BMX Bandits (band)

BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day.^[1][2] They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons. They were a favourite band of Kurt Cobain, who said "If I could be in any other band, it would be BMX Bandits".^[3]

History

BMX Bandits were formed by songwriter and lead vocalist Duglas T. Stewart out of the ashes of The Pretty Flowers,^[4] a group that featured Stewart alongside Frances McKee (later of The Vaselines), Sean Dickson and Norman Blake.^[5] The group have had many line up changes throughout the years.

Their songs mix melodic qualities and humor with, at times, raw and heartbreaking pathos. Stewart has written many of the group's works solo including "Your Class", "The Sailor's Song" and "Doorways" but also has collaborated with many of the other members. Stewart's most regular songwriting partners have been Francis MacDonald, Norman Blake and, more recently, David Scott of The Pearlfishers.

The group's most celebrated song is the autobiographical "Serious Drugs", recorded in 1991 but not released until 1993. The song featured in the movie This Year's Love and was covered by American stadium power pop group Gigolo Aunts. Oasis did their first UK tour dates supporting the Bandits as a favour from Stewart to Creation label boss Alan McGee. BMX Bandits admirers included Kurt Cobain, who was photographed wearing a BMX Bandits T-shirt. Cobain claimed on a New York radio show that if he could be in any band it would be BMX Bandits.

Stewart split with long term musical partner Francis MacDonald in 2005 but 2006 saw a new wave of live concert activity and the release of My Chain. Stewart's writing on the album was compared to Brian Wilson, Michel Legrand, Ennio Morricone and even Alan Bennett. The line up was expanded by the arrival of Stewart's friend David Scott and new female vocalist Rachel Mackenzie (now Rachel Allison).

The follow-up, 2007's Bee Stings, was influenced by classic girl group pop plus the mellow A & M sound of the late 1960s and early 70s. Bee Stings features Allison singing lead on half the tracks including "Our Secret Life" co-written by Allison and former band member Norman Blake.

A feature-length documentary called "Serious Drugs – Duglas and the Music of BMX Bandits" was premiered at Glasgow Film Theater as part of Glasgow Popfest 2011. Jim Burns the producer/director is initially targeting film and music festivals before releasing a DVD/Blu-ray version of the film.

Original group member Jim McCulloch re-joined the group and was Stewart's major writing partner on the next album release. BMX Bandits in Space was released on Elefant Records in 2012. The album also featured contributions from original BMX Bandit member Sean Dickson, Argentinian multi-instrumentalist Cineplexx and Japanese rock group Plectrum. Shortly after the album's release Rachel Allison departed the group. Chloe Philip, also a member of pop group TeenCanteen^[6], joined in 2013 providing vocals, flute and keyboards. "BMX Bandits Forever" the group's tenth studio album was released by Elefant Records in May 2017. Stewart's main writing partner on this album was Stuart Kidd who rejoined the group in 2014. The album also contain a collaboration with Brian Jonestown Massacre leader Anton Newcombe.

The history of the BMX Bandits from 1986 to the early 1990s forms part of the 2017 documentary Teenage Superstars.^[7]

Discography

Members

Over the years the membership of the group has fluctuated. Only vocalist Duglas T. Stewart has been a permanent member.

References

External links

• -BMX Bandits official website
• OnOffOnOff – An unofficial BMX Bandits fansite
• MySpace – BMX Bandits official site