Spit like this
Encyclopedia
Introduction
Spit Like This (represented usually as SPiT LiKE THiS or abbreviated to SLT) is a four-piece rock band which plays their own original music. Not properly fitting into any single genre (glam punk or glam metal being the closest), they are described as the "bastard child between Motley Crue & Motorhead" on their website.SPiT LiKE THiS (2011). Left to right: LORD ZiON (vocals), ViKKi SPiT (bass), ViLE GiLEZ (drums), ROB RiOT (guitars).
The band cite their collective influences as: “Sex, Freedom and Death. Visually, artistically and musically inspired by the following: The Rocky Horror Show, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Adam Ant, T-Rex, Queen, The Cramps, Quentin Tarantino, 70's B-Movies, 80's Teen Movies, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Gothic, Glam, 80's Pop, Burlesque and Anything Else that may tickle our fancy...”
(Regarding their sound): “SPiT LiKE THiS are proud to have their own unique sound and vision which we define as GLAM PUNK ROCK BUT, at a push, put the following bands in a blender and we - somehow - emerge. In no particular order: The Rocky Horror Show, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Motley Crue, Metallica, T-Rex, Queen, Bowie, Adam Ant, Def Leppard, The Cramps, The Wildhearts. Hell, we sound like none of the above so make you're own mind up!”
2002
SPiT LiKE THiS is officially formed by LORD ZiON and ViKKi SPiT. Zion had been working on the idea of starting a new band since 2000, but it was not until this point that Vikki was enlisted and the name SPiT LiKE THiS was used for the first time.There are two opposing versions of the story behind the band’s name. Both versions agree that Zion and Vikki had a spitting contest on the night they decided to form the band. Vikki asserts that she then taught Zion to spit properly, saying, “No, spit like this…”, while Zion asserts the exact opposite to be true, and claims that it was he who uttered the words ‘Spit like this’.
At the band’s inception, their logo, The Slut – was a naked woman in the crosshairs of a gun sight. A similar image, minus the crosshairs, had represented one of his previous bands, ‘King Bitch.
For the next eight months Zion and Vikki struggled to get the band off the ground with no money, no help and no home. But eventually – thanks in no small part to the income derived from selling Vikki's used panties on eBay - they managed to fund their first EP, ‘The Pop Shot!’ which was released in August 2002. The EP takes its name from the male climax much beloved of hardcore porn movies.
Esoterica provided the most memorable review of the EP, including the line: “If it were given human form, this here silver disc would have broken one of your windows, ordered a pizza and been sick on the cat before you even had it out of the packet.” Sleazegrinder’s review wasn’t far behind though, with “…it's just an endless download of electric pleasures…”
Zion and Vikki founded Vagabond Records as a label for their music, but changed the company’s name to Megabucks Music before the release of ‘The Pop Shot!’
They also founded the notorious smellyourmum.com website, and created a range of offensive t-shirts sold through the website, to fund their plans.
2003
‘The Pop Shot!' was receiving good reviews, and with a little more cash coming in, they recorded their second EP, ‘Anarchy For Two’, (released 30 January 2003) which charted their lives from the formation of the band until that point. The title reflected the anarchic lifestyle Zion & Vikki were living at the time, and suggested anarchy as the meaning of life (playing on the words ‘Anarchy Four Two’, referring to the meaning of life in the Douglas AdamsDouglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
' Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy books). It was released to rave reviews. Sleazegrinder led the pack this time, advising readers to: “Watch these cats, they threaten to mutate into wild new shapes and sounds at any minute."
SPiT LiKE THiS attracted the interest of D Records (owned by Douglas Mew - founder of Chrysalis) who offered the fledgling band a 5 album deal. They refused, feeling that it was too soon to be tied to producing albums when they lacked the means to play their material live. However, before they could start playing live, there was the small matter of finding a drummer and a guitarist who were up to the job. In the space of just two weeks, drummer ViLE GiLEZ and original guitarist Stevie Lee were installed, together with rhythm guitarist/keyboard player Wank Sinatra, and rehearsals began for the band’s debut.
SPiT LiKE THiS performed together onstage for the first time at the Metro, London, on 5 May. By the end of the year, the band had played ten further gigs, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
and Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, and was already developing a loyal following.
