Tunnelmental, originally titled "Tunnelmen" and later alternatively known as "Tunnelmental Experimental Assembly" (T.E.A.), are an English " Punktronica" music band originating from

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and now based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, U.S. Formed in 1988 by lead vocalist "Biff" (Nigel R Mitchell), percussionist / backing vocalist "Audrey" (Audrey Mitchell), guitarist "Jez" (Jeremy Smart) and drummer Rob Sharples, the band's membership changed and expanded when the founders (except Rob) relocated to

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and were joined in 1992 by "Jeff Stacy" (Jeffery Calamusa) (bass), Craig Van Sant (drums) and "Dék" (Derek Pippert) (keyboards /

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

samples). Initially influenced by the likes of

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Ki ...

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 ...

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 ...

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

The Beastie Boys ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and other

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

music emerging from the early 1990s underground rave scene and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, Tunnelmental brought a new style of music harnessing the spirit of

Punk ideologies Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture and punk rock. It is primarily concerned with concepts such as mutual aid, against selling out, egalitarianism, humanitarianism, anti-autho ...

, and blending with the sounds and pulse of electronic music. Following a relaunch in 2010, permanent members of Tunnelmental have consisted of only Nigel and Derek as a core duo, with collaborations by various guest vocalists and musicians.

History

Formative years (1989–1991)

Going by the name "Tunnelmen", the founding members were lead vocalist "Biff" (Nigel R Mitchell) and his wife, percussionist / backing vocalist Audrey, with two musicians from "Secret Troop" guitarist "Jez" (Jeremy Smart) and drummer Rob Sharples. The band initially played gigs in the

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

area of the

where they based themselves, and in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

such as at

The Sir George Robey The Sir George Robey was a mid-19th century public house and later a music venue on Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, North London, England. It was named in honour of the music hall performer Sir George Robey (1869–1954) in 1968. The pub ...

Seven Sisters Road Seven Sisters Road is a road in north London, England which runs within the boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Haringey. It is an extension of Camden Road, running from Holloway Road (the A1 road) at the Nags Head crossroads then on to another ...

. Following exploratory visits to the U.S. and productive music industry discussions, the Tunnelmen debut

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

/ CD

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 ...

"Defeat the Inefficiency of Crashing", produced by Chris "Salty" Sellars, on the Nate Starkman & Son label was released in 1991. Their music style evolved utilising audio-visual effects for live performances and enriching the music with the inclusion of techno, dance and punk elements, leading to the revised band name of "Tunnelmental". Rob left the band as the three other members (Nigel, Audrey and Jeremy) then relocated to L.A.

Expanded Line-Up (1992–1995)

On arrival in L.A. the founding members quickly came to know another recently formed 8-piece alternative-pop band called "Heat Your Shack", the core of which comprised bass player "Jeff Stacy" (Jeffrey Calamusa), drummer Craig Van Sant and "Dék" (Derek Pippert) on vocals who also provided music engineering, along with 2 guitarists, a midi-horn player and a female vocalist. The "Heat Your Shack" core group then joined "Tunnelmental" whilst retaining membership of their original band, indeed both acts would subsequently perform gigs supporting each other. The expanded "Tunnelmental" line-up consisting of Biff and Audrey on vocals, Jez on guitar, Jeff on bass, Craig on drums and Dék on keyboards and providing MIDI samples produced the CD EP "The Demise of Regressive Existence" in 1992, released on Fundamental Records. A vinyl

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"Charlie Said" / "Kiss Man Kind", produced by

Geordie Walker Kevin "Geordie" Walker (born 18 December 1960) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing is widely acclaimed. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin hailed Walk ...

, was released on T.O.N. records in 1994. This featured Tim Hays on bass and Kevin Bourque on percussion (replacing Jeff and Craig) and included Joe Reyes on guitar. The band’s membership later additionally increased to include Tom Calzini on guitar and bass, and "DJ Hive" (Michael Petrie) as DJ. During this time the band set up and ran a club called The Auditorium on

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

, which hosted various live music acts. They also played gigs at venues around L.A., notably including the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

on 10 May 1995.

