Overview

Formed in the coastal town of Clevedon

Clevedon

Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...

, North Somerset

North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....

 in 1993, Mr Zippy have been playing their own take on skate punk since 1993. Drawing on their influences ranging from Satanic Surfers

Satanic Surfers

-History:Satanic Surfers were formed in fall 1989 by vocalist Erik and drummer Rodrigo. Soon after Frederick and Magnus joined on guitar and Tomek on bass, but the band did not release their debut, Skate to Hell, until 1993. Skate to Hell was the first release issued by Bad Taste Records...

, Face to Face

Face to Face (punk band)

Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...

, Bad Religion

Bad Religion

Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...

, Ramones

Ramones

The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...

, SNFU

SNFU

SNFU is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. They have released nine full-length albums and are cited as a formative influence on the skate punk sub-genre....

, Faith No More

Faith No More

Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...

, Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

 and Samiam

Samiam

-Biography:Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 with Christ on Parade. They released records through New Red Archives and Hopeless Records in the US and Burning Heart Records in Europe. In the mid-'90s, the band...

, Mr Zippy are not afraid to take the Skate Punk genre to another level. The music is melodic, up beat and positive and at the same time can be extremely hard hitting and as goodmusicrocks.com summed it up 'it (Ambition Is Critical) still has that element of hardcore that makes you wanna run around screaming at the top of your lungs scaring the shit out of your neighbours (Mine wont talk to me no more)'. Oh yeah, they also have an insane live show as well!

1993-1997

Mr.Zippy formed while they were still at school in the early 90s. Many members came and went as the band found their footing in the growing punk rock scene in the UK.

The first solid formation of the band came together in 1995 when the two founder members (guitarist Jon Burlinson and vocalist Mads) recruited 15-year old drummer Pete Jennings after the recently joined drummer James Hester (now drumming in UK band Malaki) failed to show up for a gig. After firing their bassist Mike Britton (of P4FT) they roped in a young Bassist from Portishead

Portishead, Somerset

Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...

, Daryl Barrett-Cross. The band spent almost a year away from the public before debuting the new line up, new songs and style at The Full Moon pub in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

.

In 1997 after gaining a strong following in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 and the surrounding area the band recorded two demo cassettes at the Blue Room Studio in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, "Two Way Family Favourites" and "Cheggers Plays Punk". The band got the attention of 21-year-old Greg Pearson (Greg Elk) who was starting his own label "Pigman Records" who agreed to put out an EP for the band.

1998-1999

In 1998 with the breakup of his own band Yellowskin the band asked Greg to join Mr.Zippy as a 2nd guitarist. He did and with more money to put into Mr.Zippy the band once again entered the Blue Room Studio in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 to record their debut album "What You Are Like Says A Lot About The Kind Of Person You Are" which was released in 1999.

The band started to set sight their sights out of the local area and played around the UK gaining a large following in the UK punk underground and playing with such bands as Mustard Plug

Mustard Plug

Mustard Plug is a ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan.Formed in 1991, the band's original members were Dave Kirchgessner, Mike McKendrick, Colin Clive, and Anthony Vilchez. Currently the band consists of Dave , Brandon Jenison , Jim Hofer , Nate Cohn , Colin Clive , and Rick Johnson...

, No comply

No comply

The no comply is a skateboard move that was popularized by the skater Neil Blender in the 1980s. To do the trick, you must plant your front foot and pop the board with only your back foot.This trick is usually done on flat ground...

, Spiderplug (Later Adequate 7), Lightyear (band)

Lightyear (band)

Lightyear were a UK 7-piece ska punk band. They formed in 1997 in Derby, England.They signed to Household Name Records in 2001, and the band released two full-length albums via the label...

, Five Knuckle

Five Knuckle

-History:Five Knuckle from Bristol, England formed in 1998, playing punk & hardcore influenced by Minor Threat, Refused, Anti-Flag, At the Drive-In and Choking Victim amongst others...

, Big D & The Kids Table, King Prawn

King Prawn

King Prawn were a prominent band of the UK ska punk scene during the 1990s and early 2000s.King Prawn blended elements of punk, hardcore, metal, ska, dub, reggae, and hip hop into their music, which they dubbed wildstyle....

, Capdown

Capdown

Capdown are a band from Milton Keynes, England. Originally known as Soap, their songs have political themes as alluded to by their name, which is short for Capitalist Downfall...

 and formed a growing friendship with the band 4ft Fingers

4ft Fingers

4 ft Fingers are an English punk rock band from Cheltenham, United Kingdom, formed in 1996.-History:4 ft Fingers were formed in Cheltenham in 1996. The mid nineties was a time of a minor musical revolution in Cheltenham, spearheaded by bands such as Vicious Rumour and the Axiom centre...

.

The band also scored some stranger support slots playing with such bands as Somerset legends The Wurzels

The Wurzels

The Wurzels are a British Scrumpy and Western band...

