The Bus Station Loonies are a British cabaret punk band from Plymouth, England. They have been described as a cross between Splodgenessabounds and Crass. Original Loonies Tony Popkids and Chris "Felcher" Wheelchair , sharing a mutual love of such U.S. punk outfits such as The Dickies, still continue with the band today, having recruited approximately 30 other band members over 18 years. During their initial UK tour of April 1996, with contemporary punk bandsPMT and The Filth, The Loonies were billed as "a vicious headbutt between Johnny Moped and Jello Biafra". The band was featured in the UK's Channel 4 documentary, Punx Picnic. The Bus Station Loonies were the first band to set the official world record for the most concerts/gigs performed in 12 hours on 29 Sept 2001 in and around Plymouth, Devon, UK raising money to buy musical equipment for pupils of the Dame Hannah Rogers school in Ivybridge, Devon. The band featured in the Guinness Book of World Records, until 2006, when the record was beaten. Music journalist Mick Mercer's 1997 book The Hex Files: The Goth Bible, references The Bus Station Loonies for their 18-minute reggae rendition of The Sisters of Mercy composition, "Temple of Love". In October 2008, said version was nominated on a live broadcast on BBC Radio 6 as 'one of the best cover versions of all-time'. In Autumn 2010, The Bus Station Loonies completed recording their second full-length album. Entitled Midget Gems and released on their own Ruptured Ambitions record label it features eighth guitarist Angus Old and the recently recruited ninth guitarist Chris "The Machine" Mildren. The band's frontman, Chris Wheelie, is currently involved in a solo projectHarakiri Karaoke, as well as drumming with several friends' bands on a stand-in basis.
Discography
"Dodgy Cider Fix" cassette
"Squiffy on a Small Amount" 7" EP
"Everyday Bullshit" track on A Scream From the Silence vol.4 LP
Split cassette with Fungi Gone West
"In Cider We Trust" split cassette with Combat Shock
"Save Our Cider" and "The Blacksmith's Arms" tracks on Punks, Skins and Herberts vol.1 LP
"Charlie Harper" track on Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records 7"EP/CD
"The Sideboard Song" track on The New Wave of Chas'n'Dave CD
"Ensure Your Needle is Clean and Free from Dust" split 7" EP with Anal Beard
Mad Frank's Zonal Disco LP/CD
"The Last Post" track on It Don't Come Right to Me CD
"Can't Cheat Karma" track on Angry Songs and Bitter Words CD
"Hungry, Hungover and Skint"
"You Won't Find a Bigger Knob"
"The Blacksmith's Arms" track on UK Punks Vol.1 CD