The Termites
| The Termites | |
|---|---|
| Origin |
 United Kingdom
|
| Genres | Psychobilly |
| Years active | 1985-present |
| Labels | Crazy Love Records and Cherry Red/Anagram Records |
| Associated acts | The Hateville Heroes |
| Website | Termites |
| Members | Kenny "The Duke" Mitchell Scott Ballantyne Ewin Murray Jonny Fiddles |
| Past members | Gerry Doyle. |
The Termites are a 5-piece psychobilly musical group from Scotland that formed in the 1980s. Their most recent CD, "Kicked In The Teeth" on Crazy Love Records, was released in 2008.
The Termites formed during the mid-1980s in Kilmarnock - A town that was, at the time, rich in psychobilly music with bands like The Longhorns. It was with this band that the Termites first started out, supporting The Longhorns in Kilmarnock clubs. Initially a four piece of Kenny Mitchell (vocals), Scott Ballantyne (guitar), Ewin Murray (drums) and Gerry Doyle (electric bass), the band became known for powerful, and usually violent, live shows.
All four members of the band were brought up around the 'Tap Shoaps' (Top Shops) of Kilmarnock's housing scheme, New Farm Loch, and as a result, were as much a gang as a band.
The band's recording career began in 1987 with the release of "Devil Call" on Fury Records' compilation "Gypsy Girl". This was followed by a 4 track EP on Raucous Records in 1988. After live performances in the UK and Europe, the first album, "Overload", came out in 1989 on Link Records. Other tracks appeared on many different compilation albums. "Overload" was recorded in Bracknell, England, with Chuck Flintstone behind the mixing desk. The album sessions were fraught with arguments and fist fights, but the album saw the light of day, released on the ‘Chuck Flintstone Presents’ series on Link Records. As the new album was being released, band members were leaving. The lineup changed throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving singer Kenny Mitchell as the sole original member.
1991 saw the last gig in Irvine's 'Attic' nightclub. Ewin (the drummer) left the band within days of that gig and the Termites split. However, an 18-year-old, Jonny Fiddles, who attended that last gig and who was raised in the same area of New Farm Loch, Kilmarnock, would ultimately become the fifth member of the Termites in years to come.
...
Wikipedia