Break-up and hiatus (1996–2007)

Following a period of inactivity, the band members started to go separate ways. Nigel focussed on music video production work, commencing with the Cracker song "Nothing to believe in" from the album The Golden Age. He and Audrey split up, and she retired from music performance. Jeremy returned to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and resumed his professional career as a Database Analyst; much later he and Rob were involved in a reunion of Secret Troop. "Heat Your Shack" also disbanded as Jeffrey formed a new band

Velvet Chain Velvet Chain is a bi-coastal alternative rock band whose sound features a mixture of trip hop, rock, and pop, with a jazz/funk flavor. (The band has sometimes been known to refer to their work as "space-jazz" or "moody groove music" - which is al ...

with Erika Amato. Craig found other drumming work, joining

and notably playing on the track "Treason" from

The Buffy EP Velvet Chain is a bi-coastal alternative rock band whose sound features a mixture of trip hop, rock, and pop, with a jazz/funk flavor. (The band has sometimes been known to refer to their work as "space-jazz" or "moody groove music" - which is al ...

used in an episode of

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

, and on the

Chris Darrow Christopher Lloyd Darrow (July 30, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was an American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. He was considered to be a pioneer of country rock music in the late-1960s and performed and recorded with numerous groups, ...

albums "Slide On In" and "Wages Of Sin" with Robb Strandlund. Derek found employment as Foley Mixer/Editor with

Klasky Csupo Klasky-Csupo, Inc. (stylized as KLaSKY CSUPO INC., doing business as Klasky Csupo, ) is an American animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1982 by producer Arlene Klasky and Hungarian animator Gábor Csupó (he ...

Relaunch (2008–present)

After a twelve-year hiatus Nigel returned to music creation, and the revisiting of previous work with Derek led to the production of the CD Albums "Drop Beats Not Bombs" in 2008 (not initially released) and "¿teatime?" in 2009, on Tunnelmental Music. Credited to "Tunnelmental Experimental Assembly" (T.E.A.), they contain new songs such as "Advertising Junky" and a new single release "Killing Time", with reworked versions of much of the previously released Album / EP / Single output, including the tracks "Trial", "Deadneck", "Blind Horse Stumbles", "Warzone", "Kiss Man Kind" and "Charlie Said". This was followed by a U.K. tour in the summer of 2010 as a 3-piece with Nigel on vocals, Jeremy on Guitar and including Todd Szabo on drums. Derek didn’t travel to join them in person, but instead created backing tracks to supplement the live performances. They played at various venues including the

Wychwood Festival Wychwood Festival is an annual music festival held at Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershire, UK. As well as music, the family-friendly three-day festival includes workshops, comedy, the Children's Literature Festival, and a Headphone Disco. ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

on Friday 4 June 2010, the Notting Hill Arts Club "Death Disco" in London on Wednesday 9 June 2010, and the "Kasbah" nightclub in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

, Monday 14 June 2010. Since the 2010 'relaunch', permanent members of Tunnelmental have consisted of only Nigel and Derek as a songwriting, production and performance duo, with collaborations with various guest vocalists and musicians, including Joe Reyes, Tracy Lee Skull, Emily Moultrie, Nicole Whitney Wolf, Patricia Strong, Angie M Garcia and Chuck Askerneese. An associated venture was the creation by Nigel and Derek in 2010 of the recording studio "Orange Groove Studios", which has enabled them to produce and self-release all of their own digital content issued as Tunnelmental Music, whilst also create remixes for other artists. Although continuing to be based in L.A., they visited the U.K. every Summer between 2011 - 2015 to perform at various gigs and efestivals. A new single "Defending the Dreamers" was released in January 2011 with additional remixes by "Radio Riddler" (

Brian Leiser Brian Andrew Leiser (better known as Fast, born 29 March 1972), is a member of the New York band Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", whic ...

and

Frank Benbini Frank Benbini (born Mark Francis Reid, 21 September 1976 in Leicester, England) is the British drummer and one third of Fun Lovin' Criminals (FLC). He is also known as Uncle Frank and TRM which stands for "The Rhythm Man". Benbini is a singer, re ...

from

Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backin ...

