The Wonder Stuff are a British
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
. Originally based in
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...
in the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, England, the band's first lineup released four albums and nearly 20 singles and EPs, enjoying considerable chart and live success in the UK. The band have continued to tour and record since 2000.
Largely the vehicle for the songwriting of
Miles Hunt
Miles Stephen Hunt (born 29 July 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He fronts the alternative rock band The Wonder Stuff.
Early life
His father was a union official for the TGWU. In the 1970s, his father was based at Derby, an ...
, the band split up with a farewell performance as headliners of the
1994 Phoenix Festival, but reformed in 2000 and have toured and recorded since then, with Hunt the anchor member of all line-ups.
Known for their catchy songs and Hunt's sharp lyrics, the band's sound evolved from guitar pop to include sampling and elements of folk and country. The band - and Hunt in particular — were favourites of the UK music press, and were often associated with fellow Black Country acts
Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. The band took their name from an episode of radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show''. The band is unusual for using two bass-players in their ...
and
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpor ...
, with whom they have toured throughout their careers.
The band scored one UK number 1 single, their release of "
Dizzy" with comedian
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...
, 17 top-20 single hits, and three top-10 albums in the UK. The band also toured internationally, and achieved some success in the United States, where they had six songs on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart.
History
Origins and ''The Eight Legged Groove Machine'' (1986–1989)
The original line-up of
Miles Hunt
Miles Stephen Hunt (born 29 July 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He fronts the alternative rock band The Wonder Stuff.
Early life
His father was a union official for the TGWU. In the 1970s, his father was based at Derby, an ...
(whose uncle Bill Hunt was keyboard player with
ELO
Elo or ELO may refer to:
Music
* Electric Light Orchestra, a British rock music group
** ''The Electric Light Orchestra'' (album), the group's debut album
** ''ELO 2'', the group's second album
* ELO Part II, an offshoot band of Electric Light ...
and
Wizzard
Wizzard were an English rock band formed by Roy Wood, former member of the Move and co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra. ''The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits'' states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings was Paul McCartne ...
) on vocals and guitar; Malcolm Treece on guitar and vocals; bassist
Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (died July 1993); and
Martin Gilks
Martin Richard Gilks (2 March 1965 – 3 April 2006) was an English musician. He was a founder member and original drummer for the Wonder Stuff, based in Stourbridge ( West Midlands, England).
Gilks who was born in Stourbridge, was originally ...
(died April 2006) on drums grew from Hunt and Treece's collaboration with future members of
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpor ...
in a band called From Eden that featured Hunt on
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
.
The Wonder Stuff were formed on 19 March 1986 (their name reportedly came from a remark made about a very young Hunt by John Lennon) and in September that year recorded a self-financed debut
EP, ''A Wonderful Day''. After finding management with Birmingham promoter Les Johnson and signing with
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
for £80,000 in 1987, the group released a series of singles including "Unbearable", "Give Give Give, Me More More More", "A Wish Away" and "It's Yer Money I'm After Baby" (their first
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
entry) that featured on their debut
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
The Eight Legged Groove Machine
''The Eight Legged Groove Machine'' is the debut album by the Wonder Stuff from August 1988.
Track listing
All tracks composed by The Wonder Stuff
# "Red Berry Joy Town" 2:48
# "No, for the 13th Time" 3:02
# "It's Yer Money I'm After, Baby" 2 ...
'', which was released in August 1988 (
UK No. 18).
This preceded a first headlining nineteen-date national tour, 'Groovers on Manoeuvres'.
A non-album single, "Who Wants to Be the Disco King?" was released in March 1989 and was followed by UK, European, and United States tours and appearances at the
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
festivals
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...
.
''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' made ''The Eight Legged Grove Machine'' one of their albums of the year for 1988, judging it, "A rollicking debut from the only band with enough wit, energy, charisma and acumen to cross over from loutish
grebo into raffish pop."
