GBH (band)
GBH are an English punk rock band which was formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy and drummer Andy "Wilf" Williams.
Background
GBH were early pioneers of British street punk, often nicknamed "UK 82", along with Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited, and The Varukers.The band's name was originally Charged GBH, then was shortened to GBH. It is widely understood that the name came from then-bassist Sean McCarthy being charged with grievous bodily harm, though vocalist Colin Abrahall denied this in 2018, claiming it was just a name like UK Subs; and, when pushed, said the initials stood for "Girls, Booze, and Hash". Though the core line up of Colin, Ross, and Jock has stayed the same throughout their history, the drum stool has been occupied by a number of incumbents following Wilf's departure after the Midnight Madness and Beyond album and Oh No, It's GBH Again 12" EP. 1989 saw the arrival of German drummer Kai Reder who played on three albums, as well as the Wot a Bargain 12". Kai was replaced by American Joe "Fish" Montanero for one album ; this was the band's last release for the Rough Justice label. The drum stool was then occupied from around 1994 by former Bomb Disneyland/Bomb Everything drummer Scott Preece, who has remained to this day and played on all releases since.
Throughout their recording history, the band has often included a cover version on many of their albums. "Boston Babies" originally recorded by Slaughter & the Dogs, "I Feel Alright" from The Damned and The Stooges, "Avenues and Alleyways" by Tony Christie, "Needle in a Haystack" originally by The Velvelettes, "Destroy" by The Vibrators, "I Need Energy" by Zero Boys.
GBH embarked on several English and mainland US tours during the early 1980s, including several gigs at the 100 Club. 1982 saw the release of GBH's debut album, City Baby Attacked by Rats, which reached No. 17 in the UK Albums Chart, as well as No. 2 in the UK Indie Chart. The band's singles had also reached the UK Indie Chart, leading to an appearance on the UK TV programme The Tube, where they performed "Give Me Fire". Lyrically, the album dealt with criticism of British and European culture, violence, morbidity, atheism, nihilism and humour. Musically, the album was loud and fast, with few songs exceeding three minutes. The success of the first album was repeated with their second album, City Babys Revenge, in 1983 and saw more extensive touring in America and Europe and higher profile UK shows, including the Carlisle Punk Festival. With the Carlisle Punk Festival the band co-headlined with fellow UK82 stalwarts The Exploited, and shared the bill with the likes of Toy Dolls, Chelsea, and The Destructors. In 1984, the band dropped the "Charged" from their name and became just GBH.
They and many of their UK82 peers such as The Exploited, Picture Frame Seduction, Discharge, and The Varukers have all enjoyed success among punks in the United States. Although many of their contemporaries have evolved towards other styles over the years, GBH have remained fairly faithful to their original UK82 sound in subsequent releases. However, the band have experimented to some degree with a more speed metal-inflected, inspired and influenced sound particularly those of Motörhead and Tank, notably with their 1992 release Church of the Truly Warped, although they have since returned to a more purist punk sound.
The band are still active and touring and maintain a strong following both in the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as in the United States and Japan. The band released their twelfth studio album, Momentum, on Hellcat Records in 2017.
Legacy
GBH have gone on to influence several punk rock musicians, but their influence has been especially far-reaching in metal, including the early Bathory albums, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Exodus, and all of the "big four of thrash metal". Metallica frontman James Hetfield has repeatedly expressed his enthusiasm for GBH and said such bands were the beginning of thrash metal to him. Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM has said he had listened to second-wave punk bands before starting his own band, mentioning GBH as an example. GBH have also influenced 1990s and 2000s rock bands such as Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid.Band members
Current- Colin Abrahall – vocals
- Colin "Jock" Blyth – guitar, backing vocals
- Ross Lomas – bass, backing vocals
- Scott Preece – drums
- Sean McCarthy – bass
- Andrew "Wilf" Williams – drums
- Kai Reder – drums
- Joseph "Fish" Montanaro – drums
Discography
;Studio albums| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1982 | City Baby Attacked by Rats | Clay |
| 1984 | City Babys Revenge | Clay |
| 1986 | Midnight Madness and Beyond | Rough Justice |
| 1987 | No Need to Panic | Rough Justice |
| 1989 | A Fridge Too Far | Rough Justice |
| 1990 | From Here to Reality | Rough Justice |
| 1992 | Church of the Truly Warped | Rough Justice |
| 1996 | Punk Junkies | We Bite |
| 2002 | Ha Ha | Go Kart |
| 2004 | Cruel and Unusual | Idol |
| 2010 | Perfume and Piss | Hellcat |
| 2017 | Momentum | Hellcat |
;Mini album
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1981 | Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne | Clay |
;Split mini albums
| Year of release | Title | Featuring | Label |
| 1998 | Punk as Fuck | Billyclub | Idol |
| 2001 | Punk Rock Ambulance | Billyclub | Idol |
;12 inch EPs / singles
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1984 | Do What You Do | Clay |
| 1986 | Oh No, It's GBH Again | Rough Justice |
| 1988 | Wot a Bargain | Rough Justice |
;7-inch EPs / singles
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1982 | No Survivors | Clay |
| 1982 | Sick Boy | Clay |
| 1982 | Give Me Fire / Man Trap | Clay |
| 1983 | Catch 23 / Hellhole | Clay |
| 1984 | Do What You Do | Clay |
;Live albums
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1989 | No Survivors | Clay |
| 1994 | Live in Japan | Anagram |
| 1996 | Celebrity Live Style | Cleopatra |
| 2014 | Dover Showplace 1983 | Cleopatra |
| 2015 | Live at the Ace Brixton 1983 | Radiation Reissues |
| 2015 | City Baby Attacked by Rats | Secret Records |
| 2020 | Best of Live | Secret Records |
;Compilation albums
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1982 | Leather, Bristles, No Survivors and Sick Boys... | Clay |
| 1986 | Clay Years 1981–1984 | Clay |
| 1989 | No Survivors '83 | Clay |
| 1992 | The Clay Recordings | Clay |
| 1995 | The Clay Punk Singles Collection | Clay |
| 1999 | Punk Rock Hits | Cleopatra |
| 2002 | The Punk Singles 1981–84 | Castle |
| 2005 | Dead on Arrival: A Punk Rock Anthology | Sanctuary |
| 2007 | Race Against Time: The Complete Clay Recordings | Castle |
;Demos
;Compilation appearances
| Year of release | Title | Label |
| 1981 | Punk and Disorderly | Abstract/Posh Boy |
| 1982 | Burning Ambitions: A History of Punk | Cherry Red |
| 1982 | Punk and Disorderly – Further Charges | Anagram |
| 1999 | A Triple Dose of Punk – 60 Song box set | Cleopatra |