Honey Smugglers

about

Honey Smugglers (credited as The Honey Smugglers on their first release) emerged on the London scene in late 1988, guided by front man Spence’s enigmatic take on life and powered by a neo-psychedelic backbeat of drums, bass and Vox Continental organ. Their pop sensibilities won them many admirers on the London gig scene, and they were courted by most of the major labels. In reality, however, they were perhaps too eccentric for mainstream consumption. After several false starts, they were eventually signed by Fiction in the summer of 1990 and immediately recorded the classic `Listen’ E.P. The title track was totally in sync with the `baggy’ times (although more by accident than design, the track had been written nearly two years before). The Smugglers’ live set consisted of a far more varied cornucopia of pop styles than many gave them credit for (witness the B-Sides to the EP). Following rave reviews in the music press, the band embarked on a British tour with Non Fiction label mates Eat, culminating in a spectacular sell out gig at the London Astoria, and forging inter-band relationships which lasted for many years. Despite a place in `Sounds’ Magazine Top 50 Singles of the Year for 1990, The Smugglers were unaccountably dropped by Non-Fiction. After a further EP (`Besides Which’) with new label Ultimate in early 1991, the band suffered an untimely split in the summer of that year in the midst of album sessions produced by Paul Noble from Eat. Chris Spence carried out

top songs

albums

Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

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Trigger Happy TV - Series 1

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Still In A Dream - A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

C91

Come Together: Adventures On The Indie Dancefloor 1989-1992

C90

Listen

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Trigger Happy TV Series 1 OST

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Another Pill...Another Party

Popscene: From Baggy To Britpop 1989-1994

Besides Which

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Bokadilo Mix

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