''Hup'' (1989–1990)
"Don't Let Me Down Gently", with its slick, American-shot video, became the Wonder Stuff's first Top-20 hit in September 1989, heralding the release of second album, ''Hup,'' in October (UK No. 5).
The album saw the introduction of new band member, Martin Bell, a multi-instrumentalist who contributed
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
and
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
,
most notably on "Golden Green" (the second single from the album), "Unfaithful" and "Cartoon Boyfriend". Several shows during the band's 1989 tour featured fellow Black Country acts
Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. The band took their name from an episode of radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show''. The band is unusual for using two bass-players in their ...
and The Sandkings as opening acts.
Jones left the band in December 1989, moving to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
A single, "Circlesquare", was released shortly afterwards, just before Paul Clifford replaced Jones on the
bass in the Spring of 1990.
This led to a string of live outings for the renewed line-up in mid-1990.
With only one single release in 1990 and no album yet ready, the band put out ''Eleven Appalling Promos'', a collection of video promos, with home video footage showing Hunt, Treece and Gilks giving their (usually critical) commentary between each song. In December the group celebrated their
Brit Award
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
nomination by turning down an invitation to the awards show at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
, to play at Minsthorpe High School in
South Elmsall
South Elmsall ( ) is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. South Elmsall lies to the east of Hemsworth The town had a population in 2001 of 6,107, increasing to 6,519 at the 2011 Census.
History
The town ...
in response to a fan's letter: a cover version of John Lennon's "
Gimme Some Truth
"Gimme Some Truth" (originally spelled "Give Me Some Truth") is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon. It was first released on his 1971 album ''Imagine (John Lennon album), Imagine''. "Gimme Some Truth" contains various politica ...
", recorded at the show, was included on the "Caught in My Shadow" single.
''Never Loved Elvis'' and chart success (1990–1992)
Recording for a third album was started in late 1990 and completed early the following year. The first single from the new album was "The Size of a Cow". Released in March 1991 it became the band's first Top-10 hit, reaching No. 5, (and being nominated for a Brit Award for its video). It was swiftly followed by "Caught in My Shadow" (UK No. 18) in May, before the release of the album ''
Never Loved Elvis
''Never Loved Elvis'' is the third album by The Wonder Stuff released in 1991. Guest musicians on the album include Kirsty MacColl and Linda McRae.
The song "Mission Drive" was inspired by Wonder Stuff singer Miles Hunt's fall out with best ...
'' in May 1991 (UK No. 3).
After the album release, the band performed a first headlining stadium show at
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
's
Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Poundland Bescot Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Walsall, England, and the current home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989–90, by GMI Construction, with a reporte ...
, attracting 18,000 fans, before embarking on a world tour taking in the UK, Europe and the US. For the tour, the band was augmented by keyboardist Peter Whittaker.
Just after the third single from the album, "Sleep Alone" in September, the group scored a commercial success when they covered
Tommy Roe
Thomas David "Tommy" Roe (born May 9, 1942) is a retired American rock and pop singer-songwriter.
Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late ...
's "
Dizzy" with
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...
in 1991, reaching the top of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in November.
The band carried on touring into 1992. They released the single "
Welcome to the Cheap Seats
"Welcome to the Cheap Seats" is a song by British alternative rock band the Wonder Stuff from their third album, ''Never Loved Elvis'' (1991). The song features backing vocals by Kirsty MacColl and was released as part of the ''Welcome to the Chea ...
" (UK No. 8) in February, which was also the title of their video rockumentary released that Spring after eighteen months of filming on the road with the band.
Touring continued through the latter part of the year, with more dates in the United States (both as headliners and supporting
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...
) backed by an appearance on ''
Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'', performing "Welcome to the Cheap Seats". A further UK tour was complemented with a headlining slot at the 1992
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
.
