Guana Batz

Summer 1982 in London. The city was rocking. Out of punk and rockabilly a new musical style developed: psychobilly. More than just a genre of music, a way of life.

Many young urban rockabillies shaved the sides of their heads, pulled on Doc Martens and Domestos jeans, and listened to music by the Stingrays, the Sharks, Restless or the Ricochets. At that time a young singer named Pip Hancox met a brilliant guitarist called Stuart Osborne. Together they founded one of the first psychobilly bands: the Guana Batz. The quartet became a well-known act within the genre and quickly made a name for itself in the scene. Their first full-length album, "Held Down At Last," became known within the community. Their single "I'm on Fire" (Bruce Springsteen) sold well in the psychobilly scene and climbed into the Top Ten of the European independent charts.

In the early 1990s things quieted down around the band when Pip Hancox moved to the USA. There were rumors of a split, but in 1995 they returned to play the Wildcat Weekend in Berlin. Since then they have continued to appear on German stages at irregular intervals. In March 2018 the band released a new record for the first time in 20 years: "Back to the Jungle," on Tombstone Records.