New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Dirty Water Records) Oh! Gunquit is a London-based 'rumble-bop trash blitz freak-a-billy' five-piece that formed in 2011 after neighbours Tina Swasey and
Simon Wild met each other while frequenting a North London vinyl-only sweaty cellar club DJ night. After an energetic pogo competition they decided to create a group blending their love of wild garage punk, exotica, raw rhythm'n'blues and surf-trash that's been described as a cross between The Cramps and The B-52's. The band name derives from a twist on a Native American-named outpost on the east coast of the US, a former artists' colony, and where a chief elder once 'cast all guns to the sea'.
Altsounds.com says, "They are a sight to behold with bags of personality and an endearing amount of humour. Their music and performances appear effortless, with lyrics that are macabre and kitsch and a live performance that is better than any art-punks out there at the moment. This is retro-tinged pop at its killer best. You know that this is a band that, in years to come, people will be arguing over which cramped Camden basement they saw them in first."
They have played shows, festivals and events in London and
Europe alongside acts such as
Black Lips producer King Khan and the Shrines, Fat White Family, Public Service Broadcasting, Andrew Weatherall, Keb Darge, the
Director of
Danny Boyle's Shuffle Film Festivals, and survived a crazed impromptu stage invasion by eccentric '80s pop-punk prince Adam Ant. The group have also played two separate live sessions on London's only Independent Art-Radio station, Resonance FM, and singles have had frequent airing on BBC
Radio 6 (Steve Lamacq, Gideon Coe,
Lauren Laverne) Huey Morgan's BBC
Radio 2 show and XFM Exposure with John Kennedy.
To date, they have put out two limited edition self-released seven inch vinyl singles distributed through Rough Trade, the second being single of the week in Artrocker magazine, and also have a track featured on a Japanese compilation of garage rock'n'roll with the all-girl 'Woo Hoo' hit-makers The 5,6,7,8s. Last December saw the release of a brand new single 'Sinkhole' backed with the instrumental 'Stampede' via new One
Little Indian imprint Winwin Records.
Oh! Gunquit have recently finished recording tracks at the all-analogue Gizzard Studio in East London's Fish Island, resulting in the fiery, exotic sound on their upcoming album Eat Yuppies And Dance, released in March 2015 by renowned garage-punk rock'n'roll label Dirty Water Records. Also planned is some further recording with celebrated
Detroit record producer Jim Diamond (White Stripes,
Detroit Cobras).
Live on stage, Oh! Gunquit bring their unique blizzard of horns, spirited howls, buzzsaw guitars, hula hoops and fun, riotous rock'n'roll abandon and urge you to join them on a crazy road trip of B-movies, freak shows, twisted carnivals, and adventuring.
Dirty Water Records Available on vinyl/CD/download. Distribution
Cargo Records UK, Redeye (US), Popstock (Spain), Differ-Ant (France),
Cargo Germany (Germany), Disk Union (Japan), etc.
About Dirty Water Records
The Dirty Water Club started in October 1996 in the Tufnell Park neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston. The club's name is derived from The Standells' hit 'Dirty Water' which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts.
Past performers have included The
White Stripes (voted by Q Magazine as one of the top 10 gigs of all time, Mojo the top 30 and Kerrang the top 100!), NOBUNNY, Kid Congo Powers (from the Cramps), The Fleshtones, Billy Childish, The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The 5.6.7.8's, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The
Black Lips, to name just a few.
The club has also seen some original '60s performers, such as The Monks, ? and the Mysterians, Kim Fowley, Sky Saxon, GONN, Michael Davis of the MC5, and more grace its stage. Their in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, is one of the leading garage/beat/(real) R&B labels in the world.
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