''Construction for the Modern Idiot'' (1993–1994)
After previewing their new material at a few European summer festivals, a new single "On the Ropes" (UK No. 10) was released in September 1993 followed by the album ''
Construction for the Modern Idiot
''Construction for the Modern Idiot'' is The Wonder Stuff's fourth album from October 1993, and their last studio album before their split on 15 July 1994. The album was a UK Top 5 Album (#4) which yielded 3 UK hit singles, of which "On the Rop ...
'' in October 1993 (UK No. 4).
Another single "Full of Life (Happy Now)" came out just before Christmas. The band toured Europe before going to the United States in February 1994. A third single "Hot Love Now" (UK No. 19) was released in time for the UK tour in March and, by the time the tour - called 'Idiot Manoeuvres' - came to an end, it was the longest in the band's history with seventy eight dates since the album's release.
Band split and solo projects (1994–2000)
A planned tour of the Far East and Australia in May was cancelled. The band made no public announcement at that time but a split was announced in June in a fanclub newsletter.
The Wonder Stuff performed the final contracted show on 15 July 1994 as headliners at the
Phoenix Festival
The Phoenix Festival was set up by John Vincent Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals. It was held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon and was one of the ...
near Stratford-on-Avon in front of an audience of 30,000. In September, an 18-song compilation ''
If The Beatles Had Read Hunter...The Singles'' (UK No. 8), a re-issue of the "Unbearable" single (UK No. 16), and a video of their farewell performance from July were released. The ''Live in Manchester'' album (recorded in December 1991) was released in July 1995.
During the hiatus between 1994 and 2000, Hunt was involved in several projects. He hosted
MTV Europe
MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network.
Initially, MTV serve ...
's ''
120 Minutes
''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003.
After its cancellation, MTV ...
'' show. He then put together another band, Vent 414, with ex-
Senseless Things
Senseless Things were an English pop punk band, formed in 1986 in London. The band released four studio albums and achieved two UK Top 20 hit singles before splitting up in 1995. Senseless Things reformed in 2017 to play several gigs including S ...
bassist Morgan Nicholls and later
Clash,
Eat and Wonder Stuff drummer Peter Howard. They released a self-titled debut album in October 1996, but were soon dropped by Polydor prior to the release of the second album. Hunt started to tour as a solo artist, travelling to the US with Malc Treece, and releasing two albums: ''Miles Across America'', an album of new material, Wonder Stuff tracks and Vent 414 material all reworked for the acoustic guitar, and a live acoustic album ''By the Time I Got to Jersey'' (1998). A full studio album, ''Hairy on the Inside'' (again featuring Treece and another fellow Wonder Stuff member Martin Bell) was released in April 1999, followed by ''The Miles Hunt Club'' in April 2002.
Meanwhile, Treece, Clifford and Gilks formed We Know Where You Live (originally titled WeKnowWhereYouLive), with Ange Dolittle from Eat.
They gigged extensively throughout 1995 and 1996 and released two EPs before splitting.
Reformation and ''Escape from Rubbish Island'' (2000–2005)
![Wonderstuff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Wonderstuff.JPG)
Hunt, Treece, Gilks, Bell and Whittaker, together with new bassist Stuart Quinell, reformed for a one-off concert at London's
Forum
Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to:
Common uses
* Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States
*Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city
**Roman Forum, most famous example
*Internet ...
in December 2000. This soon became five sold-out nights, preceded by two nights of shows at JB's in Dudley (the site of their debut gig). The group's previous four studio albums were reissued with bonus tracks, and a compilation of b-sides, demos and live tracks, ''Love Bites & Bruises'' was released in November.
More live performances continued into 2001 with the release of a live album ''Cursed with Insincerity'' in June, and more concerts came in 2002. A DVD release, ''Construction for the Modern Vidiot'', in May 2003 featured highlights from the 2000 to 2002 shows, and then a further tour was announced in December 2003.
