Shitdisco were a

dance-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk, punk-funk or techno-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984 ...

band from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. They formed in 2003 while studying at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

, consisting of Joel Stone (bass, guitar, vocals), Joe Reeves (bass, guitar, vocals), Jan Lee (keyboards, backing vocals) and Darren Cullen (drums). The band's first single "Disco Blood"/"I Know Kung Fu" was released in December 2005. Signed to record label

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 ...

, their debut album ''

Kingdom of Fear Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

'' was released on 16 April 2007. The group have been compared to

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

and

The Rapture The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...

, but admitted influences ranging from

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

, Arthur Russel and

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

and

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 wa ...

. Since the release of "Disco Blood"/"I Know Kung Fu" the band toured extensively in the UK and Europe, even playing as far afield as

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

and

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. In 2007 they signed to

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

in Japan and

Dim Mak Records Dim Mak Records is an independent, Los Angeles-based record label, events company, and lifestyle brand founded by Steve Aoki in 1996. The label has released music under the genres of punk, indie rock, hardcore, hip hop, and electronic dance m ...

in America. The members of the group produced two tracks for Japanese new-wave unit 80_pan's 2008 album, ''Disco Baby''. Jan Lee left the band in January 2008 to concentrate on his career as an illustrator, and later also entered the restaurant business. He was replaced by Tom Straughan, similarly on keyboards and backing vocals. In 2009 the band split after mutual agreement. Members went on to form the bands

Age of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...

and Ubre Blanca, while drummer Darren Cullen has also pursued a career in political art. Shitdisco

Album

The band began recording their debut album ''

'' at The Premises recording studio in London with former

Clor Clor was a short-lived five-piece band from Brixton, England, formed by Barry Dobbin and Luke Smith in 2003 and which signed to the Parlophone record label after only six gigs. The band released a self-titled first album, in 2005 to critica ...

guitarist turned producer Luke Smith. He had previously worked with the band producing remixes for "Disco Blood" & "Reactor Party". The album was to be recorded in two sessions, with the 2nd session taking place after the band had completed the

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 ...

New Rave Tour (Oct 2006) supporting

Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and " Golden Skans", the band released their debu ...

. During the tour however, after a gig in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, drummer Darren Cullen fell from the roof of the band's tour bus, breaking his right wrist, requiring an operation and the fitting of a metal plate. For the second recording session Kieron Pepper, live drummer for

, was brought in to play on two tracks, "Fear of the Future" and "Dream of Infinity". The album also featured the song "Reactor Party" which was produced by Alan O'Connell. ''

'', named after the last book by American writer

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

, was released on 16 April 2007 on

Fierce Panda Records 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 ...

DJ career

In addition to live performances, the band have become well known for their regular DJ sets, playing from the likes of Bugged Out,

Gatecrasher Gatecrasher is an international clubbing brand made famous by the "Gatecrasher" (later "Crasher") dance music events, which were held at the Republic nightclub in Sheffield, UK during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The promoters of the brand ...

& Modular parties in the UK to Judgement Sundays in

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

, a recent North American DJ tour and extensively in the Far East.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (16 April 2007) *'' The Emanator'' – US release of ''Kingdom of Fear'' with extra tracks (23 September 2008)

Singles

*"Disco Blood"/"I Know Kung Fu" (2005) (1,000 copies) *" Reactor Party" (2006) UK #73 *"OK" (2007) (2,000 copies) *"I Know Kung Fu" (2007)

Compilations

*"Disco Blood" – On Delete Yourself compilation ''Digital Penetration'' (July 2006) *"Reactor Party" – On Neon Nights Mixtape – DMC (June 2007) *"Reactor Party" – On The Bang Gang DJs "Light Sound Dance" – Modular Records (July 2007) *"Reactor Party" – On Ibiza Rocks 2007 – Ministry of Sound (August 2007)

Reviews

Daily Music Guide Interview

Album Review, Kingdom of Fear
- NME.com
Album Review
- From NG Magazine
Album Review on The Line Of Best Fit

Review, March 2006 in Edinburgh
- from The Scotsman
Review, 16/03/06 @ The Barfly, Liverpool
- from gigwise online
Supersweet interview

References

External links

Fierce Panda Records
{{Authority control Scottish rock music groups Dance-punk musical groups Dance-rock musical groups Scottish electronic rock musical groups Musical groups established in 2003 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Fierce Panda Records artists