Dub Pistols

The late-'90s surge of high-energy big-beat techno laced with punk attitude found fresh momentum through the U.K. outfit Dub Pistols. Fronted by former club promoter Barry Ashworth, the lager-loving five-piece originally included guitarist John King, bassist Jason O'Bryan, programmer Bill Borez, and turntablist Malcolm Wax. Though equipped with radio-friendly material, the act never landed a major chart-topping single; instead, their profile grew through incendiary concerts, strategic placements in video games and movies, and a steady sequence of collaborative studio albums issued every two or three years.

Ashworth first encountered the pulse of Ibiza house in the mid-'80s and began booking club nights across Britain toward the end of the decade. By 1989 he had moved into the mainstream with Deja Vu, a popular Madchester-focused event that showcased Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses. After a clash with authorities at his 1991 event Eat the Worm, Ashworth and associates launched the London-based group Deja Vu, which drew from Madchester sounds. Signed to Cowboy, the band released a pair of singles and the album Gangsters, Tarts & Wannabes before splitting in 1996.

Energized by the Chemical Brothers and Jon Carter's Heavenly Social nights, Ashworth took up DJing and was enlisted to rework Carter's Monkey Mafia track "Blow the Whole Joint Up," securing a deal for his new project Dub Pistols on Concrete Records. The group surfaced in late 1996 via the singles "There's Gonna Be a Riot" and "Best Got Better." Their debut album Point Blank arrived in 1998 just as big beat's commercial peak appeared to fade, yet Dub Pistols sustained strong live appeal across Britain and abroad.

Six Million Ways to Live followed in 2001, with the mix album Y4K: Next Level Breaks appearing the next year. Vocalist Terry Hall guested on the 2007 release Speakers and Tweeters, which revisited new-wave staples including Blondie's "Rapture," the Stranglers' "Peaches," and the Specials' "Gangsters." The 2009 album Rum and Coke featured DJ Justin Robertson plus vocalists Lindy Layton of Beats International and Ashley Slater of Freak Power; Layton rejoined for 2012's Worshipping the Dollar after O'Bryan's departure, with rapper Rodney P. appearing on the hit single "Mucky Weekend." Return of the Pistoleros surfaced in 2015 on Sunday Best Recordings. Two years later the single "Crazy Diamonds" with Too Many T's preceded the seventh album of the same name in October 2017.

During the April 2020 lockdown, Dub Pistols delivered a cover of the Clash's "Bankrobber." June brought the anti-racism single "Stand Together," a collaboration with Bodysnatchers singer Rhoda Dakar that led into the eighth album Addict, which also included Natty Campbell and Cheshire Cat. The final track listing reportedly emerged after the band had tracked enough material for three full albums.