2004
The band continued to play gigs around London & the south east, adding MargateMargate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Chatham, and Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
’s The Tek (which would go on to become one of their regular bookings) to their roster. They also began to play further afield with bookings in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, winning ever-increasing numbers of fans and developing their live show.
SPiT LiKE THiS released their first EP as a band, ‘Dragged Kicking & Screaming’, on 18 August 2004. This EP featured the debut of a new logo, The Skullox (two crossed Warlock guitars surmounted by a skull), which replaced the original Slut logo. Again, underground reviews were highly complimentary: "Slutty Music for Slutty People. Interested yet? Spit Like This are a sleazy, dirty, trashy band who will grab you by your balls until you pass out. This CD is a way of life. The songs are explosive and impulsive and extremely infectious.”
SPiT LiKE THiS announced the appointment of their first manager, Allan James (Numinous Music Group) on the 17th September.
On the 5th October, the band was voted ‘Trashiest Band in the UK’ at The Underworld, Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
. The competition was organised by Acey Slade
Acey Slade
Acey Slade, , is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Acey Slade & The Dark Party. Previous to this he was the lead vocalist and guitarist in the punk rock band Trashlight Vision, which broke up September 12, 2007...
as part of Trashlight Vision
Trashlight Vision
Trashlight Vision was a trash punk band from the United States. They featured the guitarist from Murderdolls, Acey Slade and Steve Haley from the Philadelphia based rock band HALEY....
’s tour, and won SPiT LiKE THiS the honour of opening for Trashlight Vision that night, amongst other goodies.
Other gig highlights included support slots with The Damned, Rachel Stamp, and Crash Kelly. All told, the year featured 25 live shows.
December brought more popular acclaim, when the Reader’s Poll in KERRANG! Magazine, voted SPiT LiKE THiS # 8 in the ‘Best Unsigned Band’ category.
2005
The band’s first fully distributed EP, ‘Sleaze Sells...But Who's Buying?’ was released on the 31st May, and shot to #1 on Amazon and Number 8 in the Rock Charts. The title was a play on the title of the 1986 MegadethMegadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
album, ‘Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?'
Reviews ranged from the sublime: “Spit Like This "Dragged Kicking & Screaming", 10 out of 10 stars. Sleaze down your throat." (Gitzine, February 2005), to the ridiculous: “Anyway, the 5 man glam-gang offer up three tracks of gooey glitter rock here, brash and brassy and catchier than the crosstown bus at quitting time. Soundwise, divide Desolation Boulevard era Sweet with “Electric Barbarella” era Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, multiply by Doctor and the Medics, toss in a liberal dose of that fairy dust that strippers wear, and you’ve nailed the b-movie disco massacre scene soundtrack that is Spit Like This. “Rebel Lover” is the most neon number on deck here, but all three will have you turning Japanese in no time." (Sleazegrinder.com, November 2004)
After ‘Sleaze Sells…’ was completed, Wank Sinatra was fired from the band amid allegations of theft and deception, and the band became a four-piece. With the material on the new EP moving towards a rockier, punchier sound, it was decided there was no need for a replacement behind the keyboards.
‘Dragged Kicking & Screaming’ was re-released on 28 November, this time with full national distribution, thanks to the success to ‘Sleaze Sells…’
Live appearances continued unabated, with 24 gigs throughout the year. New conquests included Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, 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...
, Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
(The Tek 2), and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, and brought support slots with Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
& Fozzy
Fozzy
Fozzy is an American heavy metal/hard rock band, formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Lead singer Chris Jericho , who is also a professional wrestler, resides in Florida, while the rest of the band lives in Georgia. The band is currently signed to Riot! Entertainment...
.
A media blitz ran from October 2005 through to March 2006, during which SPiT LiKE THiS appeared in numerous publications, including Italian rock magazine, Flash (Issue #200, 5 October 2005), Kaleidoscope (Issue #20, November 2005), Skin Deep Magazine (Issue #127, 8 November 2005), the immensely popular Bizarre Magazine (Issue #107, 29 February 2006), along with Total Guitar (Issue #145, February 2006), Powerplay (Issue #173, March 2006), Organ, Devolution (Issue #8), and Bubblegum Slut. They were even mentioned on the UK's longest running soap opera, Coronation Street.