In early 2004, Hunt was informed that Gilks and Bell would no longer work with him, and thus The Wonder Stuff (in the eyes of Gilks and Bell) were defunct. As a result, Quinell and Whittaker were informed the band had split, and Hunt began work on a new record with Mark McCarthy (ex-
Radical Dance Faction
Radical Dance Faction (RDF), originally Military Surplus, is an English band from Hungerford, Berkshire, England.
History
Radical Dance Faction (RDF) were founded by Chris Bowsher in Hungerford in 1987. Originally known as 'Military Surplus', ...
) and Luke Johnson (ex-
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...
and son of one-time Wonder Stuff manager, Les Johnson). Sessions for this new solo record were later joined by Malc Treece. The result of this was The Wonder Stuff's first new album for over a decade, ''
Escape from Rubbish Island'', which was released in September 2004 with "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" and the title track becoming singles. Andres Karu (who had previously worked with Miles as part of The Miles Hunt Club) replaced Luke Johnson on drums. The band toured the UK and US in 2004 and 2005, and were joined by violinist
Erica Nockalls in March 2005.
''Suspended by Stars'' and anniversary tours (2006–2011)
This line-up continued into 2006 for the release of their new album ''Suspended by Stars'' in March and the single "Blah Blah La Di Dah" available as a download. The band toured in March 2006 to support the record and in conjunction with their twentieth anniversary.
In April 2006, original Wonder Stuff drummer Martin Gilks was killed in a motorcycle accident in London. An album of We Know Where You Live's demo recordings and live tracks was released in December 2006, with all profits being donated to a charitable concern at the request of Gilk's parents. In 2006, Miles Hunt's acoustic shows were recorded for a live album, titled ''Interloper'' and released in October 2006. The Wonder Stuff also began mixing a live record documenting the 2006 concerts and played several UK outdoor shows. The band finished the year by touring the UK again, performing their final show of the year on 8 December at the
Shepherd's Bush Empire
Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was originally ...
.
Following this, the band went on hiatus due to Treece starting a family. Hunt released the solo album ''Not an Exit'' in 2007, which featured Nockalls and Karu; Hunt toured the UK twice, and the US later in the year. Before recording the album, he expected the band to be working on their own album at some point during the year.
In 2008, the Wonder Stuff entered into a deal with the
Carling Academy Group where the band would play their first two studio albums, ''The Eight Legged Groove Machine'' and ''Hup'', in full over the course of several shows. Hunt and Treece were confident about the prospect, while the other members of the band who didn't play on either album, had a large workload ahead of them.
[ Hunt came up with the idea of having the band re-recording both albums, which were later released as ''The Eight Legged Groove Machine: 20th Anniversary Edition'' (2008) and ''Hup: 21st Anniversary Edition'' (2010).][ In between the two releases, Hunt and Nockalls released the album ''Catching More Than We Miss'' in early 2009.][
Karu left the band in late 2010 to focus on being a cameraman; he was forced to turn down several opportunities in the US while touring the UK with the band. As Hunt lived in South Shropshire, he would often see ]Fuzz Townshend
John Richard Keith "Fuzz" Townshend (born 31 July 1964) is a British drummer, TV presenter of National Geographic Channel's ''Car SOS'' (also shown on Channel 4/More4), motoring journalist for ''Classic Car Weekly'', former technical editor of ...
of Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpor ...
at local pubs. Hunt asked him if he would drum for the Wonder Stuff, which he agreed to. In 2011, the band toured the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their third studio album ''Never Loved Elvis'' (1991). Prior to the shows taking place, Treece left the band after an argument between himself and Hunt. Hunt's main concern with Treece was due to him making zero effort to write potential new song ideas; Jerry DeBorg of Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British alternative rock band from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2021. Their track " Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently globall ...
filled in his position.[
]
''Oh No It's... The Wonder Stuff'' to ''Better Being Lucky'' (2012–present)
Hunt and Townshend both had home studios, the former's centred around programming and rock instruments, while the latter's was focussed on recording drums. The pair planned to record drums at Townshend, and record other instruments and vocals at Hunt's. With a lack of new material at their disposal, the pair opted to do a covers album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
of artists from the Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
, dubbed ''From the Midlands with Love''.[ The cover recordings were released in three instalments between April and November 2012. The project gave Hunt and Townshend a lot of experience when it came to recording at home; Hunt was adamant about producing the band's next album.][ ''Oh No It's... The Wonder Stuff'' was recorded at The Wain House and The Beeches in South Shropshire, with Hunt acting as producer.] The band also toured the UK in April 2013, summer shows, and a Sleigh the UK set of shows in December 2013.
