The Moonies were an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band from Liverpool, England, active from 2001 to 2005. The band comprised singer/guitarist Steve Banks, singer/bassist Ryan Clarke, guitarist Steve Charmley, and drummer Mike Berry.

History

Banks, Clarke, and Berry were members of the Moggs, who released an album titled ''Sweet Corn & Soft Porn'' for Foulplay Records in 2000. After losing their recording contract, the band recruited Charmley in 2001 and adopted the name Moonies as a tribute to

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...

. The band signed with

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

under this name and was known for its

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

-oriented sound, as well as lyrics and fashion styles reminiscent of 1960s British rock. The band released several singles in the UK starting in 2002 and launched the album ''It's Amazing!'' in Japan in 2003. They toured the UK multiple times with

the Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They ...

and recorded an unreleased song featuring Buzzcocks singer

Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early Punk rock, punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist ...

. Charmley departed from the Moonies in 2004, followed by Banks in 2005, after which the group disbanded.

Members

*Steve Banks (vocals/guitar) *Ryan Clarke (vocals/bass) *Mike Berry (drums) *Steve Charmley (guitar)

Discography

Albums * ''The Rock and Roll'' EP (EP, 2003) * ''It's Amazing!'' (2003) Singles * "Blue' (2002) * "Cool" (2002) * "I Would Give It All Up for Your Love" (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moonies, The English alternative rock groups Alternative rock groups from Liverpool