Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi were a Welsh

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

group formed in 1996. The trio included Martin Bimrose on guitar, Richard Arnold on drums and Mike Carter on bass. Formed in 1996 when the members were studying

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, the band has released material under various record labels, including Soda, FF Vinyl, and V2. The band's sound was described by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' as being "as eclectic as their name is confusing". Likened to

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

and Pavement, Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi have been reported as being "closer to

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...

with overtones of Bis and

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

". Their "punky garage" sound is evident on singles such as "Drop Jaw" and "Playboy", while a melancholic and perhaps more accessible side is demonstrated on "Names for Nameless Things". The band's name is derived from ''Moho bishopi'', the scientific name of the Moloka‘i ‘ō‘ō, an extinct bird known to have lived in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Martin Bimrose saw an article about the bird in the ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' whilst waiting at the dentist's. He thought that with some imaginative punctuation, "the name could be as mad as he is". Following the bands demise (the group has been inactive since 2002), Mike Carter and Richard Arnold went on to form The International Karate Plus but they have since also ceased to exist. Richard Arnold now plays in King Alexander, and Mike Carter was in Heck with former members of the Cardiff band, Sammo Hung, before they split in 2017.

Discography

Albums

*'' Vague Us'' (10 September 2001)

Singles and EPs

*"Smoke Yourself Thin"/"Fingers For Eyes" (1999) *''Two Tier Water Skier'' (1999) *''Vitamin E(P)'' (31 January 2000) *"Hear the Air" (19 June 2000) *"Drop Jaw" (18 September 2000) *"Playboy" (12 March 2001) *"Names for Nameless Things" (21 May 2001) *"Hear the Air" (3 September 2001)

Appearances on compilations

*"Kate is Cool" appears on ''Otter Than July''; Double 7" Vinyl EP / Compilation CD EP from

Fierce Panda Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fierc ...

(also contains tracks by Scribble, Fraff, Pop Threat, Hofman and Rosita) *"Vacuum" appears on ''Sold As Scene''; sampler compilation album from FF Vinyl (30 October 2000)

References

External links

Drowned in Sound
*

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{Authority control Welsh indie rock groups British musical trios Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 Welsh rock music groups