Since forming in 1994, bis have continually mutated their initial influences of Synth-pop, Riot Grrrl and DIY Punk into weird and wonderful songs with a natural gift for melodic earworms with a disco heartbeat. Sci-Fi Steven, John Disco and Manda Rin first caught the UK underground’s attention with the “Disco Nation 45” EP in 1995. Its cross-breeding of Huggy Bear, Blur and Devo made it stand out in the dreary death of Britpop, fanzines had new saviours and before long the underground went overground. With the next release, “The Secret Vampire Soundtrack”, suddenly bis were playing “Kandy Pop” on Top of The Pops – as the first unsigned band ever to appear – and riding high in the “proper” charts.
A frantic bidding war resulted in bis turning down big-money from big business and opting to sign for Wiiija Records in 1996, a spiritual home where the band could maintain absolute control. Choosing the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal label in the US was based on the same philosophy. The first album “The New Transistor Heroes” came out in early 1997, the album sold 100,000 copies on release in Japan and saw bis support acts as diverse as Bikini Kill, Pavement and Foo Fighters across Europe and the US. The band were even seen as the ideal candidates to write and record the theme tune to Hanna-Barbera’s classic cartoon, “The Powerpuff Girls”. By the time of 1999’s “Social Dancing”, the band’s sound had shifted away from the more DIY sonics of the earlier recordings and a more electronic, polished sound was emerging. Punk hadn’t been forgotten but it’s the shiny Electro-Pop of its signature song, “Eurodisco” that encapsulates the second phase of the band. Festival highlights included being the first ever band to play the main stage at Coachella Festival and a headlining show at the Benicassim Festival, along with hundreds of appearances across the globe.
Misunderstood 2001 follow-up “Return To Central” found the band on uncertain ground and soon into hiatus. After some archival releases and sporadic live dates in the intervening years, 2019 finally saw the release of 4th album “Slight Disconnects” with signature tracks “Sound Of A Heartbreak”, “Dracula, You Broke My Heart” and “There Is No Point…” now mainstays of the live set. Garnering some of the best critical acclaim of the band’s career, “Slight Disconnects” successfully combined all the disparate elements of bis and re-ignited the original fans whilst introducing the band to a whole new generation.
This new wave will go on.
