Gun (band)
Encyclopedia
Gun are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, best known for their cover
of Cameo
's "Word Up!
".
then for a short time, 'Phobia', GUN were formed in 1987 by Giuliano Gizzi (guitar) and Cami Morlotti (bass), with Mark Rankin
(vocals), Alan Thornton (drums) and David Aitken (guitar). Signed in 1989 by A&M Records
the band line-up changed after Thornton, Morlotti and Aitken parted company with them and new recruits Dante Gizzi, Scott Shields
and Baby Stafford
joined. In the studio, Jim McDermott
(Kevin McDermott Orchestra, Simple Minds and The Silencers), provided drums on the albums Taking on the World and Gallus. Debut album Taking on the World was also released this year. Rankin's cousin Sharleen Spiteri
, of fellow Scottish band Texas
and ex drummer Thornton contributed backing vocals
to several songs on the album. The single "Better Days" from the album made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
. Gun toured the US
and supported The Rolling Stones
on their European Urban Jungle Tour
of 1990. Tours with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard followed shortly after.
Both Dickson and Shields left before the release of Swagger, Giuliano taking over all guitar duties. Mark Kerr (brother of Jim Kerr
, lead singer of Simple Minds
who coincidentally were on A&M in North America) replaced Scott Shields on drums. Swagger was easily their most successful album, propelled by the success of their version of "Word Up!" The single was a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, charted well in many other territories and won an MTV
award for best cover version
.
), a keyboard player, Irvin Duguid
, a revised name (G.U.N. - the reason given at the time, was to distance the band's name from the Dunblane shooting incident and to show some sensitivety to those involved, as Rankin explained in an interview for the website dotmusic.com) and a new album 0141 632 6326 produced by INXS
keyboard player Andrew Farriss
. However, the album sold poorly in comparison to Swagger, peaking at #32 in the UK Albums Chart.
The band split in 1997 and aside from a few one-off reunion gigs in 1998 (Paradise Garage, Lisbon, Portugal) and 1999 (Scotland Rocks for Kosovo charity event), had not been active as a unit before reforming, with Toby Jepson
as guest vocalist, for a Rockradio charity gig in January 2008. Two new Gun CDs were released (The Collection and The River Sessions - a double live CD) during their hiatus, and all the previous individual members went on to other projects within the music industry. An official fan site was set up, in agreement with the band, with previous and current members of the band participating in live web chats and contributing to the forums from time to time.
in aid of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy
charity.
In April 2008, GUN announced on Rockradio that they were to reform and confirmed that Jepson would join the band on a permanent basis, replacing Mark Rankin as vocalist, who gave his blessing to the reformation and new line-up. Thornton also returned to his original position as drummer until being replaced by Gordon McNeil in October 2008. They played several festival dates before launching their own headline tour. New material has also been recorded, with a release to coincide with the 20th anniversary of their first album, Taking On The World.
In May 2008 GUN played the Rockradio Manchester launch festival. This was followed by an appearance at Rockers, Midland Street, Glasgow, Scotland on the 11 July 2008 as a warm up for their appearance on the main stage at the 2008 T in the Park
music festival, the following day. After playing a couple of warm-up gigs in 2008 at Vivaz, Scarborough and Tackeroo, Cannock, GUN played two 'one night only' concerts at Shepherds Bush Empire
, London and The ABC, Glasgow on the 2nd of December. At the Glasgow gig, original members Jools and Dante Gizzi were reunited on stage with early GUN drummer, Scott Shields. Shields replaced McNeil for one song, "Better Days". Shields also played drums, along with McNeil, at the aftershow warm-down at Rockers, Glasgow.
2009 would have seen GUN play the Castle Rock festival in Caldicot, Wales and the Indie Guitar Festival, Oxfordshire but both events were cancelled due to the ongoing economic downturn. They subsequently went out on tour and played venues in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh in May 2009. The Inverness gig saw the debut of "Let Your Hair Down" which the band then went on to play at both subsequent venues in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. York and Wolverhampton dates were completed in June. The band then played the Derrame Rock Festival in Asturias, Spain on 11 July 2009. A concert in Wiesen
, Austria
was followed in October by a return to Spain with five dates in Valencia, Madrid, Gijon, Bilbao and Barcelona, and three consecutive dates at Club Pacific Rock in Paris
. November saw the band play Lisbon, Portugal. The band also played the Hard Rock Hell Festival in Prestatyn
, North Wales
on 4 December 2009. The Prestatyn Festival was preceded in November by a UK tour.
