Wonk Unit, the unique punk phenomenon from the South London town of Croydon, are back with a new single as they prepare to head out on tour again.
The band, who are one of the biggest names in the DIY punk underground, have released Cyclists, which reveals their disdain for two-wheeled nuisances.
Frontman Alex Johnson reveals the inspiration behind the song: “Last summer, en route to a festival on some country lane, we were unfortunate enough to get stuck behind two cyclists – yes, two abreast.
“Did they care about the motorcade snaking behind them? Course not! Go read the Highway Code – two abreast is cool, but only in certain situations. Do not obstruct the flow of traffic. It’s the rules.
“So, I was tapping my hands on the dashboard when the funk took hold: “Cyclists riding two abreast blocking traffic, blocking traffic.” Then I did some rapping (but thankfully that never made it onto the single.)
“After about three months the cyclists decided to fix a puncture and we made it to the festival. By then the song was already a Wonk winner in the van! We jammed it in soundcheck and was a hit in our set later that night. The end.”
The end result is just over two minutes of typically weird wonk music that once ingested, is almost impossible to get out of your head. Combined with a video that perfectly captures the song’s message, it’s another winner to add to the band’s growing catalogue.
You can get the Cyclists single here.
Wonk
Unit are now on their ninth album, curate their own successful festival, Wonkfest, and are fuelled by
their own pro-active DIY ethos and sound, artwork and imagery.
The roots of Wonk Unit stretch back
to 1992 with a band called The Flying Medallions who were young, dumb and up
for fun, courting chaos and controversy at a time when punk was very much dead
in the UK. Wonk Unit formed in
2005 and have been creating their own ever-expanding world of sound, colour,
art and weirdness ever since.
Wonk Unit are touring the UK in the next few weeks, as follows:
Nov 29 – The Angel Microbrewery, Nottingham
Dec 1 – Crowleys Bar, Hastings
Dec 6 – Redrum, Stafford
Dec 7 – Star & Garter, Manchester
Dec 11 – The Parish, Huddersfield
Dec 12 – Trillians, Newcastle
Dec 13 – Broadcast, Glasgow
Dec 14 – Beat Generator Live, Dundee
Dec 15 – Ye Olde John O’Gaunt, Lancaster
