Biography

UV Pøp (or "Ultra Violent Pop") was a post-punk group from the South Yorkshire region of England formed in the early 1980s by John K. White. White had been providing the musical backing for a floundering vocal group called the I Scream Boys, and launched UV Pøp as a one-man band when the other project failed to gather any momentum. The first recorded output was a single produced by the members of Cabaret Voltaire, which led UV Pøp to exposure and more gigs. The band, consisting of White singing over pre-recorded backup tapes, opened shows in support of Nico, In the Nursery, and the then-unknowns Pulp and Culture Club. The single also gained mass exposure through frequent spins on John Peel's radio show. The band's debut LP, No Songs Tomorrow, was released in 1983. Its bleak post-punk/pre-goth dirges and early found-sound experiments were met with critical acclaim, and the initial run sold out quickly. A follow-up record came with 1986's Bendy Baby Man. The group had expanded to a more traditional band by then, and White & co. scored an underground hit with the darkly catchy "Serious." The band was silent for the next few decades, White still working on recordings and considering the band's dormancy more a hiatus than a breakup. In that time No Songs Tomorrow became a huge post-punk collectors item, with rare original copies fetching big sums from vinyl freaks worldwide. In 2011, Brooklyn label Sacred Bones reissued the band's first single as well as No Songs Tomorrow, and in 2012 the label brought a revitalized UV Pøp to the States to play some of their first-ever New York City shows. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi