Demented are Go
(often abbreviated DAG) are a Welsh psychobilly band that was formed around 1982 in Cardiff. They were one of the earliest crop of psychobilly bands, and as a result, are considered to be influential to the psychobilly scene. The band often claims their name originated from the phrase "Demon teds are go!," an adaptation of the phrase "Thunderbirds are go!" from the Thunderbirds TV series, as fans of rockabilly are known as teds and psychobilly is often associated with horror.
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DEMENTED ARE GO TICKETS
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Biography
Demented are Go got their start in
Penarth,
South Wales, near Cardiff. Initially, the band was disorganised, with Mark Phillips or "Sparky" playing drums, Ant Thomas singing, a
bass player with his hair dyed red, and a "rock icon" with a gold-top
Les Paul guitar and leather keks on
rhythm guitar. Dick, a veteran of the punk/pub rock circuits, joined the band in early 1983, reshuffled the line up (Ant moved to drums & Sparky to vocals), taught the bass player and generally consolidated things.
After six weeks of rehearsals, the band's first gig was third on the bill to a line up of
Crass-type
anarchist bands at the Sea Lion in Penarth and was met with good reception. Several years of playing everything from
working men's clubs in the
Rhondda to the
red-light district in
Hamburg, turning up at the Klub Foot twenty minutes after they were due on stage. They recorded two songs for their first release on a 1984 compilation,
Hell Bent On Rockin
from
Nervous Records, a well known
record label in the psychobilly scene. In 1986, they released their first album,
In Sickness & In Health, on ID Records, which was recorded in less than 24 hours with 90% first takes, with Ray Thompson on bass. Interestingly, the band had more bass players than
Spinal Tap had drummers while the core members remained Mark, Ant and Dick.
The band moved to London in 1986 in an attempt to be closer to regular work. Dick left in 1987 after continuing frustration with the direction the band was taking. Undeterred, Lex Luther was recruited to replace Dick, who incidentally coached Lex to bring him up to speed with the band's material, from a DAG-worshipping band that had made a
demo with the title of
The Granny Snog Bop
. This was followed with their second full-length,
Kicked Out of Hell, in 1988. The band began extensively touring
Europe and gained both a psychobilly and
punk following. At this point, the lead singer, Sparky, became addicted to
drugs and
alcohol, resulting in numerous line-up changes.
In 1989, the band went back to the studio, though without any songs. They were able to write and record an EP for Link Records,
The Day the Earth Spat Blood
, within the span of three days. The band went on another European tour in 1991, writing and recording their next full-length for
Fury Records,
Orgasmic Nightmare, on the road. The band would tour almost constantly for the next two years. A second album for Fury Records,
Tangenital Madness On A Pleasant Side Of Hell, was recorded in 1993, followed by two tours in
Japan. The band was infamous for Sparky showing up to Japanese performances naked.
During a tour in
Germany in spring 1995, the band broke up due to Sparky's deteriorating mental state. However, in 1996, Demented are Go reformed to release the EP ''I Wanna See You Bleed
|'' for Hell Razor Records. The band toured the west coast of the
U.S. in 1997. They would again be known more for their wild stage show, which included on-stage sex with
vacuum cleaners.
The band released the full-length
Hellucifernation for Crazy Love Records in 1999. However, a European tour for the record's release was cancelled due to Sparky's mental problems returning. The band considered breaking up, but were offered a headlining gig in
New Jersey and decided to give Sparky a second try. Upon arrival, Sparky first caused trouble at the hotel by cross-dressing and doing drugs, then setting fire to a surrounding
woodland at the
music venue. After their
soundcheck, the band went to a nearby
shopping mall where Sparky pinched a girl's behind. She turned out to only be 16, so he was arrested and charged with molesting a minor. Unable to pay the
$60,000 bail, the rest of the band left him in jail and returned to England.
After a month in jail and a $100 fine, Sparky returned to England where the Demented are Go line-up underwent numerous changes. The band went through a period of stability,with Lex Luther re-joining the band along with drummer Criss Damage and Paul 'Choppy' Lambourne on Double Bass They played two U.S. tours and recorded a live album (with Kelvin Klump replacing Choppy on Double bass)
Live at the Galaxy
, for Crazy Love Records as well as many European festival appearances. However, in the summer of 2003, Sparky was arrested numerous times on the road, resulting in more line-up changes. The band continued touring including a successful Japanese tour and another tour of the USA lead by Sparky & including psychobilly scene stalwarts Strangy (Double Bass) & Doyley (Guitar) until September 2005, then split again. During a month-long break, a new album
Hellbilly Storm was released on German label People Like You Records. The line up on this recording was Sparky, Strangy, Doyley, Criss Damage, Stan, Lex Luther and special guests Charlie Harper and Country Woman.
At the beginning of the 2006 U.S. tour, Sparky was detained by U.S. immigration authorities due to his criminal history, and he was sent back to England. The U.S. tour was cancelled but Demented Are Go still played shows in Europe. The current line up is, Sparky, Ant, Stan & Grischa.
References