View source for The Popguns

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = The Popguns
| image             = The Popguns.jpg
| caption           = The Popguns at [[Indietracks]] 2014.
| image_size        =
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = [[Brighton]], [[England]]
| genre             = [[Indie pop]], alternative rock
| years_active      = 1986–1996, 2012–present
| label             = Medium Cool, Midnight Music, 3rd Stone, Matinee
| associated_acts   =
| website           = http://www.popguns.net/ Official site
| current_members   = Wendy Morgan<br />Simon Pickles<br />Greg Dixon<br />Pat Walkington<br />Kate Mander<br />Ken Brotherston
| past_members      = Shaun Charman<br />Bill Cox<br />Mike Morgan<br />Paul F Bonham<br />Tony Bryant
}}
'''The Popguns''' are an English [[indie rock]] band, which played a part in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Indie pop]] scene. Originally from [[Brighton]], [[East Sussex]], they formed in 1986 by [[vocalist]] Wendy Morgan, [[Electric guitar|guitarists]] Simon Pickles and Greg Dixon plus [[Bass guitar|bassist]] Pat Walkington, and were joined by Shaun Charman, the former [[Drum kit|drummer]] for [[The Wedding Present]] in 1988.<ref name="Larkinindie">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-579-4|page=216}}</ref>
==History==
Their first release, "Where Do You Go?", came in the form of a split [[flexi disc]] (with How Many Beans Make Five?) given away free with an issue of a local [[zine]] in 1988.<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}, p. 923</ref> The next year this was followed by the single "Landslide", (released by [[Medium Cool Records]]), which reached number 20 on the [[UK Indie Chart]],<ref name="Lazell">{{cite book |last=Lazell |first=Barry |title=Indie Hits 1980-1999 |year= 1997 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=0-9517206-9-4 }}</ref> and made it to No.&nbsp;46 on [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] [[Music radio|radio]] [[Disc jockey|DJ]] [[John Peel]]'s annual Festive Fifty list for that year. The singles "Waiting for the Winter" (1989) and "Someone You Love" ([[1990 in music|1990]]) featured on their debut album, ''Eugenie'' (also 1990), released by the record label Midnight Music.<ref name="Strong" /> The single "Still a World Away" preceded second album ''Snog'', which was followed by the [[Extended play|EP]]s ''XXX'' and ''Crazy'' (all released in 1991).<ref name="Strong" /> Charman left, leaving the group on a brief hiatus which saw them lose a significant amount of their media coverage. The single "Star" saw them debut for their new label, 3rd Stone, who released their third album, ''Love Junky'' (1995), which also contained the 1995 single "Get Out". The final album of their early years, ''A Plus de Cent'' (1996) – which features the [[French language]] version of their last single, "Harley Davidson" – was released by Tall Poppy Records.
2012 saw the band resume live performances with six gigs in that year and a further two in 2013. At least four new songs were included in these performances. A three-track 7″ single, "Lovejunky", was released in late 2014, followed by a new album, ''Pop Fiction'', on Matinée Recordings.<ref name="AMG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/popguns-mn0000488005/biography|title=Popguns &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref> Soundblab ranked the album at Number 2 on their Top 10 Releases of 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Penczak|first1=Jeff|title=A WRITER'S TOP 10 RELEASES OF 2014|url=https://soundblab.com/articles/5359-jeff-penczak-a-writer-s-top-10-releases-of-2014|website=Soundblab.com|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> Another single, "Still Waiting for the Winter", was also taken from ''Pop Fiction''. The band have continued to tour and record new material, and released the single "So Long" in May 2017, followed in the same year by the album ''Sugar Kisses''.<ref name="AMG"/>
==Discography==
===Albums===
*''Eugenie'' (1990), Midnight Music
*''Snog'' (1991), Midnight Music
*''Love Junky'' (1995), 3rd Stone
*''Pop Fiction'' (2014), Matinee Recordings
*''Sugar Kisses'' (2017), Matinee Recordings<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/popguns-mn0000488005/discography|title=Popguns &#124; Album Discography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref>
===Compilation albums===
*''À Plus de Cent'' (1996), Tall Poppy
*''Another Year, Another Address . . . the Best of the Midnight Years'' (1996), [[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]
===Compilation appearances===
*''Rough Trade Shops - Indiepop 1'' (2004) Rough Trade Shops
*''[[Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980–1989]]'' (2013), [[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]
===Singles and EPs===
*"Where Do You Go?" (1988), La-Di-Da - flexi-disc split with How Many Beans Make 5?
*"Landslide" (1989), [[Medium Cool Records|Medium Cool]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080111021541/http://mediumcool.blog.co.uk/2006/11/06/intro~1302769] {{dead link|date=June 2021}}</ref> - UK Indie No.&nbsp;20<ref name="Lazell" />
*"Waiting for the Winter" (1989), Midnight Music
*"Someone You Love" (1990), Midnight Music
*"Still a World Away" (1991), Midnight Music
*''XXX'' EP (1991), Midnight Music
*''Crazy'' EP (1991), Midnight Music
*"Star" (1994), 3rd Stone
*''Get Out'' EP (1995), 3rd Stone
*"Harley Davidson" (1996), 3rd Stone
*"Lovejunky" (2014), Matinee Recordings
*"Still Waiting for the Winter" (2015), Matinee Recordings
*"So Long" (2017), Matinee Recordings
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.popguns.net/ Official site]
* [https://thepopguns.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp Site]
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[[Category:English indie rock groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Brighton and Hove]]