UFX
Encyclopedia
UFX is an Alternative Rock
band formed in Blackpool
, Lancashire
in 2000
.
before the band signed to the Factory
record label. He was vocalist with electronic rock band Zoo Boutique whose debut single “Forgive and Forget”/”Happy Families” (on Lightbeat Records) received national airplay on BBC Radio 1
, later joining Fleetwood
's Shining Sons and Blackpool punk band Pink Torpedoes.
Rat Fink (Andrew Wilson) was drummer and guitarist for gothic rock
band Alien Sex Fiend
, touring and recording with them from 1986 to 1992 (his time with the band is documented in the book Once Upon a Fiend ) before joining guitarist Johnny Volume and bassist Chad Spandosa (Nick Turner) in Blackpool’s The Stooges
-inspired Dog Food.
Rat Fink and Dunk met when both were employed as actors for the first season of Blackpool's interactive horror show Pasaje Del Terror
.
magazine) by drummer Rat Fink and guitarist Johnny Volume who then recruited vocalist Dunk Rock and Doc Virus on bass to complete the line-up. After a few months, Virus was replaced by Chad Spandosa.
As Uncle Fester, they released the album “Frump Experiments” in 2000 as a limited pressing, which was sold only to fans at the band's early gigs, before releasing “Total Sonic Mayhem” in 2002. This consisted of songs from the first album alongside newly recorded tracks and was deleted the following year when the initial pressing was sold out. The 2004 album “Offensive” consisted of four new songs and four previously released songs, including live favourite "Idiot", as bonus tracks.
Uncle Fester appeared performing “Top Down” (from 2005’s “Offensive” album) in the independent film Ten:10 by Northwest Films and were also filmed performing live for Channel 4
’s Bed and Bardsley TV series (a spin off of the successful Wife Swap
series featuring the family of Lizzy Bardsley
). The band also appeared as a gang of punk rockers in a scene with Amanda Holden
in an episode in the third series of Granada Television
’s comedy show The Grimleys
.
In 2009 UFX released "Sick Sick Sex", another album of original material. Early in 2011, UFX started work on their sixth album before the band was put on hold in October 2011 with the album still awaiting completion. The break was to allow members of the band the opportunity to pursue other interests: Ratfink with Vince Ripper and The Rodent Show - a Live Show combining a DJ set representing classic 50/60's Garage Rock n Roll with live instrumentation, Chad with his Inner Temple side project and Dunk with Psychobilly
band Boneyard Zombies with guitarist Tony Mitchell, perviously of Kiss of the Gyspsy and the rhythm section of hardcore punk
band One Way System
. The album will be completed and released in 2012 and the band are expected to reconvene to promote the album.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
.
History
Duncan Jowitt (Dunk Rock) had been guitarist in an early line-up of Section 25Section 25
Section 25 is an English post-punk band, best known for its single "Looking from a Hilltop" and its association with the Manchester record-label, Factory Records.-Early recordings 1977 - 1982 :...
before the band signed to the Factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
record label. He was vocalist with electronic rock band Zoo Boutique whose debut single “Forgive and Forget”/”Happy Families” (on Lightbeat Records) received national airplay on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, later joining Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
's Shining Sons and Blackpool punk band Pink Torpedoes.
Rat Fink (Andrew Wilson) was drummer and guitarist for gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
, touring and recording with them from 1986 to 1992 (his time with the band is documented in the book Once Upon a Fiend ) before joining guitarist Johnny Volume and bassist Chad Spandosa (Nick Turner) in Blackpool’s The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
-inspired Dog Food.
Rat Fink and Dunk met when both were employed as actors for the first season of Blackpool's interactive horror show Pasaje Del Terror
Pasaje Del Terror
Pasaje Del Terror is an interactive walk-through horror attraction with branches in thirty different cities in Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Malaga, Salou, Santander, etc. as well as some of the major cities of the world, such as Rome, Lisbon, Blackpool, Buenos Aires,...
.
2000–2005 – The Uncle Fester years
The band were formed in 2000 as Uncle Fester to play “junk rock” (a term coined by Kerrang!Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine) by drummer Rat Fink and guitarist Johnny Volume who then recruited vocalist Dunk Rock and Doc Virus on bass to complete the line-up. After a few months, Virus was replaced by Chad Spandosa.
As Uncle Fester, they released the album “Frump Experiments” in 2000 as a limited pressing, which was sold only to fans at the band's early gigs, before releasing “Total Sonic Mayhem” in 2002. This consisted of songs from the first album alongside newly recorded tracks and was deleted the following year when the initial pressing was sold out. The 2004 album “Offensive” consisted of four new songs and four previously released songs, including live favourite "Idiot", as bonus tracks.
Uncle Fester appeared performing “Top Down” (from 2005’s “Offensive” album) in the independent film Ten:10 by Northwest Films and were also filmed performing live for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
’s Bed and Bardsley TV series (a spin off of the successful Wife Swap
Wife Swap
Wife Swap is a reality television program, originally produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It was first broadcast in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4. Since 2004, a US version has also been broadcast on the ABC network...
series featuring the family of Lizzy Bardsley
Lizzy Bardsley
Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bardsley is an English media and television personality who rose to fame after appearing in the Channel 4 series Wife Swap in 2003...
). The band also appeared as a gang of punk rockers in a scene with Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
in an episode in the third series of Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
’s comedy show The Grimleys
The Grimleys
The Grimleys is a nostalgic comedy-drama television series set on a council estate in Dudley, West Midlands, England in the mid-1970s. It was first broadcast by Granada TV for ITV in 1999, following a pilot in 1997, and concluded in 2001 after three series....
.
2006 onwards – UFX
In 2006, the band changed the name to UFX and released the album “Crack”, the band's first since 2002 to consist entirely of new material. The album’s cover art featured the work of French photographer Gui Brigaudiot. They simultaneously made all ther recordings as Uncle Fester available as free mp3 downloads on the band's website.In 2009 UFX released "Sick Sick Sex", another album of original material. Early in 2011, UFX started work on their sixth album before the band was put on hold in October 2011 with the album still awaiting completion. The break was to allow members of the band the opportunity to pursue other interests: Ratfink with Vince Ripper and The Rodent Show - a Live Show combining a DJ set representing classic 50/60's Garage Rock n Roll with live instrumentation, Chad with his Inner Temple side project and Dunk with Psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
band Boneyard Zombies with guitarist Tony Mitchell, perviously of Kiss of the Gyspsy and the rhythm section of hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band One Way System
One Way System
One Way System is a street punk band formed in the Fleetwood area of Lancashire, England in 1979.-Career:One Way System had an initial line-up of Craig Halliday , Gavin Whyte , Tez Mcdonald and Gaz Buckley...
. The album will be completed and released in 2012 and the band are expected to reconvene to promote the album.
Albums
- 2000 – Frump Experiments
- 2002 – Total Sonic Mayhem
- 2004 – Offensive
- 2006 – Crack
- 2009 – Sick Sick Sex
Various Artist Compilations
- The Ugly Truth About Blackpool Volume 1 2005
- Conform Or Die 2005
- The Ugly Truth About Blackpool Volume 2 2006
- Misery of Sound 2007