Gizz Butt

Gizz Butt
Gizz Butt playing with The More I See
Background information
Birth name	Graham Anthony Butt
Born	(1966-08-03) 3 August 1966 (age 50) Manchester, England
Genres	Punk, thrash metal, electronica
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass
Years active	1984–present
Associated acts	Pyogenesis The Destructors English Dogs The Prodigy Janus Stark Sabbat The More I See Fields of the Nephilim

Gizz Butt (born Graham Anthony Butt, 3 August 1966, Manchester, England) is a British musician, best known for playing the guitar during live performances by the band The Prodigy in the late 1990s. He is the current Lead Guitarist for Hamburg band Pyogenesis

Butt acquired the nickname "Gizz" from the character of 'Gizzard Puke' who appeared on The Kenny Everett Show. Coming from a musical background, Butt began playing the guitar at the age of eleven, taking lessons with a jazz guitarist in Manchester. In 1978, his family relocated to Peterborough, where Butt formed his first school band, The Northern Lights. Within a few months he changed the band name to The Exits, and wrote a whole 40 song set of original material including guitar solos. He turned the band into a three piece called The System and began booking his own shows locally. He was recruited by another band, The Destructors. During the years from 1981 to 1983, Butt co-write and recorded a number of their singles (including "Senseless Violence", "Religion", "Jailbait", "Forces of Law" and "Wild Thing") and the albums (Excorcise The Demons of Youth, Armaggedon in Action, Bomb Hanoi, Merry Xmas and F*** Off). By 1984 he had left The Destructors to join the English Dogs. While in The English Dogs he toured the United States, and it was at this time his fusion of punk and metal based guitar playing started to get him noticed by people such as Metallica and was helping to influence the thrash metal genre. By 1987, the English Dogs came to a halt, and Butt formed another band, Wardance. Andy Sneap produced and mixed the album All The World's A Rage (1995).

Kerrang! magazine writer and photographer Morat mentioned Butt's name to The Prodigy and within two weeks he was playing T In The Park Festival. He toured with The Prodigy for three years when they were at their most successful. Butt formed Janus Stark in 1998, who had US chart success with "Every Little Thing Counts". Janus Stark released Great Adventure Cigar, which led to The Foo Fighters inviting Butt on stage to join them for a spell.