The Mutants is a punk rock

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

based around

Chris Constantinou Chris Constantinou is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for Adam Ant. Childhood and early bands Constantinou was born at Charing Cross Hospital in London and at the age of three he moved to Plymouth. ...

(

The Wolfmen The Wolfmen are an English rock music band formed in 2004, and centred on Marco Pirroni (guitars, co-writer) and Chris Constantinou (bass guitar, lead vocals, co-writer). Background Constantinou began as a bass guitar player with Diz Watson unt ...

, Sinead O’Connor,

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten ...

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

( The Damned) and Paul Frazer ( Black Futures, Subsource), hosting an all-star cast of guest musicians.

History

In January 2013, Chris Constantinou developed in a discussion with Eugene Butcher, editor from the magazine

Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985. Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and David Bowie, commented on his work with Ant on ''Vive Le Rock'': ...

, and Dave Collins the idea of an album set out to retrace the roots of

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 ...

, new wave and

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

, featuring all-star punk musicians. It materialized in the creation of the musical supergroup The Mutants, with the first album, ''Rhythm and Punk Review'', being released in July 2014. A subsequent album, ''Tokyo Nights'', released in May 2015, had all the songs fronted by a rotating set of Japanese guest stars. The third album, ''Your Desert My Mind'' (October 2016), is a collaboration with Californian rock musicians from the desert rock scene. All the albums are released through

Killer Tracks Universal Production Music (UPM), formerly known as Killer Tracks, is a company that produces and licenses production music for use in film, television, advertising and interactive media. The company was founded in Hollywood, California, in 1989 ...

. With the third album having again a creative chemistry in a different musical area, The Mutants acquired the image of a band exploring unexpected musical genres, each album having a different musical flavour that reflects the territory, and the style of the musicians that contributed to it.

''Rhythm and Punk Review'' (2014)

The debut album ''Rhythm and Punk Review'' was written and produced by Chris Constantinou and Paul Frazer and recorded at Raezor Studion (now Sugar Cane Studios) in London. The songs feature guest musicians from the late 70s punk and ska scene (who also co-wrote the songs). Rat Scabies has played all the drums for the album. Other musicians featured in the album are

Norman Watt-Roy Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer. Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music as the bass ...

(

Ian Dury and The Blockheads Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

/ Wilko),

T. V. Smith Timothy "T. V." Smith (born 5 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter who was part of punk rock, punk band The Adverts in the late 1970s. Since then he has fronted other bands, as well as pursuing a solo career. Biography Smith and Gaye Ad ...

(

The Adverts The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the United Kingdom, UK; their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No. 18 in the UK Single ...

), Charlie Harper (

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 ...

Jake Burns John "Jake" Burns (born 21 February 1958) is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers, although he has also recorded with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, 3 Men + Black, and as a solo artist. Early life ...

(

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...

), Knox (

The Vibrators The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. Early career The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...

Neville Staple Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the 2 Tone ska band the Specials, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also per ...

(

The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...

Judy Nylon Judy Nylon is a widely influential multidisciplinary American artist who moved to London in 1970. She was half of the punk rock music group Snatch, which also featured fellow American expat Patti Palladin (who was later in The Flying Lizards). R ...

(

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

Beki Bondage Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Louise Bond) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontwoman of the punk band Vice Squad. She appeared on the front cover of a number of influential music papers such as ''Melody Maker'' ...

(

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trai ...

Texas Terri Texas Terri (born Terri Laird; April 6, 1955) is an American punk rock singer, songwriter and actress, originally from Austin, Texas, United States. Texas Terri has been compared to Wendy O. Williams and others by the music press. Like Williams ...

(Texas Terri & The Stiff Ones/Texas Terri Bomb),

Preston Heyman Preston Heyman is a British record producer, drummer and percussionist. He is credited on the Kate Bush album ''Never for Ever''. He played Oriental percussion instruments on the track "Blood Sucking" of Mike Oldfield's soundtrack for the fil ...

(

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

Tom Robinson Band Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Ag ...

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...

Tim Smart Timothy Trudeau Smart (born 10 July 1972) is an Australian-born Hong Kong cricketer. Smart is an aggressive right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper and has played cricket in Hong Kong for a number of years. He made his One Day International de ...

, Jonathan Read (

), and Joe Atkinson (

Flipron Flipron are an English psychedelic pop band from Glastonbury, England, consisting of singer and songwriter Jesse Budd, pianist/organist Joe Atkinson, drummer Mike Chitty and bassist Tom Granville. They were signed to Tiny Dog Records in 2003.Th ...

). The album reunited after many years Wayne Kramer (

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

) and

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...

( Dr. Feelgood) (they first collaborated at

The London Rock and Roll Show The London Rock and Roll Show was a concert held at Wembley Stadium in Wembley Park, London, England, on 5 August 1972. It is often said to have been the first ever concert held at the stadium, but a pop concert featuring the bands Status Quo and ...

at Wembley in 1972, a meeting that Wilko mentioned it changed his life). ''Rhythm and Punk Review'' received 7/10 ratings from

Vive le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985. Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and David Bowie, commented on his work with Ant on ''Vive Le Rock'': ...

and from

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

magazines and 8/10 rating from

Big Cheese A big cheese is a boss or other senior person, particularly in an organization. Big Cheese or The Big Cheese may also refer to: Arts and Entertainment Music * Big Cheese (band), an English straight edge hardcore punk band * "Big Cheese", a s ...

magazine.

