History Of Guns
Encyclopedia
History of Guns are an English cross-genre
group combining elements of industrial, punk, electronica, rock, avant-garde and goth who formed in 1996. They self-released three EPs and two albums on their own Liquid Len Records before signing to Line Out Records in November 2006.
Their name comes from the title of one of their earliest songs, written about the Dunblane massacre
.
Primarily a studio project, History of Guns have played live sporadically throughout their career including the Whitby Gothic Weekend
and both Futurepunk23 and Back To The Futurepunk.http://www.futurepunk.co.uk
In 2007, their song Your Obedient Servants came in at no.19 in journalist Mick Mercer's
list of Top 30 Goth Singles Of All Time.
In April 2008, Line Out Records sponsored the Whitby Gothic Weekend
bi-annual football tournament so that teams were competing for the History of Guns - Acedia Challenge Cup.
Their third album ACEDIA was released on July 7, 2008 on Line Out Records and was awarded 9/10 by Rock Sound
.
A reaction against the relentless miserablism of Acedia, History Of Guns followed it up with The Spice Girls EP in April 2009. A light-hearted three song investigation into The Spice Girls, including the track Slice Up Your Wife.
Their latest release was Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Up At Twelve, released on Zero State Media / Line Out Records on October 21st 2011.
in mid 1996.
Their first demo Reformation Day
was recorded in a day at Discipline Studios in Tottenham in July 1996.
In September 1996 Gary 'The Reverend' Hughes joined the band as a regular part-time collaborator.
The band signed up with Top Knotch Management in 1997 and recorded a second demo Sold On Secrets in Chelmsford
.
In 1999 the band acquired a PC, and began recording with Cubase.
The first track recorded in this fashion was 'Random Death Bag' which appeared on the third installment of the No Holy Additive compilation CD from Godreah Zine, followed by the Little Miss Suicide EP which was released on the newly formed Liquid Len record label, and an unreleased demo album called 'Enough Is Too Much LP'.
Stagger Lee quit the band with the release of their first CD, Little Miss Suicide EP in 1999.
Kevin Gerrish joined the band briefly in 2002 during the writing and recording of The Mirror Pond LP. Weeks before its release History of Guns issued a press released saying that they'd been "consumed by business rhetoric" and were thus "downsizing the album into an EP". Although many of the remaining tracks remain unreleased, the track 'Psycho' was included as a bonus track on the second edition of the CD, and 'Sunday Lunchtime (A Family Portrait)' and 'Soaked' were included on the 2007 release 'Issue Six:Archive One - Make It Look Like An Accident'.
History of Guns released their debut album Flashes Of Light LP in 2004. A dense slab of atmospheric dark electronica devoid of any guitars, noted for its unusual structure of having two long opening songs, four short middle songs, then two long closing songs.
Recruiting a live band in 2004 History of Guns performed gigs around the south east of England as an edgy punk band, not performing any of the songs from their debut album. The last date was filmed and released on dvd as "Twenty Seven Paces".
Their second album APOPHENIA was released in November 2005. It was named after the medical condition of seeing patterns in seemingly random data, Apophenia
. This time the album was structured in two distinct halves, and every track on the album written and performed in a different genre.
Responding to an interview with Dark Futures zine in which History of Guns said they worked very quickly, to which the interviewer replied "how did it take two years to make your new album then?" History of Guns announced a series of free limited edition bi-monthly CDs, starting with the March 2006 release UDDERS available via their website.
In April 2006 they played their debut at the infamous Whitby Gothic Weekend
.
In November 2006 the band announced that they had signed to Line Out Records and would no longer be able to keep to their schedule of releasing a new EP every other month whilst they wrote and recorded their 3rd album to be titled ACEDIA
.
from their The Holy Bible
album
The inside sleeve artwork featurs a copy of No Longer Human
by Osamu Dazai
.
In July 2009 History Of Guns released a three track EP focussing on The Spice Girls, featuring Slice Up Your Wife which incorporated elements of the original Spice Girls song Spice Up Your Life
described by The Dreaded Press as " a sub-three-minute slice of staggering satire and vengeful rage" "
On Friday 21st October the band released their 4th full album, 'Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Up At Twelve'.
(as artists being Remixed)
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
group combining elements of industrial, punk, electronica, rock, avant-garde and goth who formed in 1996. They self-released three EPs and two albums on their own Liquid Len Records before signing to Line Out Records in November 2006.
Their name comes from the title of one of their earliest songs, written about the Dunblane massacre
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. Sixteen children and one adult were killed by Thomas Hamilton before he committed suicide.-Timeline of events:...
.
Primarily a studio project, History of Guns have played live sporadically throughout their career including the Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend, often abbreviated to WGW or simply referred to by attendees as Whitby, is a twice-yearly festival for goths, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire who runs Top Mum Promotions.-Event history:...
and both Futurepunk23 and Back To The Futurepunk.http://www.futurepunk.co.uk
In 2007, their song Your Obedient Servants came in at no.19 in journalist Mick Mercer's
Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer is a journalist and author best known for his photos and reviews of the goth, punk, and indie music scenes. He has photographed the bands Tragic Venus and Blondie in the UK and Europe.He publishes a monthly online magazine called "The Mick"....
list of Top 30 Goth Singles Of All Time.
