View source for Mclusky

{{Short description|Post-hardcore band}}
{{redirect|Best (band)|the supergroup|The Best (band)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2007}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| image               = [[File:Mclusky 2000Trees 220709.jpg|300px]]
| caption             = Mclusky at [[Two Thousand Trees Festival|2000trees Festival]] in July 2022,<br> (l-r) Falkous, Egglestone, Sayell
| name                = Mclusky
| background          = group_or_band
| alias               = {{plainlist|
* Best (1996–1999)
* 'mclusky' (2014–2015)
* mclusky* (2015–2020)
}}
| origin              = [[Cardiff]], Wales
| genre               = [[Post-hardcore]], [[noise rock]]
| years_active        = 1996–2005, 2014–present 
| label               = [[Too Pure]], [[Ipecac Recordings|Ipecac]]
| spinoffs            = [[Future of the Left]], [[Shooting At Unarmed Men]], Poor People, Christian Fitness, Harmony, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion
| website             =
| current_members     = [[Andrew Falkous]]<br />Jack Egglestone<br />Damien Sayell
| past_members        = Geraint Bevan<br />Mat Harding<br />Jonathan Chapple<br />Julia Ruzicka
}}
'''Mclusky''' (often stylized as '''mclusky'''), originally known as '''Best''', are a British [[post-hardcore]] band formed in [[Cardiff]] in 1996. The group originally consisted of [[Andrew Falkous]] (vocals, guitar), originally from [[Newcastle upon Tyne]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://welshbandsweekly.com/english/articles/interviews/mclusky9half.html |title=Welsh Bands Weekly - interview with Mclusky |access-date=2010-10-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718024412/http://welshbandsweekly.com/english/articles/interviews/mclusky9half.html |archive-date=18 July 2011}}</ref> Geraint Bevan (bass) and Matthew Harding (drums); the latter two were replaced by Jonathan Chapple and Jack Egglestone in 1997 and late 2003 respectively. The band released three studio albums before splitting in 2005, reconvening in 2014 – without Chapple – under the monikers '''{{'}}mclusky{{'}}''' and '''mclusky*''', before ultimately dropping the asterisk.

==History==
According to the band, they originally formed in 1996 when Falkous and Harding met at the Blackwood Miners Institute, a venue in their home town. The pair met Chapple a short time afterwards at the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading Festival]] when they caught him urinating on their tent late in the night.

More realistically it has been suggested that Falkous and Harding met when working together at [[Anglian Windows]], a small double-glazing [[call centre]] in Cardiff. They discussed their musical ambitions after a conversation about Reading Festival, Falkous gave Harding a tape of songs he had written on his own, and shortly after they formed a band called Best after early [[The Beatles|Beatles]] drummer [[Pete Best]]. The original bass player for Best was Geraint Bevan, Harding's old musical comrade from The Derelicts.

Best existed in this form for almost a year before Bevan left to concentrate on his acting career, but not before Best had played a show with a band called 'Myrtle', which featured the bass guitarist Jon Chapple.

Shortly after the departure of Bevan, the remaining two members managed to convince Chapple to join the band; this was based on the strength of the three track demo Best had recently finished at 'Ocean Studios' in Cardiff (this cassette – which was sold by the band themselves – was the unofficial debut, entitled the ''Benedict EP'').

Best signed to London label Seriously Groovy and released their official debut record, the 3-track single "Huwuno".

The band changed its name to Mclusky in 1999, releasing their first album ''[[My Pain and Sadness is More Sad and Painful Than Yours]]'' in 2000 on the Fuzzbox imprint before drawing international attention with their critically praised second album ''[[Mclusky Do Dallas]]'' in 2002. In 2004 they released their third album ''[[The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire]]'' to positive reviews.

They worked frequently with recording engineer [[Steve Albini]].