, Alex Kane's AntiProduct

AntiProduct

AntiProduct are a UK-based glam punk band, fronted by Alex Kane, formerly of Clam Abuse, Enuff Z'nuff, Holland, and Life, Sex & Death.The band formed in 2000, and have played alongside acts such as Rachel Stamp, The Wildhearts, Ginger, The Quireboys, Enuff Z'Nuff, Electric Eel Shock, Tyla from...

 and Skiffle band Dynamo Rhythm Aces.

2000-2001

In 2000 the band started to really move up a gear and booked their first UK tour with Japanese thrash band Displaced Person, gaining a growing UK following. The band also started to appear on many compilation albums worldwide.

In 2001 they entered the Whitehouse Studios in Weston-Super-Mare to record the "Another Weekend" 7" which was limited to only 100 copies and hand-numbered. It was around this time that they earned the attention of Golf Records

Golf Records

Golf Records is an independent record label based in the UK.-Artists:*4ft Fingers*Amulet*A New Way Trust*Black Flame Dispute*The Blueprint*Boy Hits Car*Carpathian*The Chariot*Dead Poetic*The Devil Wears Prada*District*Dopamine...

 who offered to distribute the band's EP and album via Plastic Head Distribution. As luck had it Golf thought more of the band over time and when the band's debut album sold out, Golf signed the band up for a three album deal, offering to re-release the debut album first.

In the summer of 2001 the band underwent an self-organised tour of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Although the tour was great success it did bring to the band's attention their growing displeasure with bassist Daryl Barrett-Cross who was fired from the band on their return to the UK. Daryl went on to form the gore-metal band Amputated.

2002-2003

The band continued to gig, headling many shows or playing with such bands as Snuff

Snuff (band)

Snuff are a British punk rock band formed in Hendon in 1986. Their name reportedly came about after a long discussion about names ended up with one of them claiming "That's Enough", which was then shortened to Snuff...

, Consumed, King Prawn

King Prawn

King Prawn were a prominent band of the UK ska punk scene during the 1990s and early 2000s.King Prawn blended elements of punk, hardcore, metal, ska, dub, reggae, and hip hop into their music, which they dubbed wildstyle....

, MU330

MU330

MU330 are a ska punk band from St. Louis, Missouri.Formed by students of St. Louis University High School in 1988, MU330 played a self-described brand of music called "Psycho Ska", high energy ska punk marked by manic performances and humorous, often strange lyricism...

 and many more

They had the help of temporary bassists Stef Snowdon and Hambis DeLaney before enlisting Mark "Frank" Francis into the band, previously of the band The Merics who were a favourite of BBC Radio One DJ, John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

.

Frank was to play two small shows with the band before they embarked on a tour of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 with Norwegian bands Late98 and Shitzoo.

The album "What You Are Like Says A Lot About The Kind Of Person You Are" came out on Golf Records

Golf Records

Golf Records is an independent record label based in the UK.-Artists:*4ft Fingers*Amulet*A New Way Trust*Black Flame Dispute*The Blueprint*Boy Hits Car*Carpathian*The Chariot*Dead Poetic*The Devil Wears Prada*District*Dopamine...

 while the band were away. Released with a new cover and including the three tracks from the "Another Weekend" 7" and one previously unrelased track entitled "Here We Go Again".

More touring followed and the band hooked up with Manager John Sheller, whose previous skills had seen him managing the UK rock band FM (British band)

FM (British band)

FM are a British AOR/'80s rock band. In the U.S., they are often referred to as FMUK. They have released eleven albums to date. Two of those, Indiscreet and Tough It Out reached the UK Albums Chart, whilst five of the band's singles made inroads into the UK Singles Chart.-Career:FM was formed in...

 on a tour with Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...

. The relationship however was short lived.

BBC Radio One show The Lock Up played the band a lot, which was great support. The TV channels P-Rock

P-Rock

P-Rock TV was a UK based music channel which played mostly music videos in the Punk and Ska genres. It also featured underground rap and hardcore artists. It was first set up in November 2002 by two South London based businessmen on a marketing budget of £2,500, with no previous TV experience...

 and Scuzz TV were playing a lot of the band's friends at the time (notably friends Whitmore and 4ft Fingers

4ft Fingers

4 ft Fingers are an English punk rock band from Cheltenham, United Kingdom, formed in 1996.-History:4 ft Fingers were formed in Cheltenham in 1996. The mid nineties was a time of a minor musical revolution in Cheltenham, spearheaded by bands such as Vicious Rumour and the Axiom centre...

) yet Mr.Zippy chose to abstain from making a video to appear on the channels.

The band entered Migty Atom studios (Mighty Atom Records

Mighty Atom Records

Mighty Atom Records is a Welsh based record label. The company was formed in early 2000 by Dave Simpson and Roger Hopkins. It is known for having been one of a few independent record labels at the forefront of the UK emo scene in the early 2000s, due to its early involvement with Funeral for a...

