The Wildhearts are possibly
the most underrated band of all time. For a brief period in the mid 1990s,
it looked as though Ginger and co were destined to clean up and rid the
world of the plague that was grunge.
Unfortunately, problems with
their record label, limited airplay and alleged drug problems halted their
rise to superstardom. Needless to say, they are responsible for producing
some very fine music and, in 'Earth Vs The Wildhearts', created the best
rock debut ever (get to the back Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, et al).
Formed in 1989 by former
Quireboys guitarist Ginger, the Wildhearts were originally a five piece
comprising of Ginger (guitar), CJ (guitar), Joolz (bass), Stidi (drums)
and Snake (vocals). Initially, they sounded a little like 80s poodle rockers
Cinderella but, after Snake, Joolz and Stidi left, their sound changed
to one that resembled Metallica crossed with Cheap
Trick. Ginger had now switched
to vocals and, with newcomers Danny (bass) and Bam (drums), the Wildhearts
recorded their first ep, 'Mondo Akimbo A
Go-Go'. The four-track ep
surfaced on the EastWest label in April 1992 and was followed by another
'Don't Be Happy... Just Worry in November of that year. 1992 saw
the Wildhearts became a support act for all occasions playing with acts
as diverse as the Manic Street Preachers and Pantera.
By 1993, the Wildhearts were
ready to record a third ep but had produced so much quality material that
there was enough to fill an album. And so 'Earth
Vs The Wildhearts' was born,
a stunning collection fusing the heavier edge of 'Mondo' with the pop suss
of its follow-up to devastating effect. The album was released in August
1993 to rave reviews in the music press and gave them their first chart
hit in the UK (number 46). The album's release coincided with the introduction
of a new drummer for the band in Ritch
Battersby.
From there on, the Wildhearts
went from strength to strength, progressing from clubs to the 5,000 capacity
Brixton Academy in London and making the occasional, unforgettable appearance
on 'Top of The Pops'. The most memorable being their performance of 'I
Wanna Go Where The People Go' where
the audience's reaction
was ten times that of Oasis, who also appeared that night.
1995 saw the Wildhearts crash
into the UK top 10 for the first and only time with the 'Phuq' album. By
this time, CJ was out the band and was briefly replaced by ex-Sensless
Things man, Mark Keds, before settling on Jeff Streatfield. Their autumn
tour was their biggest yet but it was rumoured to be their last. The group
vowed to split if they were not released from their contract with EastWest.
The following year, the Wildhearts split from EastWest and signed to Australian
label Mushroom, for which they released the Nine Inch Nails-styled 'Endless
Nameless' (1997), an album that scared off half of their fanbase and was
a commercial failure.
Behind the scenes, there
were numerous internal problems including drugs and a complete communication
breakdown. A UK tour in November '97 to promote the album was scrapped
in order for the band to clean up. The Wildhearts were no
more.
Since their split, the four
members have since been involved in other projects. Ginger formed Clam
Abuse with ex-Life, Sex & Death man Alex Kane and released the poptastic
'Stop Thinking' in the summer of this year. Danny McCormack formed the
Yo-Yo's, Jeff joined Sack Trick and Ritch founded the
Infadels. The Wildhearts
may be no more, but their influence lives on in newer British rock acts
like the Stereophonics.
Ross Halewood 1999
