Attila The Stockbroker Barnstormer 30th Anniversary Party– John Blaine AKA Attila says – “When I started Attila in 1980 as a solo poet and musician, I always knew I’d form a band one day as well, with the idea of combining early music and punk. That finally happened in 1994, thanks to Brighton’s punk music hall maestros The Fish Brothers, who basically joined en masse – ever present M.M. McGhee on drums, the late, great Dan Woods on lead guitar, Martin Fish on rhythm guitar, and for our first two gigs,Captain Sensible on bass. Our first gig was on November 5 1994 at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford – we were called Flounder, after the flatfish, but that wasn’t a good name – and after a tour of Germany as Die Erbrechenden Rotkehlchen (The Vomiting Robins) which wasn’t a good name either, I settled on Barnstormer, adding the 1649 for our last and best album ‘Restoration Tragedy’ in 2018, which finally realised the early music-punk idea in full. Hundreds of gigs, mainly in mainland Europe, huge amounts of fun, five albums and lots of beer! And the current line up are still all also members of the Fish Brothers (AND Too Many Crooks!) Sean the Hippy – guitar, Captain Cook – bass and M/M.McGhee on drums. For this special celebration I have recruited two long time compadres, each with his own unique take on the world: scientist, comedian, poet and bibliophile ROBIN INCE and the Greatest Living Englishman himself, poet, songwriter and Cleaners from Venus front man Martin Newell, who has been producing wonderful music for forty years and whose latest album ‘Lilli Bolero’ is an absolute work of genius.
Source: Dublin Castle website