Fat Dog are an English band, consisting of Joe Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Jacqui Wheeler and Johnny "Doghead" Hutch. The band formed in 2020 in South East London.

Music career

Fat Dog was formed during the

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

. Prior to releasing any singles, the band became known for their boisterous live performances, with Gary Ryan of

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

describing them as "2023's wildest live band". In 2023, they signed to

Domino Recording Company Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called ...

. They opened for bands such as

Viagra Boys Viagra Boys is a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm in 2015. The line-up currently consists of lead singer Sebastian Murphy alongside musicians Linus Hillborg (guitar), Elias Jungqvist (keyboards), Henrik Höckert (bass), Tor Sjödén (drums), ...

and

Yard Act Yard Act are a British rock band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, composed of James Smith (vocals, lyrics), Ryan Needham (bass), Sam Shipstone (guitar) and Jay Russell (drums). Their debut album, '' The Overload'', was released on 21 January 2022 and ...

, and sold out Scala on their debut headline tour. They were named part of

DIY Magazine ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

's "Class of 2024" and performed at its launch show that year. The band's first single, "King of the Slugs", was released in August 2023. The song, a seven minute long track combining punk and techno music, was co-produced by Love and James Ford, and was accompanied by a music video directed by Dylan Coates. The song was named at number 33 on

's list of the best 50 songs of 2023. A follow-up single, "All the Same", was released in January 2024, accompanied by a music video featuring Neil Bell. A remixed version of ''All the Same'' by

Mandy, Indiana Mandy, Indiana are an English-French noise rock band based between Manchester and Berlin, formed in 2018. The band's lineup consists of vocalist and lyricist Valentine Caulfield, guitarist and producer Scott Fair, synth player Simon Catling, and d ...

was released the following month. Drummer Johnny Hutch got the nickname of "Doghead" from drumming in every gig with a latex dog mask on his head. He has stated that being on the autistic spectrum, it has helped him overcome anxieties while playing to an audience. The band made their US debut by playing

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in 2024. They played at End of the Road Festival in 2023 and the Borderline Festival in Dublin in February 2024. The tour with English band Sports Team in late 2022 was the first tour featuring the current line up. Their debut album, '' WOOF.'', was released on September 6, 2024.

Musical influences

Fat Dog's music has been described as containing elements of

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

; frontman Joe Love has cited the music from

Serious Sam ''Serious Sam'' is a video game series created and primarily developed by Croteam. It consists predominantly of first-person shooters. The series follows the advances of Sam "Serious" Stone against Mental, an extraterrestrial overlord who att ...

as having influenced the band's sound.

Members

Current members * Joe Love – vocals and guitar (2020–present) * Johnny "Doghead" Hutch - drums and percussion (2020–2024; Hiatus) * Chris Hughes – keyboards and synths (2022–present) * Morgan Wallace – saxophone and keyboard (2022–present) * Jacqui Wheeler – bass (2024–present) Former members * Ben Harris – bass (2020–2024) * Jazz Grant – vocals and keys (2020–2022) * Will Cox – keyboards and synths (2020–2022) Touring Members * Ellis D - drums (2024-present)

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

{{Authority control English musical quintets Musical groups from London Musical groups established in 2020 2020 establishments in England Domino Recording Company artists