Penthouse

Hailing from Camden in London, England, Penthouse specialized in raw, aggressive psycho-blues that drew parallels to both the Jesus Lizard and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Charlie Finke on vocals, John Free on guitar, Tim Cedar on drums, and Graeme Flynn on bass came together to launch the group, making their initial impact in 1995 via the limited-edition single “Ript N’ Happy.” Their first full-length outing on the independent World Domination imprint was helmed by producer Teo Miller of Placebo. Slower numbers such as “Voyeur’s Blues” and “A Deviant Soiree” evoked the swamp-blues atmosphere of P.J. Harvey’s To Bring You My Love, yet the album’s dominant character emerged through the chaotic “Road Rash” and the carnal “Face Down,” which best embodied the quartet’s savage, primal rock ’n’ roll. A trademark dispute with the men’s magazine sharing their name compelled the band to adopt the moniker 50 Tons Of Black Terror for the American market. After World Domination folded, they signed with Beggars Banquet Records, issuing the single “Valley Of The Sows” in November 1998 and following it with a new album the next year. Even as the Strokes and the Hives sparked a broader rock ’n’ roll resurgence in the early 2000s, Penthouse remained a cult concern, a status that persisted after the arrival of the acclaimed Unt.