Thursday, 16 July 2015

Bens Top Tens - Top Ten UK Punk Bass Players



This isn't a ten best list; this is just my favourite bassists to watch and listen too for many different reasons.

1. Tommy Goober (Goober Patrol, Toy Dolls) Tom’s a bit of a hero around our way and often sticks his head around the Ipswich door. I've admired Tom’s work for many years but only recently got to meet him properly and he’s a lovely guy , his style is really smooth and has a great on stage charisma.


 2. Wes Wasley (O.C.P, Consumed) The two bands listed are just a small bit of the part Wes has played in UK punk rock, he’s also played in Billy No Mates and Vanilla Pod among others; that’s pretty much a who's who of punk rock royalty in the UK. I recently got to see Wes play with Consumed at Podstock and was blown away.


3. Andy Dazzler (Dead Neck) High energy, highly talented and mostly just high, Dazzler has more runs than an Ozzy cricket team ,he can also drum better than most humans and he's got a cracking set of pipes too.


4. Jon Barnett (The 4130s, Ziplock) JB Plays bass in the band I'm in (The 4130’s) so I don’t wanna blow too much smoke up his arse but that aside he's an incredible bass player and elder statesman. Whenever I'm in trouble or struggling I go to Jon for advice. In the year I've known him he's become a great friend and every show he blows me away with how solid he is on bass and backing vocals.



5. Joe Tilston (Random Hand) Joe is one of my fave bassists to watch live always has a great energy about him. I don’t know him personally but I'm told he’s a sound chap and he's deffo a shredder.


6. Karl Sursham (Darko) The first time I met Karl I thought what a genuine sweetheart he is, I always look forward to hanging out with all the Darko boys and Karl is always on hand to provide some laughs . That all stops though when he hits the stage he turns into a fucking lunatic jumping about the stage like Louie Spence on steroids and he has the best sounding sans amp ever.


7.Dave Sadler (Dogtown Rebels, Specia lDuties) I've known Dave for years and always look forward to seeing him play and hanging out with him, he has many different weapons in his arsenal and can turn his hand to most styles you put in front of him.


8. Mark Rowland (Wonk Unit) Mark is probably one of the nicest guys on the scene. I like to call him a silent shredder as he's so soft spoken and a genuine nice guy but he's also a fucking ripper on bass and connects with a crowd really well.


9. Matt Clarke (Vanilla Pod) One of the most unpredictable bass players I've ever seen. We all normally settle into a bit of a routine live but I don’t think I've ever seen Matt do or say the same stuff as at a previous show. I once saw him write a song about lightning midway through an Ipswich Vanilla Pod show and I think he was really stoked on it then remembered he has a set to play, great bass player and loves his bass high.


10. Andy Davies (Revenge Of The PsychotronicMan) Most people know Andy as co-founder of TNS Records but he completely shreds the ole bass in revenge fast as fuck without ever getting messy. A true gent of the scene too he massively gives a shit about all us bands and everyone who is part of this scene and rewards us with great things like TNS Records, like Strummercamp TNS stage, like Manchester Punk Festival and the list goes on. I look forward to any bill he puts my band on or any chance I get to hang out and have a chat with Andy.


Now listening to Cease by Bad Religion

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