THE BUFF MEDWAYS

SEE ALSO: BILLY CHILDISH & THE MUSICIANS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE & THE BUFFETSTHEE HEADCOATS

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Billy Childish formed the Buff Medways in 2000. Their full name is Wild Billy Childish & The Friends of the Buff Medway Fanciers Association.

During the 19th century a breed of chicken was developed peculiar to the Medway area. The breed, now extinct, was a table bird for the London hotel market.

The BUFF MEDWAY project, based at Fort Amherst, Chatham, is attempting to recreate that ancient fowl through a selective breeding project.

The original line up was Billy on guitar and vocal, Johnny Barker (bass) and Wolf Howard (drums), both ex-Daggermen. Johnny has now left the band to be replaced by Graham Day ex of The Prisoners.

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The BUFF MEDWAYS cut a dash with their Victorian army uniforms and their vintage Vox amps. The gear may be old but as one critic wrote the band are “the snarled lip embodiment of rock’n‘roll spirit rather than nostalgia or shabby revivalism”. Live and on record The BUFF MEDWAYS are all about great songs and vibrant raw energy – no frills.

They did their first single on their own Buff Medway Records followed by the DG single ‘Don’t Hold Me Back’ (DAMGOOD188).DG188

They have now released four albums, two for Graham Coxon’s label Transcopic Records ‘Steady The Buffs’ & ‘1914’, one on ‘Vinyl Japan’ called ‘This Is This’ and their last album ‘Medway Wheelers’ is out on Damaged Goods.

DG239Check out their female alter-egos The Buffets.

The Buffs have now decided to call it a day and played their last gig to a totally sold out show at London’s Dirty Water Club on the 27th of October 2006.

Their last ever single is also on Damaged Goods called ‘The Last Of The Buff Medways’ (DAMGOOD274 – 7”)

An XFM sessions live album is available now.

STOP PRESS – THE BUFFS RE-FORMED LATE 2009 – GIGS AND RELEASES TO FOLLOW

…as Beck, one of Mr Childish’s many admirers succinctly put it: “that’s how a rock’n‘roll group should sound!”.

“The three Medways crank out almost unbearably perfect early rock’n‘roll” NME

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BILLY CHILDISH is…

“a seething, dyslexic, better-looking British Bukowski”
THE OBSERVER

“the most garage and most punk rocker alive”
NME

“a musician, artist, writer, and rabble-rouser”
DAZED & CONFUSED

More info:www.theebillychildish.com/buffmedway.htm