The Popguns

Formed in Brighton, England, during 1988, the jangle pop outfit the Popguns began when vocalist Wendy Pickles joined guitarists Simon Pickles, the band’s chief songwriter, and Greg Dixon along with bassist Pat Walkington; they later welcomed ex-Wedding Present drummer Shaun Charman. Their entrance came via the flexi-disc “Where Do You Go?” that accompanied the fanzine How Many Beans Make Five?, followed in 1989 by the official debut single “Landslide.” The full-length Eugenie arrived on the Midnight Music imprint in 1990. After the 1991 album Snog, Charman departed, yet the remaining members persisted; three years of inactivity ended with the single “Star,” their inaugural release for 3rd Stone. Love Junky, their third long-player, surfaced in 1995, while A Plus de Cent the following year ushered in an extended pause.

The group reconvened with a replacement drummer and resumed live appearances in 2012. A fresh recording of “Lovejunky” appeared early in 2014, and later that year the fifth album, Pop Fiction, emerged on Matinée Recordings, featuring the original lineup augmented by drummer Tony Bryant and backing vocalist Kate Mander. An EP, Still Waiting for the Winter, followed in July 2015. After a brief interlude during which Simon and Wendy issued the gentle indie-pop set Isobar Blues as the Perfect English Weather on Matinée in late 2016, the Popguns returned to the studio with the prior configuration and delivered Sugar Kisses, another collection of ringing indie pop, on Matinée in mid-2017.