2010 saw McNeil leave GUN to concentrate on his own project, GoGoBot. He was replaced by Paul McManus, previously of the bands 'La Paz' and 'No Dice'. GUN supported Lynyrd Skynyrd
on the UK leg of their 2010 tour and followed this with the Popkiller Part 1 tour to promote their new mini-album of the same name.
On 28 June 2010, Jepson announced he was stepping down as GUN's singer due to other commitments. The statement was reproduced on the official GUN website the same day with an additional statement by Jools and Dante Gizzi confirming Jepson's departure. They also stated the band's future would be considered and that updates on this would follow in due course. Shortly after this the official website was removed and a placeholder page was left in its place. Copies of both announcements were made available on the official fan page
In late July 2010 the Gun website was updated. It was announced that Dante Gizzi would move from bass guitar to lead vocals and a new bass player would be brought in. The new bass player was eventually confirmed in October 2010 as Derek Brown, former guitar technician for the band during the "Swagger" tour.
GUN's first gigs with the new lineup took place on the 31st of January and 1 February 2011 at the ABC2 in Glasgow.
. Thornton also collaborated on the band's debut album, playing nine of the drum tracks.
Jools Gizzi, Thornton and Morlotti 2006 joined up in 2006 to reform as 'Blind Allez', along with singer Peter Scallan and guitarist Ian Murray. Gizzi also collaborated with Deacon Blue
and Texas
as well as contributing in the studio to El Presidente.
Dante and Giuliano Gizzi have also collaborated with Rosie and the Goldbug
, co-writing two songs for the group's eponymous 2008 debut album
.
Shields has contributions to the films Black Hawk Down and Bend It Like Beckham
and was also playing and touring with Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros until Strummer's death. Shields and other members of the band put the finishing touches to Strummer's last album.
Stafford recorded an EP under his own name in 1994 called Paper Love Maker, which also featured Shields on drums. He later played with the band 'Breaker'.
Dickson has played with Bruce Dickinson
, Emma Bunton
, Robbie Williams
and Calvin Harris
since leaving GUN, and is also a member of the rock supergroup
Sack Trick
.
Rankin is currently working for Mercury Records
in London promoting up and coming bands.
Mark Kerr is currently living and working in Paris. He has been collaborating with many acts including Sly Silver Sly, Regency Buck
, Scanners
, Jackos One, Mellow
, Bob's Symphonic Orchestra, Cathy Burton and DJ Daniele Tignino. He has also played drums on occasion for Simple Minds and for Les Rita Mitsouko
.
McNeil also writes, produces and plays drums for Glasgow pop act GoGoBot, a project he started in 2008.
Toby Jepson previously fronted Little Angels
and had a brief spell fronting Fastway
as well as releasing solo material and touring as a solo artist.
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Cameo
Cameo (band)
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
's "Word Up!
Word Up! (song)
"Word Up!" is a funk/hip hop song written and originally recorded by Cameo in 1986. Due to its heavy play on American dance and R&B radio, as well as music video play on MTV , the single became the band's most well-known hit.From the album of the same name, "Word Up!" was Nick's first US Top 40...
".
Early career
Originally called Blind AllezBlind Allez
Blind Allez are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, best known as the nucleus for the 90's rock band Gun.- Biography :After having played as a three piece outfit in their formative years, Blind Allez were revamped in the 1983 by Guiliano 'Jools' Gizzi with vocalist Peter Scallan and bassist Cami...
then for a short time, 'Phobia', GUN were formed in 1987 by Giuliano Gizzi (guitar) and Cami Morlotti (bass), with Mark Rankin
Mark Rankin
Mark Rankin was lead vocalist with Scottish rock band Gun, who were best known for their cover of "Word Up!", originally by Cameo. The single was taken from the album Swagger and was released in 1994. Others may recall the singles "Better Days", "Taking On The World" and "Steal Your Fire".-...