) in 2002 to record their 2nd album "Ambition Is Critical". During the recording they were visited by a young Funeral For A Friend

Funeral for a Friend

Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...

 who were just recording their first demo.

At the start of 2003 the band joined forces with Crucial Talent Booking and underwent a mammoth 3-month tour of the UK with friends 4ft Fingers

4ft Fingers

4 ft Fingers are an English punk rock band from Cheltenham, United Kingdom, formed in 1996.-History:4 ft Fingers were formed in Cheltenham in 1996. The mid nineties was a time of a minor musical revolution in Cheltenham, spearheaded by bands such as Vicious Rumour and the Axiom centre...

. The 2nd album Ambition Is Critical came out once again while the band was away on tour.

On returning the band was flooded with offers of future tours. With friend's Gash, label mates Tuuli

Tuuli

Tuuli can stand for:*Tuuli class hovercraft*Tuuli was the name of a Finnish Tuima class missile boat*Tuuli was the name of a Finnish T-class motor torpedo boat*the Finnish Valmet Tuuli aircraft...

 and even a planned tour with (the then unknown in the UK but friends with the band) Bumblefoot

Bumblefoot

Bumblefoot may refer to:*Bumblefoot , an infection found on the feet of birds of prey and some animals*Bumblefoot , alias of musician Ron Thal...

.

Sadly, singer Mads broke his ankle in a BMX

BMX

Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...

 accident and was unable to undergo any of the planned tours.

The band took a hiatus until September 2003 when they hit the road again with friends Caffeine for the last tour the band has undergone to date.

Guitarist Greg Pearson left the band after this tour to move to Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and pursue new projects. He was replaced with Guitarist Andy Baker in November 2003, and the band started to write new material with a slightly new direction, putting together an album and ep's worth of new songs.

2004-present

Although no longer with the support of Golf Records

Golf Records

Golf Records is an independent record label based in the UK.-Artists:*4ft Fingers*Amulet*A New Way Trust*Black Flame Dispute*The Blueprint*Boy Hits Car*Carpathian*The Chariot*Dead Poetic*The Devil Wears Prada*District*Dopamine...

 The band continued to gig as before, gaining high profile support slots such as playing with Citizen Fish

Citizen Fish

Citizen Fish is a ska punk band that has been together since 1990. The band often makes strong social and political statements, dealing with themes such as anti-consumerism, vegetarianism, questioning the status quo, and encouraging people to get along with one another...

, Satanic Surfers

Satanic Surfers

-History:Satanic Surfers were formed in fall 1989 by vocalist Erik and drummer Rodrigo. Soon after Frederick and Magnus joined on guitar and Tomek on bass, but the band did not release their debut, Skate to Hell, until 1993. Skate to Hell was the first release issued by Bad Taste Records...

, and Ten Foot Pole

Ten Foot Pole

Ten Foot Pole is an American punk rock band, formerly on Epitaph Records.-History:Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 as Scared Straight.Scared Straight was a Nardcore Punk band from Simi Valley, California...

.

2010 saw the release of the book "Second Place Heroes" which is a history of the band from 1997 through to 2003 via the eyes of ex-guitarist Greg Pearson.

2010 also saw the departure of Guitarist Andy Baker, to spend more time working with his main project New Riot (Ex-Fandangle). Mr Zippy continue as a 4-piece band, playing gigs and writing new material.

Demos/EPs/Albums/Compilations

Year	Album	Label
1997	Two Way Family Favourites	Demo
1997	Cheggers Plays Punk	Demo
1999	What You Are Like Says A Lot About The Kind Of Person You Are	Pigman Records
2001	Another Weekend 7"	Mr.Zippy
2002	What You Are Like Says A Lot About The Kind Of Person You Are	Golf Records Golf Records Golf Records is an independent record label based in the UK.-Artists:*4ft Fingers*Amulet*A New Way Trust*Black Flame Dispute*The Blueprint*Boy Hits Car*Carpathian*The Chariot*Dead Poetic*The Devil Wears Prada*District*Dopamine...
2003	Ambition Is Critical	Golf Records Golf Records Golf Records is an independent record label based in the UK.-Artists:*4ft Fingers*Amulet*A New Way Trust*Black Flame Dispute*The Blueprint*Boy Hits Car*Carpathian*The Chariot*Dead Poetic*The Devil Wears Prada*District*Dopamine...
Compilation - Go Kart MP300 Raceway	Go Kart Records
Compilation - Monkey See, Monkey Spank	Monkey Spank Records
Compilation - Do You Know What This Means...	Big Scary Monsters Records
Compilation - Another Round Of Golf 3	Golf Records
Compilation - Nearly Hit The Sink	Noo Noo Records
Compilation - Deckless Vol1	Deckless Records
Compilation - Crusty Comp 2	Crusty Records

External links

• http://www.myspace.com/mrzippy Official Myspace
• http://www.mrzippy.co.uk Official Website