Uncle Dave’s Biscuit Barrel was initially formed in the early 90s by a bunch of friends that had played together in a variety of local rock and metal bands. They take a love of metal and wrap it around hilarious lyrics. They are set to release their debut E.P ‘Uncle Dave’s Biscuit Barrel Goes Apeshit In Your Laundry’ via all streaming services on the 18th August and with track titles including ‘The Bishop of Bath & Wells’, the Lawnmower Death influenced ‘James Dean is Dead’ and the scorching opus that is ‘Yellow Peril’ the EP looks to be something very much to look forward to.
Give us a potted history of the band
Uncle Dave’s Biscuit Barrel was initially formed in the early 90s by a bunch of friends that had played together in a variety of rock and metal bands in Andover, Hampshire. The band was born of a love of metal and idiocy, and we quickly established ourselves as something unique on the local music scene, combining energetic and heavy thrash sounds with Pythonesque themes of lunacy.
I think our originality and heavy sound quickly made us popular and we established a powerful reputation as a live band across the south of England and into London. There is always a tale to tell, and at the height of their popularity the band suffered its very own “Yoko Ono” moment, which brought our antics to an abrupt end.
30 years on and this proved not, to be the end of the story – like a phoenix from the flames, Uncle Dave’s was to be reborn! Just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, our drummer “Uncle” Dave Allon, started talks with the other band members with the aim of resurrecting the band, with both old and new material.
This was met with great support from all, but geography and circumstance meant that only half of the old line-up (drummer, Dave Allon and rhythm guitarist and vocalist, Mike Trevor) could commit , and so Drew Lowe – a prolific guitarist (Just a Ride, ex-Inglorious) and close friend of Dave was invited to become part of the mayhem. The resurrection was put on hold during the pandemic, but when life returned to a semblance of normality we were able to kick on and start work on the E.P.
Who inspired you to start making music
We are all old school metal heads, growing up on bands like Iron Maiden, Metalica, Sepultura and Slayer – but of each of us has a particular bent to our particular taste in metal which means we have a great sound that nods to this variety.
And the one or two records that inspired you artistically
There are a lot of records that have influenced us artistically, but undoubtedly it is fair to say that comedy thrash legends Lawnmower Death’s 1990 release, “Ooh Crikey It’s… Lawnmower Death” was a great influence for us – they showed that good metal didn’t have to be serious, and that fun, surrealism and not following the rules all had a place in metal.
If you’re trying to explain who you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say
Musically, I think people will pick up hints of Slayer and Exodus – lyrically, you will get Monty Python vibes!
Tell us about your new single
The long awaited debut single, “Monkey Spank” is released on the 30th June 2023, with a second single and the full E.P. coming out in August. We wanted the E.P. to showcase a mix of old and new tracks, and so embarked on writing and recording the 5 track E.P. “Uncle Dave’s Biscuit Barrel Goes Apeshit In Your Laundry”, a title first created 30 years ago, and now become reality! This is hoped to be the first of many releases, and we are looking forward to showcasing more classic and new material going forward. All instruments were recorded at the bands own studio, with vocals being recording at Wooden Heart Studios near Andover. The EP was mixed in-house and mastered by prolific producer, Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios in Cardiff.
Where can we get hold of it
The singles and E.P. will be available on all streaming platforms (Spotify, iTunes, etc)
Tell us how you write
Some of the tracks are 30 years old! There has always been strong collaboration in the band – someone would come up with a theme, riff or lyrics that we would then develop it together and hone to a finished track. This has been the case with writing our contemporary stuff too and the process good fun as being able to work off each others’ ideas inspires creativity and silliness. There is always a lot of laughter as well as good music
Tell us about your live show. What would be your dream gig
One of the reasons we wanted to record the E.P. is that we ere a prolific live band back in the day. Our shows were high energy and great fun for both us and the crowd – the music smashes you in the face, but that is part of the fun – getting people going in the pit and stage diving are the ultimate accolade for any live metal show, we love it! Dream gig would have to be something like Download or Bloodstock, but there are so many great metal festivals across Europe it would be a shame to limit ourselves!
What can we expect from you in the near future
We want to get the E.P. out there this summer, reconnecting with fans from back in the day and reaching new fans who have yet to enjoy the Uncle Dave’s experience. We are looking at the potential for some live shows later in the year, but this will depend on commitments, but we definitely will be out there soon. With an extensive back-catalogue of tracks and some great new material in the works we will be looking to release further E.P.s/albums in the future. You have been warned!
Tell us your favourite records that are rocking your headphones/tour bus / stereo
Ok, we’re all listening to different stuff so:
Mike: Sylosis – Cycle of Suffering
Dave: Megadeth – Rust in Peace
Drew: Sepultura – Arise
Find out more via the bands Website or Facebook
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