(vocals), Alan Thornton (drums) and David Aitken (guitar). Signed in 1989 by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
the band line-up changed after Thornton, Morlotti and Aitken parted company with them and new recruits Dante Gizzi, Scott Shields
Scott Shields (musician)
Scott Shields is a Scottish musician and record producer, best known as a member of Joe Strummer's backing band The Mescaleros.-Biography:...
and Baby Stafford
Baby Stafford
Baby Stafford is a musician and founder member of the band 'Baby Stafford'. He originally played in the Scottish rock band Gun in the late 1980s. Gun went on to support The Rolling Stones on tour.-Biography:...
joined. In the studio, Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott
James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The 7th District includes most of Seattle and Vashon Island, and portions of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Tukwila, SeaTac, and Burien.He serves on the House Ways and Means...
(Kevin McDermott Orchestra, Simple Minds and The Silencers), provided drums on the albums Taking on the World and Gallus. Debut album Taking on the World was also released this year. Rankin's cousin Sharleen Spiteri
Sharleen Spiteri
Sharleen Spiteri is a Scottish recording artist and songwriter, best known as being the lead singer of Scottish rock/blues band Texas. Texas began their career in 1986, and shot to fame in 1989 with their UK Top Ten single, "I Don't Want a Lover" released from Southside...
, of fellow Scottish band Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
and ex drummer Thornton contributed backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
to several songs on the album. The single "Better Days" from the album made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
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 ...
. Gun toured the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and supported The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
on their European Urban Jungle Tour
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...
of 1990. Tours with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard followed shortly after.
Mainstream success
Alex Dickson replaced Stafford before the release of their second album Gallus, of which the single "Steal Your Fire" was a minor hit. Spiteri and Thornton again contributed backing vocals to the album.Both Dickson and Shields left before the release of Swagger, Giuliano taking over all guitar duties. Mark Kerr (brother of Jim Kerr
Jim Kerr
James "Jim" Kerr is a Scottish musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums and a #1 single "Ballad of the Streets EP". He released his first solo album, Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr, on the 27 May 2010.- Simple Minds :Kerr attended...
, lead singer of Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
who coincidentally were on A&M in North America) replaced Scott Shields on drums. Swagger was easily their most successful album, propelled by the success of their version of "Word Up!" The single was a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, charted well in many other territories and won an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
award for best cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
.
Decline and split
The band took a break and returned three years later with yet another new drummer, Stuart Kerr (formerly of TexasTexas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
), a keyboard player, Irvin Duguid
Irvin Duguid
Irvin Duguid is a Scottish musician and composer.He studied piano and violin at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow before going on to become keyboard player in the live line-up of Stiltskin, a rock band with the number 1 hit single "Inside" in the UK in 1994.Duguid went on to...
, a revised name (G.U.N. - the reason given at the time, was to distance the band's name from the Dunblane shooting incident and to show some sensitivety to those involved, as Rankin explained in an interview for the website dotmusic.com) and a new album 0141 632 6326 produced by INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
keyboard player Andrew Farriss
Andrew Farriss
Andrew Charles Farriss is a rock musician , best known as the keyboardist and main composer for the Australian band INXS.-Career:...
. However, the album sold poorly in comparison to Swagger, peaking at #32 in the UK Albums Chart.
The band split in 1997 and aside from a few one-off reunion gigs in 1998 (Paradise Garage, Lisbon, Portugal) and 1999 (Scotland Rocks for Kosovo charity event), had not been active as a unit before reforming, with Toby Jepson
Toby Jepson
Toby Jepson is a singer, songwriter and was lead vocalist and guitarist in the British rock band, Little Angels between the years of 1984 and 1994...
as guest vocalist, for a Rockradio charity gig in January 2008. Two new Gun CDs were released (The Collection and The River Sessions - a double live CD) during their hiatus, and all the previous individual members went on to other projects within the music industry. An official fan site was set up, in agreement with the band, with previous and current members of the band participating in live web chats and contributing to the forums from time to time.
Reformation and future
In January 2008 Joolz and Dante Gizzi played a set of GUN songs, with Jepson guesting on vocals, and Alan Thornton on drums at the 'Garage' in Glasgow, Scotland. The gig was organised by 96.3 Rock Radio96.3 Rock Radio
96.3 Real Radio XS is a Scottish local radio station owned and operated by GMG Radio. It is based at Ballieston to the east of Glasgow and broadcasts to Renfrewshire, West Central Scotland and Central Scotland....
in aid of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy
Music therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
charity.
