Biff Bang Pow! | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Indie pop |
| Years active | 1983–1991 |
| Labels | Creation Records |
| Members | Alan McGee Dick Green Joe Foster Ken Popple Dave Evans Andrew Innes |
Biff Bang Pow! were anindie pop band fromLondon, England, active between 1983 and 1991, centering onCreation Records bossAlan McGee.
Glaswegian Alan McGee had previously been in the band The Laughing Apple, who released three singles in 1981/82.[1] After moving to London, McGee formed a new band, Biff Bang Pow!, taking their name from a song by one of his favourite bands,The Creation.[1][2] The first release on Creation records, "'73 in '83" byThe Legend! came with aflexi-disc featuring Laughing Apple's "Wouldn't You", a song that would later appear on the first Biff Bang Pow! album.[1]
The initial Biff Bang Pow! line-up was McGee on guitar and vocals, with Dick Green on guitar,Joe Foster on bass, and Ken Popple on drums, these recording the first 2 singles "50 Years of Fun" and "There Must Be A Better Life".[1]
Dave Evans then replaced Foster (who went solo asSlaughter Joe), and guitarist/organistAndrew Innes (later to joinPrimal Scream) joined on a part-time basis.[1] Debut albumPass The Paintbrush...Honey was released in early 1985, displaying a mixture of mod, psychedelia, and new wave influences. 1986 saw arguably the band's strongest albumThe Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel, which expanded on the first album's psychedelic and sixties pop influences, and featured collaborations with artist/painterJC Brouchard. This album coincided with the peak of the first wave ofindie pop and as this gave way toshoegazing andgrunge, Creation Records also moved in that direction, with the label increasingly being associated with artists such asMy Bloody Valentine andRide. With Biff Bang Pow!, however, McGee continued with guitar pop, becoming increasingly melancholy with releases such asOblivion (1987),Love Is Forever (1988),Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl (1990), andMe (1991), which proved to be the last album proper by the band.[3] Two compilations,L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir andDebasement Tapes were subsequently released on Creation, withBertula Bop released in 1994 on the Tristar label.[1] A further collection,Waterbomb, compiled by Joe Foster, was released onRev-Ola in 2003.[4]
All on Creation Records except where stated. Chart placings shown are from theUK Independent Chart.[5]
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