We are beyond thrilled to announce that the legendary English band The Popguns are back in action and will soon grace the Matinée discography with a brilliant new set of releases!
Formed in Brighton, England in 1987, the band’s debut single ‘Landslide’ was released in 1989 on the terminally hip Medium Cool Records (the same label that released the debut single from our pals The Siddeleys a year earlier).
‘Landslide’ was voted into John Peel’s Festive 50 by listeners of the BBC Radio 1 show and the band earned acclaim for its early live shows in the pages of NME and Melody Maker.
Further singles followed over the next two years on Midnight Music, including absolute gems such as ‘Waiting For The Winter’ and ‘Someone You Love’ plus a clutch of impressive b-sides. There were even proper videos made for these songs which you can watch below to get a taste of their early brilliance:
The first three singles were compiled on the now legendary album ‘Eugenie’ a year before the proper debut album ‘Snog’ was released in 1991. At the time, I was an impressionable young lad living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina—half a world away from Brighton. A friend of mine described The Popguns once as “like The Wedding Present but with a female vocalist” and to some extent the comparison is accurate as both bands have a certain way of mixing jangly, fast and abrasive guitars with heartfelt and often bitter lyrics. If you ever needed a song to get you through a breakup, the Popguns had your back.
There was a bit of silence after ‘Snog’, but The Popguns returned in the mid-1990’s with a few singles and two more albums ‘Love Junky’ and ‘A Plus de Cent’ on 3rd Stone Records. These releases contained more insanely catchy yet melancholy songs and further evidence of the incomparable soaring vocals of Wendy Pickles. There were some surprises too, including cover versions of songs previously recorded by Serge Gainsbourg and A Tribe Called Quest, that expanded the template of the band in all sorts of good ways.
Following this mid-90’s activity, the band went on an extended break while normal lives were lived and new families were built. No one in the band can quite remember how they started up again in 2012 but it inevitably began with meeting an amazing new young drummer. Half a dozen small but packed gigs in 2012 were followed by a few more in 2013, and then suddenly The Popguns were back! This year has seen the band invited to Paris (L’Internationale), London (supporting the Primitives), and New York (New York City Popfest), plus the prestigious Indietracks Festival in England in July. They will also play Indiedaze in London and Popfest Berlin in September.
To coincide with this impressive set of dates, the band is in the process of recording 15 ace new songs that will form the basis of a brand new single and album that we are absolutely delighted to be releasing on Matinée later this year. The single is a three-track 7” with brand new songs ‘Lovejunky’ plus ‘Long Way To Fall’ and ‘Home Late’ on the b-side. The songs are being mastered as we speak and we’re working on the sleeve artwork but if all goes to plan the 7” will be in your hands before the end of the summer with a brand new album following a month later.
To celebrate the band landing on US soil this afternoon for their appearance at NYC Popfest this weekend, we have added an exclusive stream of the brilliant new song ‘Lovejunky’ to our Soundcloud and you can have a listen to it right now!
Watch for more release details coming soon along with a few Popguns surprises this summer leading up to the release. In the meantime, drop whatever you are doing and get yourself to New York so you can see them headline the Sunday NYC Popfest show at Littlefield with eight other ace bands including our good pals Bart Cummings (Bart and Friends) and Pam Berry (The Pines, The Snowdrops, Bart and Friends) performing classics from former bands The Shapiros and Cats Miaow! The Popguns are on at 10:15 for you lucky New Yorkers. The rest of you should probably watch this space and the Popguns page on Facebook for more news in the coming weeks. Hurrah for Brighton pop!