Out tomorrow, this adroit, collaborative musical fusion ticks all the boxes!
Formed in 2021, Vicious Bishop are a punk, ska punk, punky reggae power trio, based in the Lancaster / Morecambe area. The band features drummer Dave Nuttall (ex-Toy Dolls), bassist Adz Woods, and vocalist/guitarist Rich Davenport (ex-Radio Stars).
Taking their influences from The Clash, The Ruts, Stiff Little Fingers, Rancid, 2 Tone, the Ramones, Hüsker Dü, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion, Bob Mould and vintage reggae and ska, Vicious Bishop’s focus is on delivering memorable, uplifting songs with maximum energy.
Their debut EP, ‘Miracle Formula 168‘, showcases their raw, melodic sound to powerful effect, and features songs which have already convinced audiences in a live setting.
Across the four tracks, the EP features guest appearances from Rich’s former Radio Stars bandmate, Andy Ellison, who co-wrote the song ‘She’s So Dissatisfied‘. Sham 69 guitarist Dave Parsons plays a guest solo on ‘Shouting Down The Sewer‘, and Micky Geggus from the Cockney Rejects lends his six-string skills to ‘Blood In The Water‘.
‘She’s So Dissatisfied‘ is the first track to be released from the EP and finds the band charging out of the starting blocks with a perfect slice of prime power pop energy. “Andy and I wrote and demoed an initial version of ‘She’s So Dissatisfied‘ in the mid-90s when I was in Radio Stars,” explains Rich.
“When Andy asked me if I’d be interested in playing some gigs with him again, I jumped at the chance, and when we started talking about a set list, we were both keen to revisit ‘She’s So Dissatisfied‘. I love Andy’s lyric, which touches on the dark side of hard drugs, but I felt the music I originally came up with sounded unfinished. I re-wrote the chords for the verse, and then Dave, Adz and I worked on the music together, to give it a punky reggae feel. Dave’s drum parts are tight as a gnat’s chuff (technical term) and Adz’ bassline is almost funky punk. It’s gone down really well live.”
Lyrically, the majority of the band’s songs are about getting through tough times and coming out the other side. Musically, they blend elements of punk, ska, and punky reggae, often weaving all three styles together in the space of a single song. Vicious Bishop have a lot of collective experience under their belts. Dave toured internationally with the Toy Dolls from 2003- 2005 and played on ‘Our Last DVD?‘ Adz played with punk/mod/soul/funk band The Convulsions between 2014 and 2017, and toured Poland, Lithuania and Costa Rica with them.
Rich played in Radio Stars from 1994 to 1996, recorded with the band and played live, including the infamous Marquee show in 1995, when Andy Ellison fell from the lighting rig and broke his back. He finished the gig and didn’t discover his back had broken (and healed) until an x ray revealed it a few years later! Rich also played with original Radio Stars bassist Martin Gordon’s solo band, at a one-off UK appearance in 2008 at London’s Blow Up Club, supporting the original line-up of Radio Stars.
Regarding the guest appearances, Rich explains now he came to meet and know both Micky Geggus and Dave Parsons. “Back in 1992, I was playing in a punk/ska punk band called The Hormones, based in Scotland. This was before Holidays in the Sun and the Pistols reunion, and punk was very much underground at the time. I had a college radio show and rang the number on the back of the Cockney Rejects’ ‘Lethal‘ album to see if I could arrange an interview, and shortly after, met Micky Geggus for the first time. We hit it off immediately and have been mates ever since. It’s been amazing seeing the Rejects
enjoy a well-deserved second shot since 1999. Mick has always been very supportive of bands I’ve been in, and it’s an honour to have his amazing guitar skills on ‘Blood In The Water‘ – he played a blinder!
“I remember reading about Sham 69 in Look-In annual and hearing them on the radio in 1979 when I was at primary school and saw them on Top of the Pops doing ‘Mister You’re A Better Man Than I‘,” continues Rich. “I first met Dave Parsons outside a Sham gig in Glasgow in 1992. When I moved to London in 1994, I got to spend more time with him, and he gave me some great advice about recording guitar parts. I also got a sneak preview of his first solo album, ‘Reconcile‘, which was great. I’ve always loved Dave’s playing, his solos are always very melodic and memorable, and he’s played an amazing lead break on ‘Shouting Down The Sewer‘. He once told me he used to bunk off school to watch Thin Lizzy doing matinee shows in London, and there’s a Lizzy feel in the harmonies he’s played on the track. As with Mick, it’s an honour to have Dave playing on a track, and pretty mind blowing to think that someone I watched on TOTP at the age of 7 has ended up on our EP! That’s what I love about the punk scene, these guys are so approachable and down to earth, and have gone out of their way to support an up-and-coming band like ourselves.”
The EP is released on 26th July on X Records, the label affiliated with the long-running Bolton record shop of the same name, launched in 1985 by Ste Meekings, a first wave punk. Rich says, “I’ve been shopping at X since 1986, and Ste was basically a punk Mr Miyagi to my Daniel-san, telling me about essential albums to check out, and giving me info on the bands, which was great in the days before you could just Google it. He also had great stories about seeing bands live at some of the legendary venues around the Northwest back in the original era. It’s a huge buzz to have the EP coming out on the X Records label, and another example of what I love about the punk scene.”
Vicious Bishop will be supporting the EP with shows around the UK, and are already working on a full-length album, to be recorded in October for release in 2025.
The band are playing with Andy Ellison (billed as Andy Ellison & Vicious Bishop) at this year’s Rebellion Festival, performing a Radio Stars set on the main stage and acoustic stage. The set will include ‘She’s So Dissatisfied‘, and also cult classic ‘Desdemona‘, by Andy’s 60s band, John’s Children, which also featured Marc Bolan. They’ll also be playing at Morecambe Punk Festival in November.
Order your copy of the EP ‘Miracle Formula 168‘ HERE
(The striking cover art was painted by punk artist Paul Raggity).
1. Blood In The Water
2. Magnetic North
3. Shouting Down The Sewer
4. She’s So Dissatisfied
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Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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