
It was hosted at the Ballroom of the Clarendon Hotel in Hammersmith until the venue was demolish ...
, an early psychobilly club.
History
The original group members were Pip Hancox (
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
), Stuart Osborne (
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
), Dave "Diddle" Turner (
drums) and Mick Wigfall (
upright bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...
).
Wigfall was removed by Osborne early on, who preferred a
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
player for the band. Mick White soon joined the band as bass guitarist.
However, by 1984, the Guana Batz decided to again feature an upright bassist, and replaced White with Sam Sardi.
Turner quit the band in May 1987, the hectic touring schedule having grown too much for him, and opted to devote his time to his girlfriend and his
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...
job. He was replaced by former Get Smart bass player, Jonny Bowler. When Sardi left the band, Bowler switched to upright bass, and John Buck joined the band on drums. Mark Pennington of the Caravans played upright bass for the band after Sam Sardi left and prior to Johnny Bowler switching to bass.
Hancox's
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it is ...
, Pig Dog, was humorously referred to as the band's "fifth member." After being hit by a car, he was replaced by Hancox's new dog, Muttley, who would be featured on four Guana Batz album covers. Although Muttley has died, he reportedly lived to an old age.
The band broke up in 1990, but reunited in 1996. They are still touring today. Osborne also plays with The Unknowns. Buck still lives in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
; Hancox and Bowler have relocated to
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
and they have occasionally performed in the southern California area with ex-
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in th ...
members under the moniker the Guana Cats.
In 2001, Turner died from a
stroke and, in 2018, Bowler departed from the band.
The band continues to headline major festivals around the world, and have more recently built their US following, with their Stateside line-up featuring Eric Razo (
FEAR
Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...
, Henchmen,
Viva Hate
''Viva Hate'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final studio album by the Smiths, '' Strangeways, Here We Come'' (1987).
Vini Reilly, the leader of the E ...
) on guitar, Victor Mendez (The Rhythm Shakers) on bass, and Jared Hren on drums.
Discography
Singles
Albums
See also
*
List of psychobilly bands
This is a list of notable psychobilly bands and artists. Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, pun ...
References
External links
Guana Batz information page at Wreckingpit.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guana Batz
British psychobilly musical groups
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical groups from London