2006
March 2006 saw the release (with full UK distribution) of ‘SCARY TALES: The Collection’ - a 21-track, 77-minute, back-catalogue CD, containing all the material they had released to date. ‘Scary Tales’ was devised to prime new fans with everything they needed on one disc, as copies of the original EPs were now scarce.The band parted company with manager Allan James in June 2006.
SPiT LiKE THiS played 18 further gigs in 2006, adding Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
to their territory. The reduced schedule reflected the time the band were spending on writing and rehearsing material for their debut studio album, tentatively titled ‘A Disaster in the Making’.
The departure of guitarist Stevie Lee was announced on the 11th October. There was no animosity between him and the band.
Newcomer CYNDi ROTT picked up his trademark Greco Iceman, and stepped up to take Lee’s place, playing his first gig with the band at the Pressure Point, Brighton, on Friday 15 December.
2007
The first half of 2007 saw the band play a flurry of live gigs. They also continued writing and rehearsing material for their debut studio album, which had been postponed from 2006 when Stevie Lee announced his intention to leave the band.In April, the band appeared in a pilot TV show, Club Chaos, presented by Gary Bushell. The show never aired.
After a lengthy search the band finally found the right man to produce their debut studio album - producer Paul Tipler (80's Matchbox B-line Disaster, Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
, Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...
), who understood exactly what SPiT LiKE THiS were all about. When the band went in to Studio 811 in Cowfold, West Sussex, on the 12th June 2007, the entire album was expected to take around fifteen days to record and mix. However, between Tipler’s methodical approach to recording and the band’s determination to make the best album they possibly could, recording ballooned to thirty-six days, testing their patience, resolve, and finances to the limit.
The band received offers from several record labels for licensing and distribution, but they elected to wait for the right offer to come along.
On the 1st July, a picture of Vikki was featured in the Daily Star on Sunday newspaper to promote Gary Bushell’s podcast, which included an interview with SPiT LiKE THiS.
This momentous year crammed in 58 live shows (including three shows in the space of 24 hours), including appearances in Blackburn, Bolton, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Southampton, Northampton, Plymouth, and Bury. It culminated in the band’s appearance on the main stage at the inaugural Hard Rock Hell festival, at Butlin’s, Minehead, opening for Twisted Sister, in their only 2007 appearance.
Other memorable highlights of the year included gigs with Love/Hate
Love/Hate
Love/Hate is a Los Angeles, California based hard rock band who achieved their greatest fame in the early 90s.-1985-1988 unsigned:Love/Hate was formed in 1985 when Jizzy Pearl joined Jon E. Love, Skid Rose, and Joey Gold, in an '80s influenced electronica band called Dataclan, after their...
, The Misfits, Cradle Of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, 69 Eyes, LA Guns, The Quireboys
The Quireboys
The Quireboys are an English hard rock band formed in 1984 in London, England, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States....
, Zodiac Mindwarp
Zodiac Mindwarp
-Overview:The band is the brainchild of Mark Manning, a graphic artist and editor of London's Flexipop magazine. Deciding to experience the debauchery of life as a decadent rock star, he assumed the alter ego, Zodiac Mindwarp, and formed the Love Reaction in the mid 1980s together with guitarist...
, My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
, Saxon, UFO, and Vixen
Vixen
A vixen is a female fox.Vixen may also refer to:-In the military:*HMS Vixen, various British Royal Navy ships*USS Vixen, various ships in the US Navy*Vickers Vixen, a biplane produced in small numbers in the 1920s...
, to name but a few.
2008
While the band continued to look for the right label to pick up their album, they took their unique brand of shock’n’roll live show to as many people as possible, playing 38 live gigs the length and breadth of the country, including support slots with Breed 77Breed 77
Breed 77 is a British band from the overseas territory of Gibraltar whose music is a fusion of alternative metal and flamenco.-Origin:Breed 77 comes from the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Old Gibraltarian school friends, Paul Isola, Danny Felice, and Stuart Cavilla met up in London and...
, Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
, Hardcore Superstar
Hardcore Superstar
Hardcore Superstar is a hard rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and continue on today. Hardcore Superstar have had several #1 hit singles, and Grammy wins in Sweden.-Bad Sneakers and a Piña Colada:...
, Miss Conduct, and Voodoo Six, as well as headlining gigs of their own. They also headlined at the Regener8 Festival at Canterbury, and the Alternative Stage at the Cambridge Rock Festival.