In April 2008, Line Out Records sponsored the Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend, often abbreviated to WGW or simply referred to by attendees as Whitby, is a twice-yearly festival for goths, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire who runs Top Mum Promotions.-Event history:...
bi-annual football tournament so that teams were competing for the History of Guns - Acedia Challenge Cup.
Their third album ACEDIA was released on July 7, 2008 on Line Out Records and was awarded 9/10 by Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
.
A reaction against the relentless miserablism of Acedia, History Of Guns followed it up with The Spice Girls EP in April 2009. A light-hearted three song investigation into The Spice Girls, including the track Slice Up Your Wife.
Their latest release was Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Up At Twelve, released on Zero State Media / Line Out Records on October 21st 2011.
Phase One: The Beginning (1996-1999) - aka The Stagger Years
History of Guns was formed in February 1996 as Pre-Hate Machine by Stagger Lee with Max Rael and Del Alien. Del Alien renamed the band 'History of Guns' after a song he'd written about the Dunblane MassacreDunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. Sixteen children and one adult were killed by Thomas Hamilton before he committed suicide.-Timeline of events:...
in mid 1996.
Their first demo Reformation Day
Reformation Day
Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities...
was recorded in a day at Discipline Studios in Tottenham in July 1996.
In September 1996 Gary 'The Reverend' Hughes joined the band as a regular part-time collaborator.
The band signed up with Top Knotch Management in 1997 and recorded a second demo Sold On Secrets in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
.
In 1999 the band acquired a PC, and began recording with Cubase.
The first track recorded in this fashion was 'Random Death Bag' which appeared on the third installment of the No Holy Additive compilation CD from Godreah Zine, followed by the Little Miss Suicide EP which was released on the newly formed Liquid Len record label, and an unreleased demo album called 'Enough Is Too Much LP'.
Stagger Lee quit the band with the release of their first CD, Little Miss Suicide EP in 1999.
Phase Two: Liquid Len Records (2001 - 2006)
In 2001 Godreah zine contacted the band with a request for them to appear on the fourth and final installment of the No Holy Additive compilation CD. Del Alien and Max Rael recorded their first new material for two years, namely, Reconstructing Terror, Fact and Disconnect, they also completed two unfinished tracks left over from Enough Is Too Much sessions namely, 57 Days and Burn, which eventually got released as the Disconnect EP by the Liquid Len record label in 2002.Kevin Gerrish joined the band briefly in 2002 during the writing and recording of The Mirror Pond LP. Weeks before its release History of Guns issued a press released saying that they'd been "consumed by business rhetoric" and were thus "downsizing the album into an EP". Although many of the remaining tracks remain unreleased, the track 'Psycho' was included as a bonus track on the second edition of the CD, and 'Sunday Lunchtime (A Family Portrait)' and 'Soaked' were included on the 2007 release 'Issue Six:Archive One - Make It Look Like An Accident'.
History of Guns released their debut album Flashes Of Light LP in 2004. A dense slab of atmospheric dark electronica devoid of any guitars, noted for its unusual structure of having two long opening songs, four short middle songs, then two long closing songs.
Recruiting a live band in 2004 History of Guns performed gigs around the south east of England as an edgy punk band, not performing any of the songs from their debut album. The last date was filmed and released on dvd as "Twenty Seven Paces".
Their second album APOPHENIA was released in November 2005. It was named after the medical condition of seeing patterns in seemingly random data, Apophenia
Apophenia
Apophenia is the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data.The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness", but it has come to...
. This time the album was structured in two distinct halves, and every track on the album written and performed in a different genre.
Responding to an interview with Dark Futures zine in which History of Guns said they worked very quickly, to which the interviewer replied "how did it take two years to make your new album then?" History of Guns announced a series of free limited edition bi-monthly CDs, starting with the March 2006 release UDDERS available via their website.
In April 2006 they played their debut at the infamous Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend, often abbreviated to WGW or simply referred to by attendees as Whitby, is a twice-yearly festival for goths, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire who runs Top Mum Promotions.-Event history:...
.
In November 2006 the band announced that they had signed to Line Out Records and would no longer be able to keep to their schedule of releasing a new EP every other month whilst they wrote and recorded their 3rd album to be titled ACEDIA
Acedia
Acedia describes a state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one's position or condition in the world. It can lead to a state of being unable to perform one's duties in life. Its spiritual overtones make it related to but distinct from depression...
.
Phase Three: Line Out Records (2007 -> )
History of Guns' third album ACEDIA was released on July 7, 2008 on Line Out Records. The album title came from the lyrics to Of Walking Abortion by Manic Street PreachersManic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
from their The Holy Bible
The Holy Bible (album)
The Holy Bible is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 29 August 1994 by Epic Records and was the last of the band's albums released before the disappearance of lyricist and guitarist Richey Edwards , on 1 February 1995.Edwards was...
album
The inside sleeve artwork featurs a copy of No Longer Human
No Longer Human
is a Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. Published after Run Melos and The Setting Sun, No Longer Human is considered Dazai's masterpiece and ranks as the second-best selling novel in Japan, behind Kokoro....
by Osamu Dazai
Osamu Dazai
was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan.-Biography:-Early life:Dazai was born , the eighth surviving child of a wealthy landowner in Kanagi, a remote corner of Japan at the northern tip of Tōhoku in Aomori Prefecture...