) and "Dekvanhype" (Derek Pippert). This was followed by the album "Say Unity" released in October 2011. The songs "Border Station" and "Trial (rotten mix)" were released as singles in January 2012 and July 2012 respectively. In the Summers of 2012 and 2013 they played U.K. festivals including the "Alchemy Festival" in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. In September 2013, the album "T.E.A. Dance Vol. 1." was released. On 7 June 2014, a live performance at the

Electrowerkz Electrowerkz, also known as the Islington Metal Works, is a three-floor music venue in Islington, London. In addition to mainstream club nights, it hosts the weekly goth night club Slimelight and other alternative events. Layout Electrowerkz ...

"Klub Wicked" with guest vocalist "Jason Doghouse" (Jason Mark Walsh) of "Sicknote" and "Freak Dancers" Funcutter and Candiflip Blackwood of "Anarchistwood" was filmed and released as "Moments of Bliss". After a brief tour of U.K. clubs and a festival in May 2015, the single "shite" was released in June 2015 and entered the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart in July 2015. This was followed by the single "sting" in September 2015, and the issuing of a new version of the single "Advertising Junky (it’s a trap)" in December 2015. The singles "Awake Me" and "Barely Holding On" were released in early 2017, followed by the release of the album "Waiting here for you" in May 2017. In May 2018, the album, "Shooting from the Lip" was released. From Summer 2018 to Summer 2019, Tunnelmental released a single a month for 12 months, which included the non-album version of "Nectar is Red" and the song "We Can" featuring Nigel’s daughter Joy as guest vocalist. The album entitled "A Few Are Souls" was released in February 2020.

Associated acts

*Heat Your Shack *Secret Troop *

Members

Current members * Nigel R Mitchell ("Biff") – vocals (1988–1995, 2008–present) * Derek Pippert ("Dék") – keyboards and MIDI samples (1992–1995, 2008–present) Former members * Audrey Mitchell – vocals (1988–1995) * Jeremy Smart ("Jez") – guitar (1988–1995, 2010) * Rob Sharples – drums (1988–1991) * Jeffrey Calamusa ("Jeff Stacy") – bass (1992–1994) * Craig Van Sant – drums (1992–1994) * Tim Hays – bass (1994) * Kevin Bourque – percussion (1994) * Joe Reyes – guitar (1994–1995, 2010) * Tom Calzini – guitar / bass (1994–1995) * Michael Petrie ("DJ Hive") – DJ (1994–1995) * Todd Szabo – drums (2010) Additional musicians * Tracy Lee Skull – guitar (2010–2019) * Emily Moultrie – vocals (2010–2019) * Nicole Whitney Wolf – vocals (2010–2019) * Patricia Strong ("Tricia") – vocals (2010–2019) * Angie M Garcia – vocals (2010–2019) * Chuck Askerneese – vocals (2010–2019) * Jason Mark Walsh ("Jason Doghouse") – vocals (2014) * Joy Mitchell – vocals (2019)

Discography

;Studio Albums / EPs *''Defeat the Inefficiency of Crashing'' (1991) *''The Demise of Regressive Existence'' (1992) *''Drop Beats Not Bombs'' (2008) *''¿teatime?'' (2009) *''Say Unity'' (2011) *''T.E.A. Dance Vol. 1.'' (2013) *''Waiting here for you'' (2017) *''Shooting from the Lip'' (2018) *''A Few Are Souls'' (2020)

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Tunnelmental websiteTunnelmental Bandcamp pages
English punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1988 English electronic rock musical groups