Citizen Fish

Citizen Fish are a punk band from Bath, England, formed in 1990 by vocalist Dick Lucas once his previous bands, Subhumans and Culture Shock, had run their course. Where a lot of UK punk from that era leaned on nihilism, Citizen Fish took a different route: the songs are just as angry about consumerism, conformity, and ecological damage, but they carry an odd optimism too, a sense that daily choices still matter and connection is still worth reaching for.

The sound mixes hardcore punk urgency with dub bass lines, ska horns and off-kilter rhythm changes, giving the band a groove that a lot of their peers didn't have. Over three decades and eight studio albums they've built a loyal following on the DIY punk circuit across the UK, Europe and the US, playing squats and clubs alongside the bigger festival stages.

The band still tours and records today. For gig dates, new releases, and whatever else the band's up to, their Facebook page is the best place to check.

Group Members

The founding line-up paired Dick Lucas (vocals) with Jasper (bass), Trotsky (drums) and Larry (guitar); Phil took over on guitar shortly after the debut album, and Silas replaced Trotsky on drums in the mid-2000s. The current core band is Dick, Phil, Jasper and Silas, rounded out on horns by Matt Dowse (trombone) and, depending on which side of the Atlantic they're playing, either Alex Gordon (trumpet/sax) for UK dates or Miguel and Jessica Mills (trumpet/sax) for US dates.

Discography

There's also a run of EPs and splits worth tracking down: Disposable Dream (1992), the Citizen Fish / AOS3 split (1992), Habit (1998), Dancing on Spikes (2012) and Manmade (2015), plus the split album Deadline (2007) recorded with New York's Leftöver Crack.

Subhumans

Before Citizen Fish, Dick Lucas fronted the Subhumans, formed in 1980 around Warminster and Melksham in Wiltshire. Grouped under the hardcore and anarcho-punk banner, the Subhumans wrote fast, sharp songs about state control, media manipulation and the absurdities of daily life, and became one of the more enduring names to come out of that scene. They split in the mid-1980s but reformed in the 2000s and have kept playing and recording since. Tour dates and news show up on the band's Facebook page.

Subhumans Members

The classic and current line-up is Dick Lucas (lead vocals, piano), Bruce Treasure (guitar, backing vocals), Phil Bryant (bass) and Trotsky (drums) — the same Trotsky who later played in Citizen Fish's early years.

Subhumans Discography