Biography

UK indie guitar outfit The Popguns emerged in 1988 as singer Wendy Pickles, guitarists Simon Pickles (primary songwriter) and Greg Dixon, bassist Pat Walkington and drummer Shaun Charman. Debut single Landslide was released on Medium Cool and featured in the John Peel Festive 50 of 1989. Nationwide gigs and favourable music press reviews established them as part of the upcoming indie-pop scene, with particular a penchant for melody, passion and heartfelt lyrics. In 1990 a singles compilation album Eugenie received 5-star reviews in UK papers such as Sounds and included their best known song Waiting For The Winter which gets regular outings on BBC 6 Music radio. 1991’s SNOG features the fans’ favourite Bye Bye Baby, which still prompts a rousing sing-along at gigs. Then Lovejunky in 1995 included the single Star which got daytime play on BBC Radio 1 but also signalled a 20 year hiatus. In 2012 they regrouped with new drummer Tony Bryant and began playing live again before a 4th album, Pop Fiction, was released in 2014 on US label Matinee. This was massively well received by fans and indie-blogs, described by one as “wall to wall hits from returning indie-heroes”. Sugar Kisses followed in 2017. Now in 2023 the new single Caesar (and drummer Ken Brotherston) is an epic pop-rush of soaring strings and an infectiously yearning chorus, describing an imperfect world reluctantly passed onto the next generations. A 4-track EP POPISM is lined up to follow this summer.