''Tokyo Nights'' (2015)

In the album ''Tokyo Nights'' Chris Constantinou and Paul Frazer, joined by Rat Scabies and Steve 'West' Weston (

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...

), have teamed up with musicians from the

J-Punk In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the world ...

scene, among them

Guitar Wolf Guitar Wolf ( Japanese: ギターウルフ) is a Japanese garage rock power trio founded in Tokyo in 1987. They coined the phrase "jet rock 'n' roll", which they use to describe their musical style. The band is signed to Sony Music J ...

The 5.6.7.8's The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanese rock band from Tokyo. They first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour. They became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia. Members The 5.6.7.8's fo ...

(featured in ''

Kill Bill Volume 1 ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins (Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) an ...

''),

Mika Bomb Mika Bomb (sometimes spelled Mikabomb) is a London-based, Japanese pop punk band. History Lead singer Mika Handa arrived in London in 1998, with the goal of playing in a punk band. Recruitment for the band began with the arrival in London of t ...

, The Neatbeats and Jackie & The Cedrics. The concept of the album developed as the British musicians forming the core of The Mutants supergroup wanted to know more about artists who achieved cult status outside Japan and also discover bands and music that had not ventured further than the Tokyo

live house A live house (ライブハウス) is a Japanese live music club – a music venue featuring live music. The term is a Japanese coinage ( wasei eigo) and is mainly used in East Asia. It most frequently refers to smaller venues, which may double as ...

scene. The songs from the album were played live with all the artists in Tokyo. In reviews, the album was considered a success, noting the chemistry with the guests, the pan-generational mashup, the genres ranging from surf to

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

managing to reflect the surreal atmosphere of the underground music in Tokyo, "a rollercoaster ride across a dark J-punk landscape". The album received 7/10 rating from

Stephen Dalton, "The Mutants – ''Tokyo Nights'' (Anglo-Japanese punk supergroup find themselves in translation)",

, June 2015 and 8/10 rating from

magazines.

''Your Desert My Mind'' (2016)

The album ''Your Desert My Mind'', released in October 2016, is a collaboration between the three core musicians of The Mutants (Chris Constantinou, Rat Scabies, Paul Frazer) and a series of guests from the Californian rock scene, among them

David Catching David Catching (born June 7, 1961) is an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the California stoner rock band earthlings?, a touring member of Eagles of Death Metal and the co-founder of the Rancho De La Luna re ...

from

Eagles of Death Metal Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998. Founded by Jesse Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Josh Homme (drums), the band also includes a wide range of other musicians who perform both on the band's ...

Chris Goss Christopher Ryan Goss (born August 17, 1958) is an American record producer and musician. Best known for producing records for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, he is regarded as an important figure in the development of stoner rock and deser ...

from

Masters of Reality Masters of Reality is an American rock band formed in 1981 by frontman Chris Goss and guitarist Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York, United States. They took the name for the band from a misprinted label of the third Black Sabbath album. Goss ...

Brent DeBoer Brent DeBoer is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He is in the bands The Dandy Warhols, Immigrant Union, and Fathead and released a solo studio album, ''The Farmer'', in 2010. DeBoer now lives in Melbourne, with his wife Sarah ...

Peter Holmström Peter Holmström is an American rock musician. He is a member of the bands The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport, Radis Noir and Rebel Drones. Holmström's first guitar was a Gibson SG. Holmström is also an amateur photographer, and in ...

and

Zia McCabe Zia McCabe (born Aimee Springer; June 2, 1975) is an American musician and realtor. She plays keyboards, percussion and bass guitar, and is a member of American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. She is also a solo DJ, and part of a six-pi ...

from

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford ...

, Sean Wheeler from

Throw Rag Throw Rag is an American four-piece punk rock band from the Salton Sea, California, United States. Formed in 1993, Throw Rag has been fronted by Sean Wheeler (a.k.a. Captain Sean Doe, a.k.a. Diamond Boss, a.k.a. Sun Trash) since the inception ...

and

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

. The album was recorded at

Rancho De La Luna Rancho De La Luna is a recording studio in Joshua Tree, California that was founded in 1993 by Fred Drake and David Catching. After Drake's death in 2002 to cancer, the studio was operated by David Catching and Drake's collaborators Tony Mason, Te ...

Joshua Tree, California Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census. At approximately above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding c ...

. The reviews characterized its style as " desert rock but with a

garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: * Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehic ...

edge", "another drastically different musical direction" taken by The Mutants, "an eclectic creative power", "the rolling cast of guests all throwing something different in, from the almost spoken word and choral harmonies of 'Night Bus to Krakow' to the driving classic rock feel of Fidgety to the exactly-as-it-sounds 'Machismo Postura'". Being another album unlike anything any of the core members have previously created, it developed the image of The Mutants as a band exploring creatively unexpected musical genres. ''Your Desert My Mind'' received 8/10 ratings from

and Louder Than WarJoe Whyte, "The Mutants – ''Your Desert My Mind''", Louder Than War, October 2016 magazines.

References

External links

Official website

Facebook page

YouTube page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutants, The British supergroups Rock music supergroups Musical groups established in 2014 English punk rock groups English new wave musical groups Ska punk musical groups 2014 establishments in England