Kunt and the Gang
Encyclopedia
Kunt and the Gang are a musical comedy act based in Basildon
, Essex
, following in the tradition of 80s Basildon-based electronic pop acts Depeche Mode
and Yazoo
.
Kunt is most famous for his single 'Use My Arsehole As A Cunt (The Nick Clegg
Story)' which reached number 66 in the UK Christmas singles chart in 2010.
The band are notorious for their risque lyrical content, dealing with many taboo subjects including masturbation and sexual fantasies concerning celebrities such as Carol Vorderman
.
A residency at the Castlemayne pub in 2004 led to Kunt and the Gang receiving interest from national press including the NME
and adult interest magazines Fiesta
and Knave
.
The band released their debut album I Have A Little Wank And I Have A Little Cry in 2005 on indie label Disco Minge Records. In December 2006 a live DVD followed, entitled 'Viva Bas Vegas', and the band's second album I Have Another Wank And I Have Another Cry was released in March 2007. This led to interest from the Guardian
newspaper.
Kunt and the Gang recorded a World Cup
song in 2006, predictably entitled "Let's Have A Wank For England" which was released as a free mp3. After England were eliminated in qualifying for the Euro 2008 Championship the band re-worked their previous effort as "I've Had My Last Wank For England".
The band's third album, One Last Wank And One Last Cry, the final part of the "Wanking and Crying Trilogy", was released in May 2008.
Later in 2010, Kunt and the Gang's musical career took off when they re-worked their song 'Use My Arsehole As A Cunt' as a satirical commentary on Nick Clegg
's participation in government with David Cameron
. Despite no airplay or coverage in the mainstream media, an online campaign championed by digital arts community b3ta
led the single to achieve #66 in the UK official single charts.
A further re-worked version of another previous single 'Fucksticks', charted at #63 in April 2011. There were many campaigns on Social Networking sites to get the song to Number One on the weekend of the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
. The accompanying video, featuring effigies of the British Royal Family
performing sex acts led to Kunt and the Gang's YouTube
channel being removed "due to repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines".
Cunning Stunt Award for 2011.
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, following in the tradition of 80s Basildon-based electronic pop acts Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
.
Kunt is most famous for his single 'Use My Arsehole As A Cunt (The Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
Story)' which reached number 66 in the UK Christmas singles chart in 2010.
The band are notorious for their risque lyrical content, dealing with many taboo subjects including masturbation and sexual fantasies concerning celebrities such as Carol Vorderman
Carol Vorderman
Carol Jean Vorderman MBE is a British media personality, best known for co-hosting the popular game show Countdown for 26 years from 1982 to 2008. In September 2011 she became a co-anchor of the ITV1 panel show Loose Women....
.
Formation and early work (2003–2009)
Formed in late 2003 by Kunt (one of the founder members of Essex rock combo Serious Problem) the group underwent a line-up change even before the band's first gig in December 2003 at the Castlemayne pub in Basildon supporting local duo Retail Outlet, with Andy Kunt (aka And' Job) being replaced by Little Kunt.A residency at the Castlemayne pub in 2004 led to Kunt and the Gang receiving interest from national press including the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and adult interest magazines Fiesta
Fiesta
Fiesta, a Spanish word that means "party", "feast" or "festival", may refer to:-Film:*Fiesta , a 1941 American film directed by LeRoy Prinz*Fiesta , a 1947 MGM film starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán-Music:...
and Knave
Knave
Knave may refer to:* Knave , a British adult magazine*A male servant see also varlet*A journeyman*Another name for the Jack in a deck of cards*In knights and knaves logic puzzles, a person who always lies...
.
The band released their debut album I Have A Little Wank And I Have A Little Cry in 2005 on indie label Disco Minge Records. In December 2006 a live DVD followed, entitled 'Viva Bas Vegas', and the band's second album I Have Another Wank And I Have Another Cry was released in March 2007. This led to interest from the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper.
Kunt and the Gang recorded a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
song in 2006, predictably entitled "Let's Have A Wank For England" which was released as a free mp3. After England were eliminated in qualifying for the Euro 2008 Championship the band re-worked their previous effort as "I've Had My Last Wank For England".
The band's third album, One Last Wank And One Last Cry, the final part of the "Wanking and Crying Trilogy", was released in May 2008.
Chart success (2010–present)
In 2010 under the moniker of 'Kunt and the Gang presents' the group teamed up with a collective of amateur actors from Yorkshire to release Shannon Matthews: The Musical, an audio musical based on the disappearance of Shannon Matthews.Later in 2010, Kunt and the Gang's musical career took off when they re-worked their song 'Use My Arsehole As A Cunt' as a satirical commentary on Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
's participation in government with David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
. Despite no airplay or coverage in the mainstream media, an online campaign championed by digital arts community b3ta
B3ta
B3ta is a high-profile British website, described as a "puerile digital arts community" by The Guardian. It was founded in 2001 by Rob Manuel, Denise Wilton and Cal Henderson....
led the single to achieve #66 in the UK official single charts.
A further re-worked version of another previous single 'Fucksticks', charted at #63 in April 2011. There were many campaigns on Social Networking sites to get the song to Number One on the weekend of the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
. The accompanying video, featuring effigies of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
performing sex acts led to Kunt and the Gang's YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel being removed "due to repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines".
Controversy
During their run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2011, the gang were widely criticised for their marketing tactic of placing stickers of male genitalia in compromising positions on other companies' posters. The penises were removed following complaints from several of the victims and reported threats of legal action from PR companies. The stunt won them the Malcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
Cunning Stunt Award for 2011.
Charted singles
| Year | Single | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... Peak Positions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Use My Arsehole as a Cunt" | 66 |
| 2011 | "Fucksticks" | 63 |
Other songs
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Santa's Sack |
| 2006 | Fucksticks (First Realese) |
| 2006 | This Christmas |
| 2007 | All I Want For Christmas is You (To Bring Me Off) |
| 2008 | Jesus (Baby With a Beard) |
| 2008 | Men with beards What are they hiding? |
| 2009 | I Sucked Off a Bloke: 2 New Songs Tour Souvenir |
| 2009 | Kuntish Christmas |
Albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | I Have a Little Wank and I Have a Little Cry |
| 2007 | I Have Another Wank and I Have Another Cry |
| 2008 | One Last Wank and One Last Cry |
| 2010 | Kunt and the Gang Presents Shannon Matthews: The Musical |
| 2011 | Hurry Up and Suck Me Off Before I Get Famous |
Compilation albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Here's One I Knocked Out Earlier |
| 2010 | Complete Kunt: The Greatest Minor Internet Hits of Kunt and the Gang |