In December 2013 the band's track "A Wish Away" was used in a TV commercial for the holiday company Hoseasons.
Following a successful Australian tour in early 2014, drummer Fuzz Townshend left the group to concentrate on his work with The Beat. In May 2014 the band announced a new line-up with Hunt, Nockalls and McCarthy being joined by Dan Donnelly on guitar and Tony Arthy on drums, with Arthy having parted company with Jesus Jones. Arthy had previously worked with Hunt in an earlier, but unreleased incarnation of The Miles Hunt Club in 2001.
In March 2016, a PledgeMusic-funded album, '' 30 Goes Around the Sun'', was released to celebrate 30 years since the band's very first rehearsal in the heart of The Black Country. This coincided with a UK tour during March and April. This album became their first studio release to enter the Top 40 since 1994.
In 2019, the band announced a new lineup, with founder member Malc Treece returning on guitar replacing Donnelly, Pete Howard
Peter Howard is an English rock drummer. He was a member of the Clash from 1983 until 1986.
Career
The Clash (1983–86)
Howard joined the Clash in spring 1983. Drummer Topper Headon had been fired the previous year – shortly before the ...
of 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 ...
replacing Arthy on drums, and former The Mission guitarist Mark Thwaite
Mark Gemini Thwaite (born 15 June 1965) also known as MGT, is an English musician, and has been the guitarist for a number of rock bands and artists over the last two decades, including The Mission, Trip-Hop pioneer Tricky, Peter Murphy of Bau ...
replacing McCarthy on bass. After a short tour at the start of the year, the group announced they would be releasing a new album ''Better Being Lucky'' towards the end of 2019, featuring several songs co-written by Thwaite on guitar, which would be followed by a tour where the group would play ''The Eight Legged Groove Machine'' and ''Hup'' albums in full alongside other tracks from their back catalogue and the new album. Thwaite moved to guitar on the live shows promoting the new album with Tim Sewell taking over bass duties.
Timeline
ImageSize = width:800 height:400
PlotArea = left:160 bottom:120 top:0 right:05
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Alignbars = justify
Period = from:19/03/1986 till:31/12/2019
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1988
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1987
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
Colors =
id:v value:red legend:Vocals
id:bv value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:vi value:drabgreen legend:Violin
id:ba value:limegreen legend:Banjo
id:g value:green legend:Guitar
id:b value:blue legend:Bass
id:d value:orange legend:Drums
id:alb value:black legend:Studio_album
LineData =
layer:back
at:01/08/1988
at:01/10/1989
at:01/06/1991
at:01/10/1993
at:01/09/2004
at:01/02/2006
at:01/10/2008
at:01/01/2010
at:15/12/2012
at:01/03/2016
at:08/11/2019
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4)
bar:Miles Hunt from:start till:01/06/1994 color:v
bar:Miles Hunt from:start till:01/06/1994 color:g width: 3
bar:Miles Hunt from:01/12/2000 till:end color:v
bar:Miles Hunt from:01/12/2000 till:end color:g width: 3
bar:Martin Bell from:01/09/1989 till:01/06/1994 color:vi
