Bus Station Loonies

The Bus Station Loonies are a British cabaret punk band from Plymouth, England. They have been described as a cross between Splodgenessabounds and Crass.[1] Original Loonies Tony Popkids (drums) and Chris "Felcher" Wheelchair (real name Chris Willsher b.1971 in Ilford, London) (vocals, keyboards, kazoo; ex-drummer with Oi Polloi, Disorder, Riot/Clone and DIRT, among others), sharing a mutual love of such U.S. punk outfits such as The Dickies, still continue with the band today, having recruited approximately 30 other band members over 18 years.

The Bus Station Loonies
OriginPlymouth, England
Genres
Years active1995–present
Labels
  • Ruptured Ambitions
  • Campary Records
  • Beat Bedsit
  • Loony Tunes
  • Pumpkin Records
  • Helen of Oi!
Associated actsOi Polloi
Disorder
Eastfield
S Punk 3
Denada
Profane
Anarcho Folko
Subhumans
Citizen Fish
Selwyn Froglet
The Shy Teds
The Waterboarders
Husbands N Knives
Harakiri Karaoke
MembersChris Wheelie
Tony Popkids
Chris "The Machine" Mildren
Ad Nauseum
Julie Knives
Past members"Dirty" Gav Sanchez
Sam Ladiesman
Jessi Eastfield
Dick Lucas
Steve Poundpants
Oliver Large'un
Sean O'Porno
Aaron Sweater
Dr.Paul Tax
Ben Dur
Goz Hayter
"Wild" Johnny Clipboard
The World-Famous Nuf
Dancin' Dave Worth
Dave "Spider Baby" Jones
Angus Old
Yaga
The Love Doctor

During their initial UK tour of April 1996, with contemporary punk bands PMT and The Filth, The Loonies were billed as "a vicious headbutt between Johnny Moped and Jello Biafra".

The band was featured in the UK's Channel 4 documentary, Punx Picnic. The Bus Station Loonies were the first band to set the official world record for the most concerts/gigs performed in 12 hours (25 different shows) on 29 Sept 2001 in and around Plymouth, Devon, UK raising money to buy musical equipment for pupils of the Dame Hannah Rogers (special needs) school in Ivybridge, Devon.[2]

The band featured in the Guinness Book of World Records, until 2006, when the record was beaten.[2]

Music journalist Mick Mercer's 1997 book The Hex Files: The Goth Bible, references The Bus Station Loonies for their 18-minute reggae rendition of The Sisters of Mercy composition, "Temple of Love".[3] In October 2008, said version (from their debut album) was nominated on a live broadcast on BBC Radio 6 as 'one of the best cover versions of all-time' (The Music Week with Julie Cullen and Matt Everitt).

In Autumn 2010, The Bus Station Loonies completed recording their second full-length album. Entitled Midget Gems and released on their own Ruptured Ambitions record label it features eighth guitarist Angus Old (real name Phil Cawse) and the recently recruited ninth guitarist Chris "The Machine" Mildren.

The band's frontman, Chris Wheelie, is currently involved in a solo project Harakiri Karaoke, as well as drumming with several friends' bands on a stand-in basis (including Husbands N Knives , Eastfield, Anarcho Folko, HIV and The Positives, The Sexy Offenders and his old band, originally formed in 1989, C.D.S.).

Discography
  • "Dodgy Cider Fix" cassette (1995)
  • "Squiffy on a Small Amount" 7-inch EP (Campary Records 1996)
  • "Everyday Bullshit" track on A Scream From the Silence vol.4 LP (Loony Tunes 1996)
  • Split cassette with Fungi Gone West (1996)
  • "In Cider We Trust" split cassette with Combat Shock (1997)
  • "Save Our Cider" and "The Blacksmith's Arms" tracks on Punks, Skins and Herberts vol.1 LP (Helen of Oi! 1997)
  • "Charlie Harper" track on Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records 7-inch/CD (Ruptured Ambitions 1998)
  • "The Sideboard Song" track on The New Wave of Chas'n'Dave CD (Spanking Herman 1998)
  • "Ensure Your Needle is Clean and Free from Dust" split 7-inch EP with Anal Beard (Ruptured Ambitions 1998)
  • Mad Frank's Zonal Disco LP/CD (Ruptured Ambitions 1999)
  • "The Last Post" track on It Don't Come Right to Me CD (Beat Bedsit 2000)
  • "Can't Cheat Karma" track on Angry Songs and Bitter Words CD (Ruptured Ambitions 2003)
  • "Hungry, Hungover and Skint" (live tape)
  • "You Won't Find a Bigger Knob" (live tape)
  • "The Blacksmith's Arms" track on UK Punks Vol.1 CD (Pumpkin/EHC 2005)
  • "Dick Dastardly" track on Blackpool Bounce (Through the Net 2006)
  • Midget Gems CD (Ruptured Ambitions 2010)

References
  1. Ian Glasper. "Armed With Anger: How UK Punk Survived the Nineties : 9781901447729". Bookdepository.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Mercer, Mick (1997). Hex Files: The Goth Bible. Overlook Press; 1 Amer ed edition. ISBN 0-87951-783-2
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