In May, the band announced the appointment of manager Gary Raymond (RTB Management) and agent Richard Smith (Nice Idea Productions Ltd) to help them get to the next level.
Finally, SPiT LiKE THiS found a home for their debut album with Transcend Media Group, and signed their contract on stage at Skin Deep magazine’s ‘Tattoo Jam’ event, at Llandudno, North Wales, on Sunday 3 August, after headlining there the previous evening. A further deal between Transcend and Cargo Distribution gave the album release a green light.
As a precursor to the album release, the singles ‘Trick or Mistreat’ and ‘Sweet Transvestite’ (a cover version of the song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show) were released on download only, on the 20th October. Sweet Transvestite had been recorded as a b-side for a planned CD and limited edition vinyl single, but due to distribution problems the physical single was never produced.
SPiT LiKE THiS released their debut album, finally entitled, 'We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away') on the 17th November. The band had struggled to find a suitable title for several months, the eventual winner being taken from the newly-rewritten lyrics of ‘Young, Dumb & Full of Fun’, and chosen to reflect the band’s dogged determination to be accepted on their own terms.
At one point, pre-release orders for the album pushed it to Number 11 in the HMV.com preorders chart. It went on to sell out three times on HMV.com (including once on the day of release); three times on Amazon.co.uk, and twice on Play.com. HMV subsequently rolled the album out across 148 stores nationwide – an almost unprecedented move for a debut album from a breakthrough band. The first pressing of the album has now sold out.
December brought the band a triumphant return to Hard Rock Hell, as The Dragons Ball invited them to play at Pontins, Prestatyn Sands on Saturday 6 December. Despite a midday time-slot, the band pulled an audience of around 400, and a poll of the festival’s attendees conducted by the organisers placed SPiT LiKE THiS as the 7th best band of the weekend from 47 acts. The full Top 10 was:
- Black Label SocietyBlack Label SocietyBlack Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
- Thin LizzyThin LizzyThin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
- ClutchClutchA clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
- Orange GoblinOrange GoblinOrange Goblin are a stoner metal band from the United Kingdom that formed in 1995. The band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner.-History:...
- Wildhearts
- HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
- Spit Like This
- Tygers of Pantang
- BattleloreBattleloreBattlelore is a metal band from Lappeenranta, Finland. All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.-Style:Battlelore mixes female vocals with harsh male growling in "beauty and the beast" duet, backed by heavy guitar riffing and occasional keyboard interludes. The band's...
- AlestormAlestormAlestorm is a folk metal band from Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterized by a pirate theme, and as a result have been dubbed a "Pirate metal" band at a popular heavy metal related website....
The band received their first-ever review in KERRANG! Magazine following this performance: “SPiT LiKE THiS (KKKK) get things going in a welcome bluster of vampish theatrics and glitzy sing-alongs.”
2009
Over the weekend of the 10 & 11 January, the band shot their first full-length music video with B-movie director Johnny Crash, for the song ‘Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal’ the lead song and second single from their album, 'We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away)'.In February, SLT & RTB Management parted company, amicably. On Friday 13 March SPiT LiKE THiS announced on their website that they had signed a Worldwide Management deal with Indevent, a German company who also manage NWOBHM
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
band Girlschool.
SPiT LiKE THiS and Indevent (management) are negotiating to release 'We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away)' worldwide during 2009.
SLT completed a short tour in April/May with fellow UK band Nemhain, taking in The Gaff (London), The Pitz (Milton Keynes), Mr Kyps (Poole), Leicester Square (Leicester), The Esquires (Bedford), and a long-awaited gig at Rock City (Nottingham).
The new official website was launched on 15 May.
SPiT LiKE THiS signed a new Worldwide Record Deal with Swedish label GMR Music Group in July. At the same time, their third consecutive appearance at the Hard Rock Hell festival was announced.
GMR re-released their debut album as 'We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away) - Ultimate Edition' on 2 November in the UK. Repackaged, it also included the bonus song 'Sweet Transvestite' (from the Rocky Horror Show) and the video for Sex Drugs & Heavy Metal, shot earlier in the year.
Following a third triumphant appearance at Hard Rock Hell in the very early hours of Sunday the 6th December, an announcement was made the following day that SLT would be also be playing at the inaugural Hard Rock Hell Road Trip, held in Ibiza between 2-9 June 2010.
