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Peter
and the Test Tube Babies, from conception onwards
Make
no mistake! Peter And The Test Tube Babies have written some of
the best punk songs ever. In the early '80s they stood out,
above all other bands to emerge, with their tales of the hazards
of being young punks in Brighton - "Banned From The
Pubs", "Intensive Care", "Run Like
Hell", the list goes on...all had the Test Tubes hallmark,
combining personal experiences, real cool tunes and, most
important of all, maintaining a great sense of humour.
Created in 1978 by Peter (vocals) and Del (vocals
and guitar) in Peter's Dads garage in Peacehaven, Sussex, their
early gigs were fun filled events with electrifying
tunes and plenty of entertainment. Harmless humour of those
early gigs was captured on their debut album, "Pissed And
Proud". From those early gems, the Test Tubes just got
better and better. The next crop of songs, "Jinx",
"Blown Out Again" and "September" all
featured on "The Mating Sounds Of South American
Frogs", which stayed at number one for four months at the
top of the independent charts. A US tour followed, climaxing
with a 4,000 capacity sell out show at the Los Angeles Olympic
Auditorium.
The Test Tubes first US domestic release, "Soberphobia",
is probably one of their finest moments. The use of keyboards
and sax on some tracks may not have been what people expected
but it worked a treat. The much sought after CDs
"Cringe" and "The $Hit Factory" again proved
the Test Tubes unpredictability in the early '90s.
The mid '90s saw the release of "Supermodels"
and the departure from the band of originals 'Trapper' and 'Ogs' (bass and
drums). The band brought in fresh blood. Local hero's, Rum and AD, on bass and drums
respectively joined to promote
the 'Supermodels' album. The band then went on a 25 date tour of
Germany, Holland and Switzerland.
On their 20th anniversary in 1998 the band flew to Germany to record the
"Alien Pubduction" album, their first with AD and Rum. The band also undertook a massive US and Canadian tour that lasted
five weeks, lots of UK gigs and of course the annual German Christmas tour.
Rum & AD quit in 1999 due to the punishing tour schedule.
Paul 'H'
Henrickson,
known to the band and a Brighton stalwart, took over on
bass and Dave 'Caveman' 'O'Brien' was soon added behind,
and sometimes on top of, the drum kit . The band hit the road
again with renewed vigour touring repeatedly
throughout the UK, Germany, Ireland, USA, France, Australia, New
Zealand and making an
impact on the summer festival circuits.
In 2005, after a seven year hiatus in the studio, the band released "A
Foot Full of Bullets", recorded at Ford Lane Studios, Ford, West Sussex.
The album was definitely worth the long wait demonstrating a
familiar core sound matched with smart self assurance gained
from decades of experience. Storming on with characteristic
vigour, the Test Tubes gained praise as "the best band of the weekend"
(Lars Friedrickson) at the WASTED festival before closing the
year with the annual German Xmas
Tour 2005. In 2006 a
remix of "A Foot Full of Bullets" was produced with
contributions from Campino (Die Toten Hosen), Olga (The Toy
Dolls) and Captain Sensible (though he was six years late to the
studio) entitled "For a Few Bullets More".
The extraordinary
success of their visit to New Zealand led them to be invited to
play there again in Auckland on New Year's Eve 2009 followed by
another sell out tour of Australia. In the meantime they have
continued to tour constantly all over the world bringing their
own brand of subversive humour to the masses and gaining the
plaudits of their peers and legions of fans. An impressive
performance at the Brighton Tattoo Convention in January
2011 has resulted in offers to play at other conventions
worldwide. A new album is expected at the end of 2011.
Peter
and the Test Tube Babies continue to tour and perform at
festivals across the globe and
remain one of the best punk bands to come
out of Europe. See them live if you ever get the chance and check
their gig listings
for all the latest show news and events!!
 
 
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