Janus Stark are an English experimental punk rock band from

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, England. Their album, '' Great Adventure Cigar'', was highly rated by Foo Fighters and

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. History The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...

(Vom Richie asked the band to support for the Die Toten Hosen Live tour 2000 and Campino would introduce and praise the band before each performance) and was a fusion of Punk rock, hard rock, heavy metal and

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

with influences from

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

The Ruts The Ruts (later known as Ruts DC) are an English reggae-influenced punk rock band, notable for the 1979 UK top 10 hit single "Babylon's Burning", and an earlier single "In a Rut", which was not a hit but was highly regarded and regularly pla ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

. Formed by former

English Dogs English Dogs were a British hardcore punk band that began life in the early eighties. Two versions of the band exist, the punk and metal crossover band featuring original drummer Andrew "Pinch" Pinching and second-era members Graham "Gizz" But ...

UK Subs U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...

guitarist

Gizz Butt Graham Anthony "Gizz" Butt (born 3 August 1966 in Manchester, England) is a British musician, lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Janus Stark best known for being the live guitarist for the band The Prodigy in the late 1990s. His own band Jan ...

, Janus Stark released their album '' Great Adventure Cigar'' in 1998 on

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

. Butt was also playing guitar for The Prodigy while they were touring on the back of ''Fat Of The Land''.Hughes, Ben, (13 December 2019),
Janus Stark – ‘Angel In The Flames’ (Time & Matter Recordings)
, Rpmonline.co.uk Their name comes from a character, ''

Janus Stark ''Janus Stark'', or ''The Incredible Adventures of Janus Stark'', is a British comic strip series, originally written by Tom Tully and drawn by Francisco Solano López. It is about an escapologist in Victorian London who appears to be simply an ...

'', in the seventies

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s Smash and Valiant.Stewart, Allison, (23 November 1998),
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'' They are also known for Butt's guitar playing. Ben Hughes commented on RPM online "The thing that sets Janus Stark apart from their contemporaries is the fact that Gizz is a shredder. While ‘Angel In The Flames’ is littered with turn of the Century pop punk sensibilities, buzzsaw guitars and full band harmonies, there is a more technical and aggressive element in place thanks to Gizz's guitar histrionics. Yet, while the lyrics are socially and politically aware, and the riffs crunchy, it's the melodies that always shine through, they are pure sugar for the soul." Their song "Every Little Thing Counts" was featured on the soundtracks to the 1998 films ''Disturbing Behavior'' and ''Varsity Blues (film), Varsity Blues''. The band split up in 2002, but

reformed the band in 2018. He had meanwhile put together a harder, thrashier act, The More I See.Glasper , Ian, (May 2004), "
Cherryred.co.uk Gizz Butt decided to reform Janus Stark, roping in Richard Gombault of 1990s pop-punk band Midget and friends Fozzy Dixon and Simon Martin. The reunion gig was the Hamburg Punk festival Booze Cruise. In September 2018, they released a new song and video "Shuffling The Pack" , the first of four songs which was written for the upcoming new album with the working title of 'Angel In The Flames'. In 2019, Janus Stark continued and completed recording for the second album and played at The Camden Monarch, The Manchester Punk Festival, The 100 Club, The Camden Rocks Festival, Unity Fest and The Hard Drive Fest before supporting

The Wildhearts The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s- ...

. They were set to release their latest album, ''Angel In The Flames'' on 15 November 2019 via Time & Matter Records.

Original line-up

- Guitar/Vocals * Shop - Bass * Pinch - Drums

Discography

* ''Dynamo'' EP (1998,

) * '' Great Adventure Cigar'' (1998,

) * ''Every Little Thing Counts'' EP (1999,

) * ''Janus Stark'' (Self titled EP) (2002) * ''Angel In The Flames'' (T&M Records) (2019) * ''Face Your Biggest Fear'' (T&M Records) (2022)

Reviews

* '"Every Little Thing Counts" takes the irresistible blueprint of

, kicks it into the present with lashings of Punk Rock swagger, and slams a bastard great Heavy Metal cherry on the top. In short - stark raving brilliant'.Ian Fortnam, ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'', 24 April 1999

References

{{Authority control English punk rock groups British musical trios Earache Records artists