On 10 December it was announced that GMR would be releasing 'We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away) - Ultimate Edition' on 27 January 2010 in Scandinavia, Italy, Spain (distribution via Borders) and 12 February 2010 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (distribution via Sony/BMG)
2010
The phased Europe-wide release of We Won't Hurt You (But We Won't Go Away) - Ultimate Edition began on the 27th of January 2010 when the album was released in Scandinavia via Border Music; Benelux via Bertus Distributie; Italy via Andromeda Dischi. On 12 February it was released in Germany, Austria via Sony/BMG and Switzerland via Non Stop. It has also been released in Australia & New Zealand via Aztec/Bleed and Greece via Soundforge.Around the same time, the satellite TV music channel 'Scuzz TV' added the video for Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal to their playlist.
On 9 March it was announced via the band's website that they would record the follow-up album with Grammy-nominated producer Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...
starting 5 July 2010. Chris has previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
and, more recently, starred as himself in Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a 2008 documentary film about the Canadian heavy metal band, Anvil. The film is directed by screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, whose previous credits include The Big Tease and The Terminal....
.
On 7 April it was announced via the band's website that they have signed a publishing deal with Enorm Music GmbH & Co.KG in Germany.
On 19 April it was announced via the band's website that they have been confirmed for the 2010 Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
Festival.
The departure of guitarist Cyndi Rott was announced on the 8th May. Announced same day was his replacement, ROB RiOT, co-writer with Zion of SLT's most well-known song Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal. Rob's first show with the band was at Hard Rock Hell Road Trip, Ibiza on 7 June 2010.
On 1 July it was announced via the band's website that their 2nd album will be titled Normalityville Horror with a dedicated making-of website launched. The album was recorded between 5-31 July.
On 22 October PerezHilton.com wrongly claimed SLT's version of the Rocky Horror Show song Sweet Transvestite was a leaked demo recorded by John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
for the hit TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
On 10 December, Zero To Sixty, a track from the album Normalityville Horror, appears on a German compilation album called Glam Metal Heroes released throughout Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
2011
In January it was announced that SLT were doing a full UK tour with TigertailzTigertailz
Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album, Bezerk, which made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and spawned a couple of successful singles...
May 2011.
July 2011 bass player Vikki announces full endorsement with Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars is an American manufacturer of guitars. It was founded in 1976 by Dean Zelinsky in Chicago, Illinois and is currently under the ownership of Armadillo Enterprises in Tampa, Florida.- History :...
playing a Demonator 4 bass in black.
The Skullox
The most enduring trademark of SPiT LiKE THiS is the Skullox logo, first seen on the cover of the 'Dragged Kicking & Screaming' EP. Composed of a skull atop a pair of crossed B.C. RichB.C. Rich
B.C. Rich is a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars founded by the late Bernardo Chavez Rico in 1969. Currently, most B.C. Rich guitars are manufactured in Asia, but luthiers of the company's custom shop continue to hand-make instruments. The Hanser Music Group, based in Kentucky, operates B.C....
Warlock guitars (at the time, the band used only Warlock guitars), it has been through a number of incarnations over the years, and has been treated as a character, comparable to 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...
’s ‘Eddie
Eddie
Eddie or Eddy may refer to:*Eddy *Eddie *Eddy -In music:*Eddie from Ohio, an American folk band*Eddie the Head, the mascot for the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden-Other:...
’ – depicted in different forms and situations on the covers of various releases.
‘Dragged Kicking & Screaming’ features the Skullox being actually tattooed onto Vikki’s bottom by Sophie Zie-Carreras, who later played keyboards for the band during the recording of ‘We Won’t Hurt You’. Sophie also appears in the crowd scene on the cover of ‘We Won’t Hurt You’.
‘Sleaze Sells’… featured the Skullox depicted as a neon sign, reflecting the lurid nature of the EPs music.
‘Scary Tales’ featured a reversible cover, upon one side of which the Skullox formed the hanging sign outside a pub.
‘We Won’t Hurt You’ has the Skullox logo shone up onto the clouds as a visual reference to the ‘Batsignal’ from the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
TV series & movies.
