The Dustaphonics

Formed in 2008, the Dustaphonics emerged as a London-based outfit devoted to the sounds of rock & roll, surf, and rhythm & blues. French guitarist Yvan Serrano, performing under the alias DJ Healer Selecta and operating through his Raison d’Etre London collective, led the group. Completing the roster were vocalists Aina Roxx, Kay Elizabeth, Hayley Red, and Dan Whaley, along with bassist John Gibbs and a rotating drum chair occupied at various times by Bruce Brand (formerly of the Milkshakes and Headcoats), Eric Frajria, Mark Clayton, and Mike Thorne.

The band’s inaugural release, the 2010 single “Burlesque Queen” on the retro-oriented Dirty Water imprint, announced their direction with its gritty R&B drive. Serrano co-wrote the track with Tura Satana, the lead actress in Russ Meyer’s 1965 cult film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, and the number foreshadowed the material that would appear on their first long-player the next year. Party Girl (2011) delivered an energetic blend of R&B, rock & roll, rockabilly, soul, surf, and garage that mirrored the spirit of the group’s high-voltage live revues. Among its tracks sat a version of MC5’s “Looking at You,” while Bo Diddley supplied the spoken introduction to the closing cut “Take It from Diddley.”

Additional high-profile admirers soon surfaced, including rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson and soul singer Spanky Wilson. The follow-up album, Big Smoke London Town (2014), contained ten original compositions steeped in vintage styles together with a reading of Louisiana Red’s “Ride on Louisiana Red.” By this point the Dustaphonics had begun accumulating notable stage associations, backing Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd and supporting Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. In 2016 they issued Johnny & Bo, whose title song paid homage to Bo Diddley, one of Serrano’s principal inspirations.