In April 2008, GUN announced on Rockradio that they were to reform and confirmed that Jepson would join the band on a permanent basis, replacing Mark Rankin as vocalist, who gave his blessing to the reformation and new line-up. Thornton also returned to his original position as drummer until being replaced by Gordon McNeil in October 2008. They played several festival dates before launching their own headline tour. New material has also been recorded, with a release to coincide with the 20th anniversary of their first album, Taking On The World.
In May 2008 GUN played the Rockradio Manchester launch festival. This was followed by an appearance at Rockers, Midland Street, Glasgow, Scotland on the 11 July 2008 as a warm up for their appearance on the main stage at the 2008 T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
music festival, the following day. After playing a couple of warm-up gigs in 2008 at Vivaz, Scarborough and Tackeroo, Cannock, GUN played two 'one night only' concerts at Shepherds Bush Empire
Shepherds Bush Empire
The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...
, London and The ABC, Glasgow on the 2nd of December. At the Glasgow gig, original members Jools and Dante Gizzi were reunited on stage with early GUN drummer, Scott Shields. Shields replaced McNeil for one song, "Better Days". Shields also played drums, along with McNeil, at the aftershow warm-down at Rockers, Glasgow.
2009 would have seen GUN play the Castle Rock festival in Caldicot, Wales and the Indie Guitar Festival, Oxfordshire but both events were cancelled due to the ongoing economic downturn. They subsequently went out on tour and played venues in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh in May 2009. The Inverness gig saw the debut of "Let Your Hair Down" which the band then went on to play at both subsequent venues in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. York and Wolverhampton dates were completed in June. The band then played the Derrame Rock Festival in Asturias, Spain on 11 July 2009. A concert in Wiesen
Wiesen
Wiesen can mean several places:* Wiesen, Switzerland* Wiesen, Bavaria* Wiesen, Austria, a town in the district of Mattersburg in Burgenland* Wiesen...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
was followed in October by a return to Spain with five dates in Valencia, Madrid, Gijon, Bilbao and Barcelona, and three consecutive dates at Club Pacific Rock in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. November saw the band play Lisbon, Portugal. The band also played the Hard Rock Hell Festival in Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
on 4 December 2009. The Prestatyn Festival was preceded in November by a UK tour.
2010 saw McNeil leave GUN to concentrate on his own project, GoGoBot. He was replaced by Paul McManus, previously of the bands 'La Paz' and 'No Dice'. GUN supported Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
on the UK leg of their 2010 tour and followed this with the Popkiller Part 1 tour to promote their new mini-album of the same name.
On 28 June 2010, Jepson announced he was stepping down as GUN's singer due to other commitments. The statement was reproduced on the official GUN website the same day with an additional statement by Jools and Dante Gizzi confirming Jepson's departure. They also stated the band's future would be considered and that updates on this would follow in due course. Shortly after this the official website was removed and a placeholder page was left in its place. Copies of both announcements were made available on the official fan page
In late July 2010 the Gun website was updated. It was announced that Dante Gizzi would move from bass guitar to lead vocals and a new bass player would be brought in. The new bass player was eventually confirmed in October 2010 as Derek Brown, former guitar technician for the band during the "Swagger" tour.
GUN's first gigs with the new lineup took place on the 31st of January and 1 February 2011 at the ABC2 in Glasgow.
Outside projects and work
In 2005, Dante Gizzi resurfaced in the glam rock band El PresidenteEl Presidente (band)
El Presidente was a pop rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 2002 by former and current Gun member Dante Gizzi, the band gained major exposure with slots at T in the Park 2005, V Festival 2005 and again at T in the Park in 2006...
. Thornton also collaborated on the band's debut album, playing nine of the drum tracks.
Jools Gizzi, Thornton and Morlotti 2006 joined up in 2006 to reform as 'Blind Allez', along with singer Peter Scallan and guitarist Ian Murray. Gizzi also collaborated with Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band formed in Glasgow during 1985. Their name was taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". The band consists of vocalist Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond....
and Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
as well as contributing in the studio to El Presidente.
Dante and Giuliano Gizzi have also collaborated with Rosie and the Goldbug
Rosie and the Goldbug
Rosie and the Goldbug were a British indie-rock trio active from 2007 to August 2009.-History:The band were from Cornwall, UK. They formed in 2007, after lead singer and keyboard player Rosie Vanier had completed her music studies at Roehampton University and returned home, eager to form a band...