.
In July 2009 History Of Guns released a three track EP focussing on The Spice Girls, featuring Slice Up Your Wife which incorporated elements of the original Spice Girls song Spice Up Your Life
Spice Up Your Life
"Spice Up Your Life" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the group members, with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, at the same time as the group was filming scenes for their movie Spice World...
described by The Dreaded Press as " a sub-three-minute slice of staggering satire and vengeful rage" "
On Friday 21st October the band released their 4th full album, 'Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Up At Twelve'.
Former/past member(s)
- Fester: Guitar (2004–2007)
- Stagger Lee: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1996–1999) - Kevin Gerrish: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2002) - Goose: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(on and off 2003-2006)
Studio Releases
- Little Miss Suicide EP GUNCD01, 1999
- Disconnect EP LENCD04, 2002
- The Mirror Pond EP LENCD05, 2003
- Flashes Of Light LP LENCD08, 2004
- ApopheniaApopheniaApophenia is the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data.The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness", but it has come to...
LENCD11, 2006 - ACEDIAAcediaAcedia describes a state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one's position or condition in the world. It can lead to a state of being unable to perform one's duties in life. Its spiritual overtones make it related to but distinct from depression...
LINE10, 2008 - Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Up At Twelve ZSM003, 2011
- Half LightHalf LightHalf Light is a 2006 Mystery/Horror Film starring Demi Moore and Henry Ian Cusick in the lead role. It was directed by Craig Rosenberg, who also penned the screenplay.The score was composed by Craig's brother, Brett Rosenberg.-Plot:...
tba - EschatologyEschatologyEschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
tba
Free CD Series
- Flashes Of Light Part One LENCD07FOC, December 2003
- Whitby October 2004 Promo LENCD09FOC, October 2004
- Apospemia - A Collection Of B-sides LENCD10, 2005
- Issue One - UDDERS Free CD EP, March 2006
- Issue Two - ELECTRICITY IS THE ANSWER Free CD EP, May 2006
- Issue Three - POKER FACE Free CD EP, July 2006
- Issue Four - Whitby October 2006 Promo Free CD EP, October 2006
- Issue Five - All The Natural Beauty Of A Golf Course Free CD EP, April 2007
- Issue Six - Make It Look Like An Accident : ARCHIVE ONE Free CD EP, October 2007
- Empty Eyes (single mix)/Killing Myself Until I Die (excerpt) Free CD single, April 2008
- Empty Eyes / ...But I'll Be Waiting Free CD/download single, August 2008
- It's Easy (To Go Blind) *alternate version* / Exhaust Fumes *remix* Free CD/download single, October 2008
- The Spice Girls EP Free CD/download EP, April 2009
Demos
- Reformation DayReformation DayReformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities...
Demo, 1996 - Sold On Secrets Demo, 1997
- Enough Is Too Much Demo Album, 1999
Compilations
- Contains no Holy Additives Vol.2, Godreah Records, 1999
- Contains no Holy Additives Vol.3, Godreah Records, 2000
- Contains no Holy Additives Vol.4, FAFF03, Godreah Records, 2001
- Tribal Sin, 2001
- Daze Of The Underground, 2003
- DarkCell 01, 2003
- This Is Industrial Punk, 2005
- Line Out & Chums Vol. 1, 2006
- Lined Up vol. 1, 2007
- This Is Industrial Punk Vol.2, 2010
Remixes
(as Remixing artists)- FishFish (singer)Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
(ex-MarillionMarillionMarillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
) - 3 History of Guns remixes included on the Fellini Days Companion CD, 2001 - Jo McCaffertyJo McCaffertyJo McCafferty is an acoustic singer/songwriter from Aberdeen, Scotland. She has released seven albums to date:*Nothing Whispered to Katy *Radiaxial *The 8 Year Gap *Papercuts & Lime...
- Vanessa - Raelism Remix 2002 (unreleased) - Xykogen - Mutate And Survive - History of Guns Remix 2006
- Psychophile - All In The Mind - History of Guns Remix 2006
- Reincarnation Fish - Homeless Samurai - History of Guns, The Farmers Have Won Mix 2007
- Xykogen - Terminology - History of Guns Remix 2007
(as artists being Remixed)
- LMS - Track Little Miss Suicide Remixed by Gary Hughes 2001
- Spoonburn - Track Moonburn remixed by Daniel Vincent (of Karma Pilot) 2004
- Blown Out - Track Blown remixed by The Resonance AssociationThe Resonance AssociationThe Resonance Association, formed in 2006, brought together the pairing of Daniel Vincent and Dominic Hemy to create music that combines emotive guitar solos, dense atmospherics and blistering industrial rhythms...
vs History of Guns 2007