Fudge Tunnel were an English band formed in Nottingham by Alex Newport, David Ryley and Adrian Parkin. They were known for straddling noise rock and sludge metal, with their sound being compared to bands such as Melvins and Nirvana.[1]
Fudge Tunnel | |
|---|---|
 L-R: David Ryley, Alex Newport, and Adrian Parkin | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nottingham, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1988–1995 |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Nailbomb |
| Past members | Alex Newport David Ryley Adrian Parkin |
History
editFudge Tunnel formed in 1989.[3] After two singles on Pigboy/Vinyl Solution Records ("Fudge Tunnel" in 1989, "The Sweet Sound of Excess" in 1990), they signed to Nottingham's Earache Records.[4] Their debut album was Hate Songs in E Minor, which attracted a large amount of press interest,[4] after the original album artwork was confiscated by the Nottingham Vice Squad.[5]
Fudge Tunnel's reputation was built around their massive guitar sound and ironic sense of humour, and they were popular with the British music press - at least at first. The band's first release was "Single of the Week" in NME magazine in January 1990,[4] with NME declaring "Absolutely and totally the best single ever to be released in 1990. Total nine guitar attack-rock".[6]
The band undertook several European tours in 1991 and 1992 including support slots with Fugazi, Silverfish and The Jesus Lizard, as well as support slots with Swervedriver, Godflesh,[4] and regular performances at popular London venues The Camden Falcon and Camden Underworld.
Two more albums were to follow in 1993 (Creep Diets) and 1994 (The Complicated Futility of Ignorance).[4] Newport also was active with Nailbomb, a collaboration with Max Cavalera (Sepultura),[4] who released one studio album and one live album of their Dynamo Open Air Festival performance.[7][8][9] Fudge Tunnel considered The Complicated Futility of Ignorance to be their best album and, satisfied with what they had achieved, quietly disbanded in late 1995.[10][11]
Following their disbandment, David Ryley ran his label BGR Records for a while. Adrian Parkin played with Tubesurfer until 1996 when they too split up, and then returned to being a quantity surveyor in Bolton. Alex Newport went on to pursue a successful career as a producer/mixer and now lives and runs his own studio in New York. He has produced albums by At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta, Bloc Party, City and Colour, and many others.[12] He also formed the band Theory of Ruin, who released one album, Counter Culture Nosebleed and the Frontline Poster Child EP, both on Escape Artist Records and currently is playing in Red Love with Matt Tong.
In May 2020, Fudge Tunnel released the live compilation Best of the Desk: Volume One, Live In Europe 1993, featuring recordings from various shows on the band's 1993 European tour.[13]
Discography
editSingles and EPs
edit- "Fudge Tunnel" (Pigboy/Vinyl Solution, 1989)
- "The Sweet Sound of Excess" (Pigboy/Vinyl Solution, 1990)
- "Teeth" (Earache/Relativity, 1992)
- "The Joy of Irony" (Earache, 1994)
Albums
edit- Hate Songs in E Minor (Earache/Relativity, 1991)
- Creep Diets (Earache/Columbia, 1993, MOSH64)
- The Complicated Futility of Ignorance (Earache, 1994)
Compilation albums
edit- "Fudgecake" (Pigboy/Vinyl solution/Cargo, 1992)
- Grey - Dining Hall Classics (Sony, 1993)
- In a Word (Earache, 1994)
- Whore - Various Artists Play Wire (WMO, 1996)
References
edit- ^ a b c Hobson, Rich (22 July 2023). "A beginner's guide to sludge metal in five essential albums". Louder. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Nine Metal Bands That Need to Reunite, Pronto". MetalSucks. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Fudge Tunnel Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c d e f Larkin, Colin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
- ^ Young, Craig. "Interview with Alex Newport". Earpolluton.com. Retrieved 25 December 2006.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ "Nailbomb - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". Metal-archives.com.
- ^ "Nailbomb - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Nailbomb - Live At Dynamo". Discogs.com.
- ^ Bromley, Adrian (13 December 1995). "Guns, Bombs, and La Policia: An Interview with Nailbomb". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Mudrian, Albert (2016). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore (Revised and Expanded Edition) (3rd paperback ed.). US: Bazillion Points (published 2023). p. 236. ISBN 978-1-935950-16-5.
- ^ "Alex Newport producer discography" (PDF). Alexnewport.com.
- ^ Mudrian, Albert (12 May 2020). "Fudge Tunnel Release Live Album of 1993 Sets". Decibel. Retrieved 25 January 2024.