Attica Records

bfg

Following tours with The Cult, New Order, and TheSmiths as drummer with Factory Records band Lavolta Lakota Mike Simmi left to form BFG in Summer 1985. Joined by BJ Williams on vocals, Keith Lambert on Bass, Acky On Guitar and El Thomas on Samples. BFG began to make a name for themselves basing the BFG sound around a thumping bass line and screaming guitars.

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On hearing the early demos, Joy Division and New Order bassist Pete Hook invited the band to support New Order on their Summer 1986 Tour. This tour coincided with BFG's first release, the 12" single "Paris" c/w "Amelia". The limited edition sold out within the 1st week of release and was quickly hailed as a "goth" classic.

BFG's first Headlining show in home town Manchester was with the Stone Roses as support and even at this early stage were being compared with Joy Division for the intensity of their live performance. Also the band were starting to gain the reputation of being seen as "difficult" as far as the press were concerned. During the late 80's the Band completed very few interviews and even today still refuse to play by the media's rules.

The line up changed for the next 2 E.P.s with Steve Craig replacing B.J. Williams and Paul Batheram replacing Acky on Guitar. The Western Sky E.P. and Higher Than Heaven........is, was recorded with the new line up with Mick Mercer from Melody Maker stating "The Greatest Indie Single Of The Year Is BFG's Higher Than Heaven."

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The Album Fathoms was released in 1988 and this led to BFG gaining a fanatical following in Germany and West Coast America. This culminated in BFG playing at the Loreley Stadium , on the Banks of The River Rhine, in front of 15,000 German fans, the only time that BFG were "officially" caught on Video .............well worth tracking down if you can.

The original BFG line up reformed in 1989 and recorded what many feel was the definitive BFG album. Blue was released in 1990 and with its mixture of loops and driving guitars mixed with B.J. Williams vocals, always threatening to explode, it set the musical agenda that the like's of Rammstien have since followed. The band finally called it a day 1991...........UNTIL.

The band have been working on a new album and this finally should see the light of day this year.

looby looby_on_stage

So here is Looby, what's it all about? Why a cover of a 70's disco track? Why in the video are all the band connected via puppet strings? Why is the guitarist dressed up as a Bishop? Why is he playing a guitar in the shape of a huge crucifix (The Godson Crucicaster).

The band have been formed around McKinney's lead singer Marc Ash and gutarist Zero along with numerous "names" from the Manchester and Nottingham music scene. They all have one thing in common, they have given their time for free due to their disgust at the antics of this British airline's treatment of its female and gay crew.

The Single will be out soon and we want everybody to download it on the week of release in order to get a high enough chart place so that questions will then be asked why the track SHAME SHAME SHAME was recorded in the first place. Help make this happen and sign up here so you get notification exactly the week of release...................and pass the story on, the more that hear about it the more of an impact this will have. If you have a facebook or myspace page add the widget and add the story because together we can really make a difference.

mckinney bbc radio two

marcdown The McKinney ideology is simple: a lust for power. The pain of a woman in torment. The rapid pulse of exultation, the knife edge of tragedy. The lyricism of British pop crushed beneath an American steamroller of pulsating rock.

When Marc Ash and Mike Simii began to write songs and collate ideas, there was a shared mentality that verged on telepathy. The songs produced during these initial sessions housed the vocal stylings and tune sensibility of early Blondie, with knowing winks to Siouxsie And The Banshees and Gang Of Four. Sensing they were on to something big, mates Danny P (fresh from working with Strokes producer Gordon Raphael) and Richy Thorn (bass) were swift to join the team.

Whilst rehearsing in a Nottingham studio a few weeks later, Ash and Simii were gatecrashed by an obnoxious, spiky-haired, punk answering only to Zero. Awed by his raucous, guitar-slinging talent, over copious beers he was invited to come and rehearse with the rest of the band the following day. It soon became obvious that the lead guitarist was the final piece in the jigsaw. McKinney was born.

In summer 2003 McKinney disappeared to Manchester to finally record the tunes penned by the Ash/Simii songwriting partnership. The sessions proved extremely fruitful, with the band producing a clutch of ballsy, fuzzy, pop-rock tracks - each with a razor-sharp edge. These songs have gone on to form the basis of their debut album ‘Me Me Me’. And it rocks. Loads. The floodgates open with the slinky pop flourishes of ‘Mess It Up’, followed by a swirling, stargazing pop-rock gem in the form of ‘Every Day’. Meanwhile in ‘Surreal’ the band have a bona-fide rock-anthem in waiting, full of screeching BRMC-esque guitars, pounding drums and seductive vocals. As Rick Martin of NME put it: “ No-one will matter more”. On hearing these tunes, you’ll have no choice but to wholeheartedly agree.

Recently Mckinney have started to pick up plays from Chris Evans and Jonnie Walker on BBC Radio Two and were finalists in the songwriter's of the year award run in conjuntion with the Ivor Novello Awards and the BBC