For every controversial context, for every misbehaved moment, and for every middle-flipped finger, the United Kingdom's Demented Are Go! are a band you simply can't take your eyes off once you look for the first time. Anyone who has ever listened to, read about, or witnessed a live performance by the notorious Demented Are Go! will always remember this remarkable band. Steeped in controversy; there are many, many sides to D.A.G., as managers, promoters, other artists, and groupies will agree. Rumors fly around through hearsay and the Internet, and it is sometimes difficult to separate hard fact from demented fiction. Numerous arrests. Banned from entire countries. Flinging poo from stages. Breaking numerous appendages in auto accidents. Barfing on couches in hotel lobbies. All of this...is fact. Come to think of it, most all of the rumors and actual incidents originate from or around Demented Are Go!'s founding member, Mark "Sparky" Phillips. As the vocalist and lyricist for a band considered to be one of the first, best, and most outrageous psychobilly acts in the world, Sparky obtains just as much attention off stage as he does on. Oh and as you can probably imagine, Sparky is an interesting challenge to work with, as any band member (past or present) will attest to.
Demented Are Go! have indeed undergone lineup changes with the only true constant being Mark Phillips. Lit by the hellish fire of rock n' roll, Sparky has pulled through thick and thin since the day of the band's inception over two decades ago. Initially, when Demented Are Go! began gigging the London club circuit in the early 80s, their strange but ironic approach to rock n' roll and visual entertainment turned peoples' heads like a mangled car wreck on the side of the highway. Demented Are Go!'s loose interpretation of what rock n' roll should be drew influences from rockabilly, garage rock, punk, and gothic scenes pretty equally. And appropriately, fans poured out from the more open-minded facets of each of these underground scenes to form an ever-growing audience for the band. With over 10 studio and live albums under their belt, as well as too many singles, e.p.'s, and compilations to count, Demented Are Go! don't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Their newest and most solid lineup to date consists of infamous punk drummer Criss Damage, original D.A.G. guitarist Lex Luther, brand spanking new upright bassist Kelvin Klump, and of course the paradoxical crazy glue that somehow holds it all together: the infamous Sparky. This lineup recently recorded the first ever D.A.G. live album in America (May 31st 2002) at the First Annual West Coast Wreckers Ball, and it's slated for release through HairBall8/CoachHouse Records later this year. Following their triumphant return to the USA at the Wreckers Ball, Demented Are Go! took off on a three-week West Coast tour with San Diego's hick-core perverts Barnyard Ballers and L.A.'s psychobilly pioneers The Slanderin. The entire tour has been documented for a movie titled Kicked Outta Purgatory, a digital motion picture prominently featuring Demented Are Go! in lights that will shock, amaze and delight. |
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