bar:Martin Bell from:01/09/1989 till:01/06/1994 color:ba width:3
bar:Martin Bell from:01/12/2000 till:01/01/2004 color:vi
bar:Martin Bell from:01/12/2000 till:01/01/2004 color:ba width:3
bar:Erica Nockalls from:01/03/2005 till:end color:vi
bar:Erica Nockalls from:01/03/2005 till:end color:bv width:3
bar:Malcolm Treece from:start till:01/06/1994 color:g
bar:Malcolm Treece from:start till:01/06/1994 color:v width:3
bar:Malcolm Treece from:01/12/2000 till:01/12/2011 color:g
bar:Malcolm Treece from:01/12/2000 till:01/12/2011 color:v width:3
bar:Malcolm Treece from:01/01/2019 till:13/12/2019 color:g
bar:Malcolm Treece from:01/01/2019 till:13/12/2019 color:v width:3
bar:Stevie Wyatt from:05/12/2011 till:01/01/2014 color:g
bar:Dan Donnelly from:01/01/2014 till:31/12/2018 color:g
bar:Dan Donnelly from:01/01/2014 till:31/12/2018 color:bv width:3
bar:Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones from:start till:01/12/1989 color:b
bar:Paul Clifford from:01/04/1990 till:01/06/1994 color:b
bar:Stuart Quinell from:01/12/2000 till:01/01/2004 color:b
bar:Mark McCarthy from:01/01/2004 till:31/12/2018 color:b
bar:Mark Thwaite from:01/01/2019 till:01/06/2019 color:b
bar:Mark Thwaite from:01/06/2019 till:end color:g
bar:Tim Sewell from:01/06/2019 till:end color:b
bar:Martin Gilks from:start till:01/06/1994 color:d
bar:Martin Gilks from:01/12/2000 till:01/01/2004 color:d
bar:Luke Johnson from:01/01/2004 till:15/09/2004 color:d
bar:Andres Karu from:15/09/2004 till:01/11/2010 color:d
bar:Fuzz Townshend from:01/11/2010 till:01/01/2014 color:d
bar:Tony Arthy from:01/01/2014 till:31/12/2018 color:d
bar:Pete Howard from:01/01/2019 till:end color:d
Discography
* ''The Eight Legged Groove Machine
''The Eight Legged Groove Machine'' is the debut album by the Wonder Stuff from August 1988.
Track listing
All tracks composed by The Wonder Stuff
# "Red Berry Joy Town" 2:48
# "No, for the 13th Time" 3:02
# "It's Yer Money I'm After, Baby" 2 ...
'' (1988)
* '' Hup'' (1989)
* ''Never Loved Elvis
''Never Loved Elvis'' is the third album by The Wonder Stuff released in 1991. Guest musicians on the album include Kirsty MacColl and Linda McRae.
The song "Mission Drive" was inspired by Wonder Stuff singer Miles Hunt's fall out with best ...
'' (1991)
* ''Construction for the Modern Idiot
''Construction for the Modern Idiot'' is The Wonder Stuff's fourth album from October 1993, and their last studio album before their split on 15 July 1994. The album was a UK Top 5 Album (#4) which yielded 3 UK hit singles, of which "On the Rop ...
'' (1993)
* '' Escape from Rubbish Island'' (2004)
* '' Suspended by Stars'' (2006)
* ''Oh No It's... The Wonder Stuff'' (2012)
* '' 30 Goes Around the Sun'' (2016)
* ''Better Being Lucky'' (2019)
Videos and DVDs
*''Eleven Appalling Promos'' (1990)
*''Welcome to the Cheap Seats'' (1992)
*''Greatest Hits: Finally Live'' (1994)
*''Construction for the Modern Vidiot'' (2003)
*''Hup Live'' (2010)
*''Never Loved Elvis Live'' (2012)
*''Oh Yeah, It's the Wonder Stuff'' (2014)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonder Stuff, The
English alternative rock groups
Musical groups established in 1986
Musical groups disestablished in 1994
Musical groups reestablished in 2000
Musical groups from West Midlands (county)
Polydor Records artists
1986 establishments in the United Kingdom