, co-writing two songs for the group's eponymous 2008 debut album
Rosie and the Goldbug (album)
Rosie and the Goldbug was the eponymous debut album by Rosie and the Goldbug, released on September 15, 2008, on the band manager's label, Lover Records...
.
Shields has contributions to the films Black Hawk Down and Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 comedy-drama film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi first released in the United Kingdom. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha...
and was also playing and touring with Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros until Strummer's death. Shields and other members of the band put the finishing touches to Strummer's last album.
Stafford recorded an EP under his own name in 1994 called Paper Love Maker, which also featured Shields on drums. He later played with the band 'Breaker'.
Dickson has played with Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, Emma Bunton
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
since leaving GUN, and is also a member of the rock supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Sack Trick
Sack Trick
Sack Trick are an eccentric British music collective who have been compared to the humour of Monty Python and musical madness of Frank Zappa. The bassist Chris Paulo Dale is the center of the group, guiding the audience through a universe that is more rock circus than rock opera, with a partiality...
.
Rankin is currently working for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in London promoting up and coming bands.
Mark Kerr is currently living and working in Paris. He has been collaborating with many acts including Sly Silver Sly, Regency Buck
Regency Buck (band)
Regency Buck is a three-man, electronica-styled group from Glasgow, Scotland composed first of Duke Ironfist , Disco and Christian aka Mark "Spike" Stent later joining the duo...
, Scanners
Scanners (band)
-History:The band was initially formed by Matthew Mole and Sarah Daly around 2004, who after...
, Jackos One, Mellow
Mellow (band)
The original concept came from founder Patrick Woodcock, a multi-instrumentalist, who had befriended Nicolas Godin while they were getting their architecture degree in Versailles...
, Bob's Symphonic Orchestra, Cathy Burton and DJ Daniele Tignino. He has also played drums on occasion for Simple Minds and for Les Rita Mitsouko
Les Rita Mitsouko
Les Rita Mitsouko was a French pop rock group formed by guitarist Fred Chichin and singer Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club, Paris in 1980...
.
McNeil also writes, produces and plays drums for Glasgow pop act GoGoBot, a project he started in 2008.
Toby Jepson previously fronted Little Angels
Little Angels
Little Angels were a hard rock band of the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s.-History and members:Little Angels formed in Scarborough, England in 1984, under the name Mr Thrud. The founding members were Toby Jepson , Mark Plunkett , Dave Hopper and the brothers Bruce John and Jimmy Dickinson...
and had a brief spell fronting Fastway
Fastway (band)
Fastway is a British heavy metal band formed by guitarist, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly of Motörhead, and bassist, Pete Way, formerly of UFO.-Career:...
as well as releasing solo material and touring as a solo artist.
Discography
- Taking on the WorldTaking on the WorldTaking on the World is the debut album from Scottish rock band Gun. The single 'Better days', taken from this album charted in the UK top 40....
(1989) - GallusGallus (album)Gallus is the second album from Scottish rock band Gun. The cover shows Benny Lynch, a renowned Scottish boxer from Glasgow. The album peaked at #14 on the UK Albums Chart.-Track listing:# "Steal Your Fire"# "Money to Burn"# "Long Road"...
(1992) - SwaggerSwagger (Gun album)Swagger is the third album from Scottish rock band Gun. It features their most successful single, a cover of "Word Up!", originally recorded by Cameo....
(1994) - 0141 632 63260141 632 63260141 632 6326 is the fourth album from Scottish rock band Gun. The number used in the title is now a telephone number for a driving school in Scotland but at the time GUN used it, was a number you could call to hear band members give out news on the band and leave messages for them..-Track...
(1997) - The CollectionThe Collection (Gun album)The Collection is a "best of" album from Scottish rock band Gun, featuring highlights from many albums and major singles. On the cover the band are photographed in the boot of a Chevrolet Impala.-Track listing:# "Welcome To The Real World"...
(2003) - The River SessionsThe River Sessions (Gun album)The River Sessions a double CD live retrospective from Scottish rock band Gun.-Track listing:CD 1Barrowlands, Glasgow, 17 February 1995# "Money "# "When You Love Somebody"# "Something To Believe In"# "I Will Be Waiting"...
(2005) - Popkiller (2009)