===Breakup===
The band called it quits on 7 January 2005, with Falkous making the following announcement on the band's website three days later:

:The three piece rock band known as mclusky have disbanded, as of Friday 7 January 2005. The reason for this parting is private, though probably not as entertaining as you'd imagine. Personally, I would like to thank all the people, places and times that occurred on or near us. I'm grateful for the love and to a lesser degree, the hate. There'll be more music soon, from all of us.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Little was said of the reasons behind Mclusky's split, but it later emerged that tensions had arisen between Falkous and Chapple. The root of these tensions can be traced back to an incident in 2004 when all of the band's equipment was stolen on the [[Arizona]] leg of their American tour (this equipment – worth over £5000 – was never recovered).{{cn|date=January 2024}}

===New bands and reunion===
A compilation of the band's singles, ''[[Mcluskyism]]'', came out in February 2006; a limited-edition version came with two additional CDs of [[A-side and B-side|B-sides]] (labelled as B-sides and C-sides), rarities and live recordings from their final headline performance at the [[University of London Union]] (The band would make one further live appearance on 01/12/04 supporting [[Shellac (band)|Shellac]] at the Scala in London). This compilation is, without doubt, the final chapter in Mclusky's nine-year saga, as Falkous informs in the ''Mcluskyism'' [[liner notes]], "that's it, then. No farewell tour... no premature deaths (at time of writing), no live DVDs..."

The first Mclusky member to release material after the band's demise was Chapple, with his outfit [[Shooting at Unarmed Men]] – Chapple had dabbled with the band as a side project to Mclusky in the years prior, and wasted little time in making it his first priority after Mclusky disbanded. The band released two albums before Chapple emigrated to Australia in 2006. He has since revived the band in Australia with a new lineup, and released another album with the Australian lineup. Shooting at Unarmed Men disbanded shortly after the release of ''With The Youthful Energy of a Zealot''. Chapple played drums with [[Melbourne, Victoria|Melbourne]] band Poor People until 2012, and played bass and provided backing vocals for the six-piece outfit Harmony, which also featured Tom Lyngcoln of [[The Nation Blue]].

After Falkous had conducted a handful of interviews discussing the then-fresh Mclusky breakup, he and Egglestone were not heard from publicly for a number of months. Almost immediately, rumours began to swell that the pair were collaborating with some members of also-defunct Cardiff noise-core act [[Jarcrew]] (the project, which received no official title for eighteen months, was jokingly referred to as "Jarclusky") – however, the full extent of the collaboration was not known until Falkous created an unassuming MySpace page for the group under the name [[Future of the Left]], complete with unpolished recordings of the band's first songs. The outfit have since incorporated members of now-defunct British punk rock act Million Dead, and have (after several years of resistance from Falkous) started including Mclusky tracks in their live sets.

In 2014, Falkous announced a benefit gig to help save venue Le Pub in Newport on November 8, 2014, with a lineup consisting of Jarcrew and a set of mclusky songs played by Falkous and Jack Egglestone, joined by Future of the Left bassist Julia Ruzicka and Damien Sayell, vocalist of Bristol band The St. Pierre Snake Invasion. This lineup has been referred to by Falco as 'mclusky' (with inverted commas) and announced a second concert at Clwb Ifor Bach on November 15, 2014 upon the quick sale of all tickets for the Newport event. Since, they have played another 'closing venue' benefit gig, in London at the soon-to-close [[The Buffalo Bar|Buffalo Bar]]. The following year, mclusky were announced alongside Future of the Left in the lineup of British music festival [[2000trees]].

Then known as Mclusky* (the asterisk in reference to missing members), the band reformed to play The Garage in London on 3 December 2015 to raise money for cancer research<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2015/10/21/mclusky-to-play-a-one-off-charity-fundraiser-in-london|title=Mclusky* to play a one-off charity fundraiser in London|website=Diymag.com|date=21 October 2015 |access-date=2020-06-08}}</ref> with Rat the Magnificent (featuring Ian Catskilkin of [[Art Brut]]). The band have continued to play since, with Sayell ultimately being brought in as bassist as well as a vocalist. In July 2020, Falkous announced plans to record a new Mclusky album. The asterisk was ultimately dropped, confirming the return to the official moniker.