Various SPiT LiKE THiS t-shirt designs have turned the Skullox into a pirate flag (2006), added lightning bolts (2007), and splattered it with blood (2008).
The Skullox and the SPiT LiKE THiS name were officially registered as trademarks by LORD ZiON & ViKKi SPiT in 2004.
Transport
SPiT LiKE THiS has boasted several unique and readily identifiable forms of transport in the band’s seven-year history.The first, a 1984 Daimler DS420 hearse, affectionately named ‘The Boner’. Signwritten with the band’s name and logo and many other distinctive touches, The Boner served as Zion & Vikki’s sole means of transportation from June 2003 until April 2007. During this time it suffered numerous expensive indignities, including smashed side windows and stolen valve covers. The Boner eventually became a victim of the band’s hectic touring schedule and the remorseless British weather: Rust damage and some abortive attempts to fix seized brakes left it off the road for too long, and there were neither time nor funds to repair the damage. The Boner was reluctantly sold in April 2008, and branched out into a new career in banger racing.
Another vehicle, a more practical but equally bizarre choice, served as the workhorse of SPiT LiKE THiS until March 2009. The Spazmobile – an unassuming blue Ford Transit minibus, formerly belonging to a Special Needs school, was purchased in February 2007. Initially christened The Slut Bus, the name didn’t catch on and it was renamed and later even rebadged as the Spazmo. The bus was sold in March 2009 after failing it's MoT, the UK's road worthiness test.
Zion & Vikki's private car, a 1989 Porsche 944, appears in the music video for Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal.
In March 2009, SLT purchased a large LDV Minibus that was immediately dubbed The Great White Slut Bus.
In April 2010, a new all-black tour bus was acquired with the demonic number plate S666 ROK, since named RETARDiS.
Street Teams & Fan Forum
When SPiT LiKE THiS began playing live gigs in 2003, a hardcore group of fans quickly formed and frequently travelled with the band to whatever gigs they could reach. These fans were quickly branded ‘SluTz’ (The Slut being the name of the band’s logo at the time), in this context though SluT was an acronym for ‘SPiT LiKE U TOO’, identifying the fans as clearly belonging to the band. As the band’s popularity increased, all the fans became SLuTz, and the hardcore became known as 'The SLuTz of Doom'.From the first days of the band’s existence, word of mouth has always been a crucial tool for publicity and marketing. The band continues to encourage fans to form street teams to help publicise them, and they have provided a variety of free stickers and flyers over the years to help generate awareness, both of the band and of smellyourmum.com, and even dedicate a part of their website to fans’ exploits in this arena.
Fans who sign up to join street teams become a member of the 'Street SLuTz'. Originally established in support of smellyourmum.com, and replacing the ‘Guerilla Militia’ paid membership fan club which smellyourmum.com had previously operated, the Street SLuTz first appeared around February 2004. The name was changed briefly to Street Squadron in 2008, following concern that potential members were put off by the word ‘slut’, but an outcry from members saw it revert back again shortly afterwards.
SPiT LiKE THiS have maintained a website since January 2002, to which a fan forum was added in October 2002. Prior to this, the forum was attached to the first incarnation of smellyourmum.com. Following the movement of the ever-expanding SPiT LiKE THiS website to a fully dedicated server in November 2006, the forum was named Obscene (But Not Heard) after the song of the same name from the ‘Dragged Kicking & Screaming’ EP. This forum has over 1,400 members, while the band’s email newsletter (the NOiZLETTER) has a circulation of over 17,000.
A.M.P.
A.M.P. (Against Manufactured Pop) is the name of a campaign promoting an online petition which Zion drafted in protest at the music industry’s predilection for shake-and-bake music acts such as Girls Aloud and Leona Lewis. The petition is still open and has accumulated 900 signatures to date.The AMP Petition
TO: The Worldwide Music Industry
FROM: A.M.P. - Against Manufactured Pop
September 18, 2002
We, the undersigned, are taking our music back. No longer will we be force fed manufactured production line bands and solo singers. There are hundreds of thousands of talented singers, songwriters and musicians who are not being given a chance to show the world their God given talent because you have filled the industry with Stage School wannabes who don't CARE about what they do, they only care that they are famous.
