Uncle John & Whitelock

Uncle John & Whitelock
Uncle John and Whitelock performing live 3 August 2005 Photo: Stephen Robinson
Background information
Origin	Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Horror punk, Blues, Rockabilly, Surf, Psychobilly, Garage rock
Years active	2001–2006
Labels	God Forgot Man
Associated acts	Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers, Tut Vu Vu, Adopted as Holograph
Website	Uncle John and Whitelock
Past members	Jacob Lovatt - Guitar, vocals Raydale Dower - Bass Andrew Hobson - Drums (2001–02), Guitar (2002–05) Matthew Black - Drums (2002–06) Nic Denholm - Keyboards (2002–05) David Philp - Guitar (2004–06) Jamie Bolland - Keyboards (2005–06)

Uncle John & Whitelock were a Horror punk band from Glasgow. They were active from 2001 to 2006 and were noted for their live shows which incorporated elements of performance art.

Uncle John & Whitelock was formed in 2001 by singer and guitarist, Jacob Lovatt, and bass player, Raydale Dower. The three-piece line-up was completed with the addition of Andrew Hobson on drums.

The band was expanded to a five-piece line-up in 2002 with the addition of drummer Matthew Black and keyboard player Nic Denholm, Hobson moving to guitar. Denholm and Hobson left in early 2005, Denholm later moving to London to form psychedelic/powerpop four-piece The Snap Elect. They were replaced by Jamie Bolland on keyboards and David Philp, formerly of Cannon, on guitar.

The band were supporters of the charity the Scottish Association for Mental Health, appearing on their One in Four CD. In October 2005, they appeared at an awareness-raising music festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia for World Mental Health Day.

The band maintained a heavy gigging and touring schedule from 2004 to 2006, playing with bands as diverse as Franz Ferdinand,Babyshambles and The Fall. Their final show was played on 23 December 2006 at King Tut's in Glasgow.

Lovatt now fronts Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers; Dower, Black and Bolland play in Musique concrète ensemble Tut Vu Vu; and Philp in Gypsy folk combo Adopted as Holograph.

The band quickly built a reputation for the originality of their live performances which incorporated elements of theatricality and performance art. These performances might see the band playing on stage inside a specially constructed wooden shack, unseen by the audience, or with scratchy black-and-white, 16 mm film projected over the band as they played, giving the impression of an old silent movie.