The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to incorporate influences from blues, rockabilly, and country music. The Gun Club has been called a "tribal psychobilly blues" band, as well as initiators of the punk blues sound cowpunk - "He (Pierce) took Robert Johnson and pre-war acoustic blues and 'punkified' it. Up until then bands were drawing on Iggy + The Stooges and the New York Dolls but he took it back so much further for inspiration."
Links to Peel[]
Peel was a big fan of the cowpunk scene in the 80's, which the Gun Club are considered as the initiators of the scene. The band's music was played significantly by the DJ in the 80's, including listeners voting their track, The Breaking Hands, in the 1987 Festive Fifty.
In the 90's, Peel lost interest in the band, but in the early 00's, revisited their old material, especially tracks from their debut album, Fire Of Love, which one of them, For The Love Of Ivy, was covered by the White Stripes, during their Reading performance, that was broadcast on 27 August 2002.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1987 Festive Fifty: The Breaking Hands #48
Shows Played[]
- 20 October 1981: Sex Beat (LP - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 03 November 1981: Fire Spirit (album - Fire Of Love) Ruby JRR 102
- 16 November 1981: Sex Beat (LP - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 18 November 1981: She Is Like Heroin To Me (LP - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 29 November 1981 (BFBS): Sex Beat (album - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 20 December 1981 (BFBS): Preaching The Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 1982
- 01 February 1982: Preaching The Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 07 February 1982 (BFBS): Preaching The Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 21 June 1982: Ghost On The Highway (7" - Ghost On The Highway / Sex Beat) Beggars Banquet BEG 80
- 11 July 1982 (BFBS): Ghost On Highway (7" - Ghost On The Highway / Sex Beat) Beggars Banquet
- 07 September 1982: Devil In The Woods (v/a LP - Keats Rides A Harley) Happy Squid
- 15 September 1982 (BFBS): Devil In The Woods (v/a album - Keats Rides A Harley) Happy Squid
- 21 September 1982: Devil In The Woods (LP - Keats Rides A Harley) Happy Squid
- 1983
- 06 April 1983 (BFBS): Promise Me (album - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 17 April 1983 (BFBS): The Lie (7" - Death Party) Animal
- 24 April 1983 (BFBS): Death Party (12") Animal
- 25 April 1983: unknown
- 01 May 1983 (BFBS): Come Back Jim (12" - Death Party) Animal
- 08 May 1983 (BFBS): Death Party (12") Animal
- 10 May 1983: The Lie (7" - Death Party) Animal
- 15 May 1983 (BFBS): The Light Of The World (12" - Death Party) Animal
- 1984
- 28 May 1984: Come Back Jim (12" EP - Death Party) Animal GUN 12 1
- 02 June 1984 (BFBS): Come Back Jim (12" EP - Death Party) Animal GUN 12 1
- 02 June 1984 (BFBS): Preaching The Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet BEGA 37
- 04 June 1984: Ghost on the Highway (album - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 06 June 1984: Goodbye Johnny
- 18 July 1984: Walking With The Beast (LP - The Las Vegas Story) Animal
- 18 July 1984 (BFBS): My Dreams (album - The Las Vegas Story) Animal CHR 1477
- 18 July 1984 (BFBS): Moonlight Hotel (album - The Las Vegas Story) Animal CHR 1477
- 18 July 1984 (BFBS): The Stranger In Our Town (album - The Las Vegas Story) Animal CHR 1477
- 25 July 1984: Eternally Is Here (album - The Las Vegas Story) Animal CHR 1477
- 25 July 1984 (BFBS): The Stranger In Our Town (album - The Las Vegas Story) Animal CHR 1477
- 02 December 1984 (BFBS): Ghost On The Highway
- 04 December 1984: Preaching The Blues (LP - Sex Beat 81) Lolita
- 1985
- 17 June 1985: Ghost On The Highway
- 29 July 1985 (BFBS): Walking With The Beast
- 1986
- 10 February 1986: Death Party (12") Animal
- 15 February 1986 (BFBS): 'Death Party (12"-Death Party)' (Animal)
- 08 April 1986: Sex Beat (LP - Sex Beat 81) Lolita
- 13 October 1987: The Breaking Hands (LP - Mother Juno) Red Rhino
- 20 October 1987: The Breaking Hands (LP - Mother Juno) Red Rhino
- 22 October 1987 (BBC World Service): The Breaking Hands (LP Mother Juno) Red Rhino
- 06 November 1987 (BFBS): 'Hearts (LP-Mother Juno)' (Red Rhino)
- 11 November 1987: The Breaking Hands (LP - Mother Juno) Red Rhino
- 22 December 1987: 'The Breaking Hands (LP-Mother Juno)' (Red Rhino) FF #48
- 1988
- 22 March 1988: The Breaking Hands (LP - Mother Juno) Red Rhino
- 2000
- 13 February 2000 (BFBS): 'Bad Indian (LP-Miami)' (Animal)
- 2002
- 28 November 2002: Preaching The Blues (LP - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 05 December 2002: Sex Beat (LP - Fire Of Love) Ruby
- 11 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Preaching Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 12 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Preaching Blues (album - Fire Of Love) Beggars Banquet
- 19 December 2002 (Radio Eins): Ghost On The Highway
- 2003
- 06 February 2003: Death Party (7") Animal
- 2004
- 03 February 2004: Preaching The Blues (LP - Fire of Love) Ruby
- 10 March 2004: 'Sexbeat' (LP - 'Fire of Love') (Ruby)
- 23 March 2004: 'Jack on Fire (LP - 'Fire of Love')' (Ruby)