Sinister: BMX Bandits

[Mark Hester]

Todd asked about BMX Bandits and the short answer is "covers, covers
and more covers". They are perhaps the best known most successful
covers band that does not call itself a tribute band and enter a bad pun
contest in the process (Bjorn Again, No Way Sis, anyone?) but fair's fair,
they do at least have the decency to cover a wide variety of artists'
songs. My mate Duncan, who is an authority on music of all kinds, a
brilliant drummer and someone who must suffer from Burning Ear
Syndrome the number of times I mention him on various mailing lists , tells
me that even the classic 'Kylie's Got a Crush on Us' is a cover, though
his usual brilliance in such matters is somewhat tarnished by the fact
that he does not know who did the original.

Anyway, I've seen BMX Bandits live, though it was quite a while ago, I
think '94. They were very entertaining. I think the singer was called Doug.
They covered a couple of Big Audio Dynamite songs then 'Hip Neck and
Thigh' and 'Light up my Life'. Doug (if that was his name) introduced
these songs by saying they were 'songs by a friend of his', making me
wonder whether he really knew Mick Jones. They did a song called
'Serious Drugs' and followed it up with "KGACOU" with the neat link "that
song was a bit dodgy, now here's a song about someone really
wholesome". The gig was at the sadly-missed Jericho Tavern, an
intimate Oxford music venue which has now become a Firkin pub,
prompting the kind of anarchic action 'a boy' advocates! Many now
famous Oxford bands played there; Supergrass when they were the
Jennifers, Radiohead when they were On a Friday (one of two bands to
be a right headache for publicity , the other being the 25th of May).

Bad BMX Bandits moment- every band has one- a couple of years ago
they did a TRULY AWFUL version of Jonathan Richman's 'That Summer
Feeling'. Leave well alone. I've seen Jonathan as well; he was ace,
though he didn't do 'Roadrunner' or 'TSF' he played all his other classics.

OK, I've rambled a bit but I hope I've answered Todd's question even if I
can put any ambitions of a career in rock journalism on hold....


Mark.
--------------------------------------------------------

Mark Hester
Engineering & Technology
Elsevier Science Ltd
The Boulevard
Kidlington
Oxon OX5 1GB
UK

Tel. +44 1865 843296
Fax +44 1865 853319
E-mail m.hester at elsevier.co.uk

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