| The Martini Henry Rifles | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Cardiff, Wales |
| Genre: | Noise, punk, alternative rock |
| Years Active: | 2000–2006 |
| Label: | FF Vinyl (2003 - 2006) |
| Past Members: | Ewen "Fudge" Wilson Jason Lorch Richard "Cez" Mathias Chris Warlow |
The Martini Henry Rifles were a British noise-punk band based in Cardiff, Wales.
Most of their quoted influences are noise and punk (most noticeably Brainiac, whose influence is clear in the Martinis' work), hence the most common noise-punk genre classification. Drowned In Sound likened them to fellow Cardiff band Mclusky, as well as ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead,[1] while Western Telegraph described their album's sound as "Albini-PIL-Superchunk-Pussy Galore howls of pure pop noise fury".[2] Manchester Evening News described the band's live show as "a a sugar rush of Dead Kennedys' bile, Ikara Colt's thrash and Beastie Boys attitude".[3] More Mclusky and Ikara Colt comparisons came from Uncut, which grouped them in with "2002’s scuzzy punk uprising" of which those acts were a part.[4]
The band themselves never put any kind of genre label on its work, while on the other hand some people just choose to describe its sound as "chaotic", mostly derived from very energetic live performances.
In late 2000, Cez Mathias and Jason Lorch advertised in a record shop to find musicians. Chris Warlow responded and some months later "Fudge" Wilson joined to complete the line-up. They started by using the name Luxinterior until April 2001, when The Martini Henry Rifles was finally chosen.
In November 2001, they released the limited edition single "Kill"/"Summer"/"Shit". It attracted the attention of Sean McClusky, who released the Martinis' subsequent "Luger 6000" single and became their manager. The band appeared on McClusky's Sonic Mook Experiment compilation Future Rock & Roll.
In 2003, they signed with the independent label FF Vinyl. The BBC reported that the band had requested that their contract be signed at a lapdancing club called Fantasy Lounge.[5] In December 2003, they released the single "And Then We Hit A Truck", just before taking on a break to record their first album.
In November 2004, after almost a year of recording and remixing, Superbastard was released. After finishing the album, Lorch, the drummer, left the band to emigrate to Australia and pursue other interests, and they began using a drum machine as a replacement.
In February 2005 the band released the Slash The Seats (Culprit One Remixes) as the fourth single from Superbastard, which the South Wales Argus described as a move "towards a richer, more produced sound".[6]
In May 2005, the band's BBC Radio 1 live session prompted complaints from a Romani support group. The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit concluded that the inclusion of a track called Gyppo kids ate my hamster on their website was a mistake.[7]
In the first few months of 2006 they recorded and prepared the release of a second album. Their final EP, Infomercial, was released on FF Vinyl Records at the start of 2006. In late April 2006, the members informed fans on their MySpace website that they had decided to put an end to the band. No reasons were given.
Wilson now plays bass guitar in Exit International, which has toured the UK extensively as well as touring in Europe and Japan. He is the owner of Sound Space Studios in Cardiff and works as a sound engineer and producer. Warlow is a member of The Milk Race and regularly plays all over the UK. Wilson often appears with the Milk Race to play additional guitar for their live shows.
2000 - 2004:
2004 - 2006: