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Gunfire Dance

Category : Music

Type: Private Membership
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Founded: Sep 19, 2006 9:26 AM
Location: London
-UK
Member(s): 114
Gunfire Dance


Formed in the 80's by two young punks: Rockin' Ray Birch and Ozzie, with a passion for the more 'rock 'n' roll' end of the spectrum (early Damned, The Heartbreakers, New York Dolls etc). After gigging with a couple of line-ups around 1988, they were joined by Jeff Ward and Anthony Bullock and the jigsaw was finally complete.

The band gigged furiously for the next couple of years building a not inconsiderable following both in Birmingham and the Capital. A publishing deal was signed with Island and the bands profile and popularity increased with many a packed out gig at Londons famous old Marquee club. The London scene, which they inadvertently became a part of, was heavily influenced by Guns 'n' Roses along with a crop of home-grown 'Keef Wannabees'. They fitted in with all of this only on a small level as the bands influences were always much wider and took in 60's R'n'B, Punk, Soul and 50's Rock 'n' Roll. In other words, they were always more 12 x 5 than goats head soup...!

After courting many managers and record companies the band frustrated at the lack of product, released a 4-track E.P. on their own Stay Sick records and also went into the studio recording 5 tracks with former Damned members Brian James and Rat Scabies: Two of which saw the light of day on a single..."Suit & Tie/Till The End Of The Day" which was released on Jeff Dahl's Ultra Under Label through Triple X.

In 1995, the band made the first of their two trips to New York City, performing numerous shows amidst the revitalized punk 'n' roll scene created by D Generation, N.Y. Loose, The Throbs and Ex Heartbreaker Walter Lures Waldos. It was on their second trip to the Big Apple that the band imploded, returning to England to a gig with The Dogs D'amour which was ironically to be their last....

After the split, Jeff moved to N.Y.C. and embarked upon a writing career later forming a band Electrajet in which he still plays. (He assures us he had nothing to do with the events of 9/11..?!) Birchy and Ozzie later formed another band with Ant coming from a more Stooges/garage/punk vein called The Steppin' Razors which eventually folded due to Ants increasing struggle with alcohol as much as anything else. Birchy and Ozzie then spent time as the rhythm section in the Brian James Gang and Ozzie did an ill-fated European tour with a Stiv Bator (R.I.P.) less Lords of The New Church.

After Steppin Razors Ant took on a job as a mental health councilor at the hospital where he himself had been a patient and for a time seemed to be getting his life back together. He even stepped out of retirement for a couple of Gunfire Dance Reunion shows last year which were really successful and enjoyed by the band and audience alike. Sadly on July 2nd (2006) after a long and fruitless battle with depression and addiction, he committed suicide by hanging. The remaining band members Jeff, Oz and Birch are all deeply saddened by his loss and he will be missed not only as a friend but also as a great talent.

Someone was once famously quoted for saying "...the Sex Pistols are an attitude, not a band..." Gunfire Dance WERE an attitude AND a band R.I.P.



Gunfire Dance Group
Forum TopicPostsLast PostTopic Starter
Aug 1, 2007 9:22 PM
Aug 1, 2007 9:22 PM
Mar 2, 2007 8:14 PM
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Jan 4, 2007 6:11 PM
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Nov 16, 2006 8:17 AM
Nov 13, 2006 12:25 PM
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