Benjie Bollox

Benjie Bollox
Background information
Born	1972 (age 43–44)
Origin	London, United Kingdom
Genres	Punk rock, new wave
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, actor, photographer, writer & artist
Instruments	Vocals, drums, harmonica, keyboards
Years active	1988–2003
Associated acts	The Visitors U.K. Subs Splodgenessabounds Riot Squad (USA)

Benjie Bollox (born 1972) is a musician, photographer, songwriter, DJ & artist.

Biography

Benjie started playing in various bands in 1987 before forming The Abnormals in 1988 in which he was the vocalist. The Abnormals played a mix of covers and originals. They played for a year but were having trouble finding a steady drummer. Joe Blow, a friend of the band knew all the lyrics of the songs, so Benjie took over on drums and Joe joined as vocalist. With the line up change, the band decided to change the name of the band to Riot Squad. Riot Squad played from 1989 until 1990 releasing a self-titled cassette in 1990. In 1991, Benjie and some friends put together a band called The Vagrants in which he played drums. Benjie left after a short while, but the band continued and went on to become well known as Terminal Disgust.

In 1994, Joe Blow was putting together a rockabilly band and asked Benjie to join as the drummer. They called themselves the Black Cats. After a short while, they decided to put some distortion into the guitar and go back under the name Riot Squad again. They released an album called The Undying Breed in 1995. The band played many gigs, opening for bands such as Fear and The Business. Due to a conflict of interest in music, Benjie departed in 1995 and returned to London where he continued to DJ in various clubs.

In early 1996, Benjie and Charlie Harper from U.K. Subs joined forces and recorded some new tracks in London with Benjie on drums and backing vocals. It was at this studio where Charlie and Benjie wrote "Riot" together. "Riot" was initially released with some other new U.K. Subs tracks that they recorded and was released in Germany on the various artists CD titled British Punk Invasion II. Benjie worked with Charlie on and off until the spring of 1998. Between 1996 and 1998, Benjie was also the official coconut player for the legendary Splodgenessabounds.

In early 1998, Benjie Bollox met up with former Severed Heads member and former Riot Squad stand in guitarist Steve Jones to form a band together in which Benjie was vocalist again. Johnny Bastard, a former band mate of Steve Jones was enticed into the fray and along with him came ex Head Cleaner member, Ted Uhlemann. Frenzied gigs around town saw The Visitors blend of punk rock, new wave and pure rock and roll attract a group of fans as wild as the band. The first LP Sniffing Glue came out in June '98 on Mind Kontrol Records with the controversial cover that was designed for The Visitors by Tom Ellard of Severed Heads and soon after they released the limited edition Visitors Peas & Chips Please Twice on Noise Noise Noise Records in August 1998. Immediately the group attracted international acclaim. Their fourth album released in July 2001 on Noise Noise Noise Records, the more melodic Thanks For Nothing, saw the group firmly established as one of the cities most celebrated artists.

As The Visitors albums continued to sell, they were named one of the top 25 independent bands in the USA and shot to number one in Billboard's independent charts for a whole week. The Visitors received commercial media attention and radio airplay from New York, to Europe & Australia, but it was always the live gigs that the group was treasured for the most. The Visitors completed their USA "Visitour" in the autumn of 2002. Over the years, the Visitors toured with legendary UK punk bands U.K. Subs, The Vibrators & Vice Squad.

The Visitors were featured in the Jordan Sussman film The Anarchist Cookbook.^[1] Benjie also played the role of a heroin addict in the film Upside Downtown,^[2] and as himself in the documentaries DFW Punk and Charlie Harper, 20 Years of Chaos.

The Visitors last studio album, This is the End, clearly represented a calculated change in their musical direction. This album offered all the energy of punk, coupled with The Visitors own inimitable and diverse style. The Visitors went their separate ways in 2003 and Benjie returned to London where he occasionally writes songs for musicians.

Discography

Singles

• U.K. Subs – Riot 98 EP (7", Jungle Records, 1998) (Backing vocals on "Riot" and "UK Subversives").
• U.K. Subs – Amoeba Sounds EP (7", Time and Matter, 2015) Riot/Hops and Barley (Drums and backing vocals).

Studio Albums

• Riot Squad – Punk Invasion 1990 (Cassette, Riot Squad, 1990) Drums and backing vocals.
• Riot Squad – Wine (Cassette, Riot Squad Records Ltd. 1994) Drums and backing vocals.
• Riot Squad – The Undying Breed (LP, Last Beat Records, 1995) Drums, vocals and backing vocals.^[3] album cover designed by (AN)drew Madinc^[4]
• Fallout (Cassette, Relgud Music, 1997) Vocals.
• The Visitors – Sniffing Glue (CD, Mind Control Records, 1998. Cassette, Bughlt Records) (Vocals).^[5]
• U.K. Subs – Submission (CD, Fallout/Jungle Records, 1999) (Backing vocals on "Riot")
• The Visitors UK – The Visitors UK (Cassette, Bughlt Records, 1999) (Vocals).
• The Visitors – Visitors Peas and Chips Please Twice (Cassette, Bughlt Records, 1999) (Vocals).^[6]
• The Visitors – Always on the Case (CD, Noise Noise Noise, 2000, reissued in 2003 by MP3) (Vocals).
• The Visitors – Thanks for Nothing (CD, 21st century Punk, 2001) (Vocals). )^[6]
• The Visitors – This is the End (CD, Noise Noise Noise, 2003) (Vocals, drums and harmonica). )^[6]
• U.K. Subs – Before You Were Punk (CD, Anarchy Music, 2004) (Backing vocals on "Riot")

Compilations

• Last Beat Records – Last Beat Records (CD, Last Beat Records, 1994): Riot Squad – Riot Squad (Give it some Bollocks) (Drums and vocals).
• The British Punk Invasion Vol. 2 (CD, High Society International, 1996): U.K. Subs – Riot/Hops and Barley (Drums and backing vocals).
• Holidays in the Sun Volume 2 (CD, Visionary, 1997): Splodgenessabounds – Two Little Boys (Coconuts and backing vocals).
• Anarchy for Money (CD, Detroit Noise, 1999): The Visitors – No Future (Vocals).
• The International Punk Rock Box Set (CD box set, Meathead Records, 2000): The Visitors – Mirror (Vocals).
• It Don't Come Right to Me (CD, Bedsit Records, 2001): The Visitors – Thanks for Nothing (Vocals).
• Expo Gold (CD, Devada Media, 2002): Benjie Bollox and Miriam Delirium – Money Changes Everything (Vocals).
• Brand New Rage (CD, DSS, 2003): The Visitors – In the Wild (Vocals and Drums). The Classics – Hops and Barley (Guest vocals).
• Punk Rock Christmas (MP3 album, Cleopatra Records, 2012): U.K. Subs – Riot (Backing vocals).

Films

• Anarchist Cookbook (VHS and DVD, Warner Home Video, 2003). Featuring The Visitors.
• Charlie Harper – 20 Years of Chaos (Mads Ronning, 1996).^[7]
• Splodgenessabounds – Blackpool Winter Gardens (VHS, Barn End Productions, 1996).
• Holidays in the Sun 2 (VHS, Visionary, 1997. DVD Cherry Red UK, 2005) With Splodgenessabounds.
• Upside Downtown (2005, Ramzi Abed).^[8]
• DFW Punk (Laura Tabor, 2008).

References