There is a place for all types of music but choice is being limited on a daily basis. We want to hear music that was created out of a passion, a yearning, a misfortune, an accident, a miracle. What we don't want is ABC pop. We've had enough of music by numbers! It is destroying creativity as those of us desperate enough to toe the line are misrepresented and those of us who do try and do something different and unique are being ignored.
This is not a petition signed solely by musicians. This petition is signed by everyone who wants freedom. The freedom of selection. The freedom of choice. The way things are going, soon, the only music that will be available, is that that has been prepackaged and preapproved by you.
And that is wrong.
Megabucks Music
Picking up where Vagabond Records had left off, Megabucks Music became the exclusive label for SPiT LiKE THiS from February 2002, until the formation of Spit Like This Productions Ltd in 2008. Content recorded under Megabucks Music was usually licensed to BUT! Records, after ‘Anarchy For Two’. Megabucks Music still licenses all the SPiT LiKE THiS music, with the exception of ‘We Won’t Hurt You (But We Won’t Go Away).’In addition, Megabucks Music also was responsible for the issue of Zion & Vikki’s early t-shirt designs, the venture that eventually became Smell Your Mum.
SMELLYOURMUM.COM
SMELLYOURMUM.COM is the name of the t-shirt company formed by Zion and Vikki in 2002 to fund SPiT LiKE THiS. SYM is still going strong under its original management, and is run from the house that Zion and Vikki share with ViLE GiLEZ. Zion manages the website and designs the t-shirts, while Vikki does the actual printing by hand on her kitchen table – which is one cause of the Repetitive Strain Injury to her right thumb. Since its formation, smellyourmum.com has received more than 13 million hits, and now holds the copyright for over 500 designs. It also produces merchandise for SPiT LiKE THiS.Spit Like This Productions Ltd
Started in June 2008 by Zion and Vikki, all releases since then are released under license from this entity.Vagabond Records
Vagabond Records was a record label set up by Zion & Vikki to record the music of SPiT LiKE THiS, in February 2002. In the event, the name Vagabond Records never featured on a recording, as the company’s name was changed to the more familiar Megabucks Music, in June 2002, before the first EP, ‘The Pop Shot!’ was released.Normalityville Horror
(CD Album)Tracklisting: Normalityville Horror / Life And Times Of The Suicide Kid / Oh No! Here We Go! / Sick (working title) / Teen Angel / Very Very Good At Being Bad / Dead To Me Now / Zero To Sixty / The Dumb Song (working title) / Dragged Kicking & Screaming
Running Time: TBC
Release Date: TBC
Catalogue Number: TBC
Glam Metal Heroes
(Compilation Album)Tracklisting: Pussy Sisster - Way To Nowhere / Hardcore Superstar - Shades Of Grey / Skid Row - Ghost / Million Dollar Reload - Tattoos & Dirty Girls / Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction - Don't Touch My Guitar / Bonafide - Hard Livin' Man / Pearl - Rock Child / Nashville Pussy - Gimme A Hit Before I Go / The Quireboys - Good To See Ya / Backyard Babies - I Got Spades / Gemini Five - Scream 4 Me / Spit Like This - Zero To Sixty / Blessed By A Broken Heart - To Be Young / Angel City Outcasts - Five Guns West / Voodoo Six - Take The Blame / Psychopunch - Never Let Me Go / Chrome Division - Wine Of Sin / Wig Wam - Rock My Ride
Release Date: December 10, 2010 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Label: Golden Core / ZYX Records (under license from Spit Like This)
Catalogue Number: GCR 55030-2
We Won't Hurt You (But We Won't Go Away) Ultimate Edition
(Enhanced CD Album)Tracklisting: Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal / Heart Thief / Trust Your Instincts / Young, Dumb & Full Of Fun / Dead Girl Walking /
Down On You / Pussywhipped / Hunt You Down / Act Of God / Coming After You / Top Of The World /
