The Guttersnipes

Biography

In 1987 The Guttersnipes were formed in London, UK by Shug O'Neill and Andy Kline.. Early gigs in London quickly gain the band a reputation as an exciting live act, supporting the likes of Splodgenessabounds, Mega City Four and The Senseless Things. During Mid 1989 their debut album "The Poor Dress Up" is released by the independent label Razor Records. This album went on to sell 1500 copies despite complete lack of promotion or advertising by Razor. The album sells only because of Andy and Shug...

In 1987 The Guttersnipes were formed in London, UK by Shug O'Neill and Andy Kline.. Early gigs in London quickly gain the band a reputation as an exciting live act, supporting the likes of Splodgenessabounds, Mega City Four and The Senseless Things. During Mid 1989 their debut album "The Poor Dress Up" is released by the independent label Razor Records. This album went on to sell 1500 copies despite complete lack of promotion or advertising by Razor. The album sells only because of Andy and Shug's work in promoting the band through the fanzine network in Europe.

During 1991 they make their first trip to Germany where they are astonished at the reception. This keeps the enthusiasm going and they sign to new label Vice Records who release their second album "Hairy On The Inside". In April / May 1993 the band tour Norway which is a great success culminating in a gig at the prestigious "Hulen Club" attended by various Bergen based bands, music press, radio, etc., including the infamous "Count Grischnacht" (the death metal singer now serving a 21 year stretch for murder and arson) to who the band were introduced. They made a bit of an impression on the Count who finally walked out after Shug's impression of a death metal singer on stage. The gig ended in chaos and the band decided that then was as good a time as any to settle their grievances with each other. The band split. Advance cassette tapes of the "Asylum" album had been sent to various people before the band had broken up. In fact the album was already receiving airplay on the continent and in the US. A DJ called Brian Damage on campus radio UCLA in Los Angeles phoned Shug to say that the response he was getting to the tape was incredible and that in a listeners poll taken at New Year to vote for the best piece of music played on the show that year The Guttersnipes came second to …….. Metallica !?!?

May 1996 saw the remnants of the band invited back to Norway for a mini-tour. With new drummer Fintan Smith in tow, they once again blazed a trail across the fjords. However, this line-up was not fated to last. Fintan, having knocked Shug out cold after the second gig and destroyed his drum kit in Bergen, was last seen heading for Moscow on a motorbike / sidecar combination !? The band landed back in Norway for an extensive tour with yet another drummer Duncan Greig during the autumn of 1997 which ended in a spectacular head-on collision with a pregnant women driver leaving the tour bus a write-off and Andy laid up with a back injury for the following six months. Incidently, the pregnant women is still getting free beers from the story - 'The Guttersnipes Tried To Kill Me'. On returning to England the band began to make plans for 1998, Unfortunately, being an itinerant soul, Duncan had a habit of going missing for months at a time, so not much got done that year. When a tour of Germany was offered for December, and with Duncan AWOL again, Shug & Andy teamed up with Baz Davies on Drums for the tour. The tour was a great success and the band went down a storm, especially in the East where the gigs often turned into a big party, with the band playing for hours. And in the case of The Bureau gig in Gütersloh - 6 hours.

October 1999 saw The Guttersnipes embark on another tour (suicide mission) around the more salubrious parts of Northern and Eastern Europe to promote songs from their new LP. Denmark and the night before the first gig new guitarist Ritchie gives Shug a shiner. On to Germany where the fighting and drinking continues and Stevie Wonder is driving the tour bus through the mountains. The Czech Republic (beer capital of the world) and the lads partake as only they know how. Then there is a big blur and then back to Munich as the tour finishes at the Backstage festival where drummer Baz becomes EX-drummer and is left in the Black Forest with no money. HAHAAhahahaha.

Current line up : Shug O'Neill - vocals & Guitar, Andy Kline - Bass, Duncan Greig - Drums Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.