The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster | |
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Origin | Brighton, England |
Genres | Psychobilly, indie rock, gothabilly, garage punk |
Years active | 1999–2011, 2012–2013 |
Labels | No Death Records Black Records Island Records |
Associated acts | Vile Imbeciles, Scab Hand, KRAK KRAK, Bad For Lazarus, With Scissors, Screaming Tupelo, Dirty White Fever, Piano Wire |
Members | Guy McKnight Sym Gharial Tom Diamantopoulo Marc R. Norris Andy Huxley |
Past members |
Rich Fownes (2005–2008) Tristan McLenahan (2008–2011) Dominic Knight (2011) Rob Ling (2012) |
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster (often referred to as Eighties Matchbox, 80s Matchbox, TEMBD, TEMBLD or shortened to just Eighties or 80s) were an English rock band from Brighton, England, formed in 1999. They have released three full-length albums, Hörse Of the Dög (2002), The Royal Society (2004) and Blood and Fire (2010).
Originally formed in 1999, the band comprised Guy McKnight (vocals), Andy Huxley (lead guitarist), Marc R. Norris (rhythm guitarist), Symren 'Sym' Gharial (bassist), and Tom Diamantopoulo (drummer), until May 2005, in which Andy Huxley "decided to leave due to a decrease in musical similarities" to form the death-jazz band Vile Imbeciles and was replaced by Rich Fownes from With Scissors. In their first few years as a band, they were known for their large black car with red and orange flames on each side. According to Guy McKnight on MTV Two's Gonzo the car has now gone. The band are renowned for their intense live shows, where McKnight regularly leaves the stage during numbers to mingle with the crowd.
They have released three full-length albums, Hörse Of the Dög in 2002, The Royal Society in October 2004 and Blood And Fire in May 2010. The band have released eight singles on various formats, each release has had several b-sides included and so the band have a large amount of songs that cannot be found on their albums. The song "Mister Mental" was featured on the film, Shaun of the Dead, the movie also contained posters and other references to the band.
The band have on rare occasion disguised themselves (dressed up as green bees) as a band called The Boogs, a band that had apparently signed with their old record label, No Death. They released one song as The Boogs which was a B-side on one of their singles. The song is titled "Palomino's Dream". A video was also made for the song, which featured them dressed up as green bees in New York City.