Sick On The Bus

British hardcore punks Sick on the Bus formed in late 1990 after the legendary U.K. punk outfit Varukers disbanded. The initial lineup coalesced around drummer Kev, vocalist Doug, and two Varukers veterans—guitarist Biff and bassist Brian, who had previously collaborated in Death Sentence. Their debut performance occurred two months later, though the set was cut short after just four songs when organizers ejected them from the stage. Drawing from G.B.H., U.K. Subs, and Motörhead, the group completed their first demo, Get Sick, before the year ended. Early 1991 brought its release, even as the band’s raw sound led to repeated bans from clubs and practice spaces.

Kev and Doug soon departed, leaving the remaining members to cycle through replacements over the next three years. Eventually Biff assumed vocal duties, while second guitarist Tony and drummer Paul completed the new configuration. This incarnation enabled a European tour alongside a pair of 1995 and 1996 releases: the single Scary in the Dark on Bip Records and the self-titled album on Bus Pop Records. Paul succumbed to leukemia before the album’s mixing was finished. Ex-Legion of Parasites drummer Wag stepped in to record 1997’s Suck on Sick on the Bus Fuck Heads for Get Sick, an effort that garnered positive reviews. European dates with Contempt followed, and Data Records issued Punk Police in 1999.

The band maintained an active touring schedule across the U.K. and abroad. Their earlier self-titled LP, now out of print, was reworked and retitled Set Fire to Someone in Authority for a spring 2000 reissue on Data. Early the following year, New York’s Go Kart Records signed the group and assembled Punk Police with Suck on Sick on the Bus Fuck Heads into a double-album collection, released domestically midyear alongside the reissued Set Fire. Sick on the Bus headlined European shows and supported the Damned on their U.K. tour that same year. Go to Hell arrived in the U.K. during fall 2002, though label complications delayed its U.S. appearance until July 2006 via SOS. Around the same period, the greatest-hits anthology Piss & Vinegar surfaced. Multiple personnel shifts continued, resulting in a 2006 roster of Biff, Brian, Tony, and drummer Skum.