Sleaze Sells...But Who's Buying? / Trick Or Mistreat / Bonus Track: Sweet Transvestite / Bonus Video: Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal
Running Time: 50 mins 34 secs
Release Date: November 2, 2009 (UK) / January 27, 2010 (Scandinavia) / 12 February 2010 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Label: GMR Music Group (under license from Spit Like This) Distributed by Sony/BMG & Borders in Europe / Cargo in UK
Catalogue Number: GMRCD9019
We Won't Hurt You (But We Won't Go Away)
(CD Album)Tracklisting: Sex, Drugs & Heavy Metal / Heart Thief / Trust Your Instincts / Young, Dumb & Full Of Fun / Dead Girl Walking /
Down On You / Pussywhipped / Hunt You Down / Act Of God / Coming After You / Top Of The World /
Sleaze Sells...But Who's Buying? / Trick Or Mistreat
Running Time: 46 mins 42 secs
Release Date: 17 November 2008 (UK)
Label: Cargo/Transcend Records (under license from Spit Like This Productions Ltd)
Catalogue Number: TR185CD
Trick Or Mistreat / Sweet Transvestite
(Download-only single)Tracklisting: Trick Or Mistreat / Sweet Transvestite
Release Date: 20 October 2008
Label: Cargo/Transcend Records (under license from Spit Like This Productions Ltd)
Catalogue Number: TR184D
Scary Tales: The Collection
(CD Compilation)Tracklisting: Asshole Parts I & II / Beaten Road / Hooked On You / I Need A Fix /
Trust Your Instincts ('03) / (I Feel So) Vindicated /
To The Bitter End / Not Dead Yet / Epilogue / Rebel Lover / Obscene (But Not Heard) / Who Needs You? (I Don't) / Trick Or Mistreat /
Trust Your Instincts ('05) / Dragged Kicking & Screaming / Gay Man / Down On You (XXXTra Bonus Demo Track) /
Fuck You (XXXTra Bonus Demo Track) / Someday (Previously Unreleased Demo Track) /
Trick Or Mistreat (Previously Unreleased TotalRock Session) / Trust Your Instincts (Previously Unreleased TotalRock Session)
Running Time: 77 mins 06 secs
Release Date: 20 March 2006
Label: BUT! Records (under license from Megabucks Music)
Distribution: UK: Proper Music Distribution
World: Proper Music Distribution
Catalogue Number: CDBUT666
Dragged Kicking & Screaming
(CD EP)Tracklisting: Rebel Lover / Obscene (But Not Heard) / Who Needs You?
Running Time: 11 mins 14 secs
Re-Released: 28 November 2005 (with full nationwide distribution)
Originally Released: 18 August 2004
Label: Megabucks Music / BUT! Records
Distribution: Proper Music Distribution
Catalogue Number: MEGA003
Sleaze Sells...But Who's Buying?
(CD EP + Video)Tracklisting: Trick Or Mistreat /Trust Your Instincts / Dragged Kicking & Screaming / Gay Man
Running Time: 13 mins 42 secs
Released: 30 May 2005
Label: BUT! Records / Megabucks Music
Distribution: Proper Music Distribution
Catalogue Number: BUTCDS18
Dragged Kicking & Screaming
(CD Single - Numbered Limited Edition of 1,000 Promo Singles)Tracklisting: Dragged Kicking & Screaming
Running Time: 3mins 24secs
Released: September 9, 2005
Label: BUT! Records / Megabucks Music
Suck It And See
(Mini-album: For Promotional Use Only)Tracklisting: Rebel Lover / Trust Your Instincts / Obscene (But Not Heard) / Down On You/ Hooked On You / Who Needs You?
Running Time: 22 mins approx
Released: 14 October 2004
Label: Megabucks Music
Catalogue Number: MEGA005
The Pop Shot! XXXtra
(Mini-album)Tracklisting: Asshole (Parts I & II) / Beaten Road / Hooked On You / I Need A Fix / Down On You (Demo) / Fuck You (Demo)
Running Time: 23 mins 12 secs
Released: 20 September 2004
Label: Megabucks Music
Distribution: Self via smellyourmum.com
Catalogue Number: MEGA004
Anarchy For Two
(CD EP)Tracklisting: Trust Your Instincts / (I Feel So) Vindicated / To The Bitter End / Not Dead Yet / Epilogue
Running Time: 17 mins 47 secs
Released: 30 January 2003
Label: Megabucks Music
Distribution: Self via smellyourmum.com
Catalogue Number: MEGA002
The Pop Shot!
(CD EP)Tracklisting: Asshole (Parts I & II) / Beaten Road / Hooked On You I Need A Fix
Running Time: 17 mins 03 secs
Released: August 2002
Label: Megabucks Music
Distribution: Self via smellyourmum.com
Catalogue Number: MEGA001