Splatterheads were an Australian

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band, which formed in 1987. They issued three albums, ''Ink of a Mad Man's Pen'' (1989), ''Bot, the Album'' (1993) and ''Joined at the Head'' (1996), before disbanding in 1996. They re-united in 2010 to perform and released a compilation album, ''Splatter Platter''.

History

Splatterheads were formed in 1987 as a punk rock band, Lompoc County Splatterheads, by Adrian Carroll on guitar, Simon "Sly" Faulkner ( Sly T-Bone) on guitar and vocals, Christo Fletcher ( Big Guy) on vocals and guitar, Micky Scott on drums and Peter "PT" Thompson on bass guitar. Fletcher, Scott and Thompson shared a house together in

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...

when they decided to start a band. They soon recruited Carroll and Faulkner. "Lompoc County" references

Lompoc, California Lompoc ( ; Chumashan ) is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast, its population was 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called t ...

and its appearances in American cartoon TV series ''

Roger Ramjet ''Roger Ramjet'' is a 1965–69 American animated television series, starring Roger Ramjet and the American Eagle Squadron. The show was known for its simple animation, frenetic pace, and frequent references to pop culture which appealed to adult ...

'', where the title character describes "local louts as a bunch of 'Splatter heads'." They released a seven-track mini-album, ''The Filthy Mile'', in 1988. When Carroll left, they shortened their name to Splatterheads. The group's debut album, ''Ink of a Mad Man's Pen'' (October 1989), appeared on Waterfront, which was produced and engineered by former member, Carroll. Australian musicologist

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

described their "rough-hewn, low-fi" work, which "presented some frantic moments, but failed to capture the band's live firepower." It provided a single, "Destroyer", with its "free-jazz explorations" reminiscent of '' Fun House''-era the Stooges. The quartet issued their cover version of the Undertones' "

Teenage Kicks "Teenage Kicks" is the debut single by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. Written in the summer of 1977 by J.J. O'Neill, the band's rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter, the song was recorded on 15 June 1978 and initially rele ...

" (1992). They toured to Melbourne supporting fellow punk band, Bored and became that group's label mates when they were signed with

Dog Meat Dog meat, also known as fragrant meat or simply fragrant, is the meat derived from dogs. Historically human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world. In the 21st century, dog meat is consumed to a limited extent in ...

. Splatterheads recorded their next album, ''Bot, the Album'' (August 1993), with co-producers John Nolan (of Bored) and Joel Silbersher. Before it appeared Scott was replaced on drums by Marty "Bungle" Herbert. McFarlane found it, "closer to being a truer representation of their overall sound." From February 1995 the four-piece undertook a European tour supporting American bands

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the ba ...

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

and

Big Chief "Big Chief" is a song recorded by Professor Longhair.Berry/Foose/Jones, ''Up from the Cradle of Jazz''. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009, p. 148. It was released as a single by Watch Records of New Orleans in February, 1965.

. During that tour they recorded their performances for a live album, ''Joined at the Head'' (August 1996), which was issued via German-based label, Subway. Upon return to Australia, Faulkner relocated to Melbourne and Splatterheads disbanded. Splatterheads reformed in 2010 and appeared at

Sydney Fringe Festival The Sydney Fringe Festival is the largest independent arts festival in New South Wales with over 450 events presented in over 70 venues across Greater Sydney each year during September. It encompasses genres such as stand-up comedy, music, theat ...

. They released a compilation of 1990s live performances, ''Splatter Platter'' (2010). The line-up of Faulkner, Fletcher and Herbert were joined by Matt Oliver on bass guitar and performed in September 2012.

Members

* Adrian Carroll – guitar * Simon "Sly" Faulkner ( Sly T-Bone) – guitar, vocals * Christo Fletcher ( Big Guy) – vocals, guitar * Micky Scott – drums * Peter "PT" Thompson – bass guitar * Marty "Bungle" Herbert – drums * Matt Oliver – bass guitar

Discography

Albums

* ''Ink of a Mad Man's Pen'' (October 1989) Waterfront – * ''Bot, the Album'' (August 1993) –

* ''Joined at the Head'' (1996) – Subway

Compilation albums

* ''Splatterheads'' (1992) – Dog Meat * ''Splatter Platter'' (2010)

Extended plays

* ''The Filthy Mile'' (1988) – Splatter Rock

Singles

* "Destroyer" (1990) * "

" (1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Splatterheads 1987 establishments in Australia Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups from Sydney