The Leeds Gig Guide

Band Biography for Lowlife UK:

Lowlife UK formed in Bradford, UK in March 1995 after one of those "drunken conversations in a pub" that starts so many bands. Early gigs involved a lot of booze and a raucous shambles of short blasts of hardcore noise, but soon gave way to a Boston-influenced hardcore punk sound that appeared on their 1998 CD "On Your Knees...". By this time, the line-up had settled down with founding members Beaker and Stoney on vocals and guitar respectively, Mickey Knowles (formerly of Anti-System) on bass, and Dave Thompson on drums. By this time they were playing support slots with most of the hardcore bands that toured the UK, including a UK and US tour with New York's Murphy's Law.

Shortly afterwards, Stoney left the band and was replaced by Paul Mason, formerly of Leeds punks Lemon Enema. Their second CD "Born To Booze" followed shortly after in 2000 and showcased a more punk and Oi! influenced sound. The album was less well-produced than On Your Knees, but went down well with fans.

Two years later, Dave also left and was replaced with Gareth Pugh, one-time drummer with UK hardcore legends Voorhees. Within the year, Mickey had also left and was replaced with fellow Lemon Enema bassist Andy Partington. This line-up recorded the band's third album "Barstool Preaching" in 2003 with former Cardiacs drummer Mark Cawthra. This time, the band had shifted its sound towards a meld of hardcore and rock.

"That's Just How It Is" followed in 2006 in a similar vein, which included the band's most popular track "Fuck You", although this didn't translate into awards or platinum sales. An album of covers titled "Desert Island Dicks" appeared about a year later, featuring tracks originally by the likes of Clutch, Motorhead, Ween, Cardiacs, Cockney Rebel et al.

The band's most recent album "The Hypnotised Never Lie" was released in 2008

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