In April 2022, the band announced a commemorative 20-year anniversary tour of ''Mclusky Do Dallas''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Alex |title=Mclusky announce 'Mclusky Do Dallas' 20th anniversary Australian tour |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/mclusky-announce-mclusky-do-dallas-20th-anniversary-australian-tour-3195343 |website=NME |date=April 2022 |publisher=BandLab Technologies |access-date=1 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Leas |first1=Ryan |title=Mclusky Announce First US Shows In 18 Years |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2181893/mclusky-american-tour-2022/news/ |website=Stereogum |date=April 2022 |publisher=Stereogum Media |access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref> This tour, along with the band's Australian dates, was later postponed to early 2024 due to a health issue for Falkous.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cocoran |first1=Nina |title=Mclusky Postpone 2022 North American Tour |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mclusky-postpone-2022-north-american-tour/ |website=Pitchfork |date=26 November 2022 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Alex |title=Mclusky postpone Australian tour due to frontman Falco's health issues |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/mclusky-announce-mclusky-do-dallas-20th-anniversary-australian-tour-3195343 |website=NME Australia |date=4 December 2022 |publisher=BandLab Technologies |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref> 

In September 2023, the band released a four-track EP – their first new music in 19 years – entitled "Unpopular Parts of a Pig". Its title track, as well as the second track "The Digger You Deep", were said at the time to be lifted from the band's fourth studio album.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |title=Mclusky Return With First New Songs in 19 Years: Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mclusky-return-with-first-new-songs-in-19-years-listen/ |website=Pitchfork |date=14 September 2023 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref> This was ultimately confirmed in February 2025, when the band formally announced the album, ''[[The World Is Still Here and So Are We]]''. It was released on 9 May 2025 via [[Mike Patton]]'s [[Ipecac Recordings]]. A new single, "Way of the Exploding Dickhead", was also released.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |title=Mclusky Return With First Album in 20 Years, Share Video for New Song: Watch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mclusky-return-with-first-album-in-20-years-share-video-for-new-song-watch/ |website=Pitchfork |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=12 February 2025}}</ref>

==Members==
;Current line-up
*Andy "Falco" Falkous – vocals, guitar <small>(1996–2005, 2014–present)</small>
*Jack Egglestone – drums <small>(2003–2005, 2014–present)</small>
*Damien Sayell – vocals <small>(2014–present)</small>, bass <small>(2018–present)</small>

;Former members
*Geraint Bevan –  bass <small>(1996–1997)</small>
*Matthew Harding – drums <small>(1996–2003)</small>
*John Chapple – bass, vocals <small>(1997–2005)</small>
*Julia Ruzicka – bass <small>(2014–2018)</small>

;Timeline
{{#tag:timeline|
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Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/09/1996 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1997

Colors =
 id:vocals    value:red       legend:Vocals
 id:guitar    value:green     legend:Guitar
 id:bass      value:blue      legend:Bass
 id:drums     value:orange    legend:Drums
 id:Lines1    value:black     legend:Studio_album
 id:bars      value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

BarData =
 bar:Falco      text:"Andy 'Falco' Falkous"
 bar:Sayell     text:"Damien Sayell"
 bar:Bevan      text:"Geraint Bevan"
 bar:Chapple    text:"John Chapple"
 bar:Ruzika     text:"Julia Ruzicka"
 bar:Harding    text:"Matthew Harding"
 bar:Egglestone text:"Jack Egglestone"

LineData =
 at:13/11/2000  color:Lines1  layer:back
 at:01/04/2002  color:Lines1  layer:back
 at:17/04/2004  color:Lines1  layer:back
 at:09/05/2025  color:Lines1  layer:back

PlotData=
 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Falco      from:start      till:07/01/2005 color:vocals
 bar:Falco      from:01/10/2014 till:end        color:vocals
 bar:Harding    from:start      till:01/06/2003 color:drums
 bar:Egglestone from:01/10/2014 till:end        color:drums
 bar:Egglestone from:01/06/2003 till:07/01/2005 color:drums
 bar:Bevan      from:start      till:01/06/1997 color:bass
 bar:Chapple    from:01/06/1997 till:07/01/2005 color:bass
 bar:Ruzika     from:01/10/2014 till:01/06/2018 color:bass
 bar:Sayell     from:01/10/2014 till:01/06/2018 color:vocals
 bar:Sayell     from:01/06/2018 till:end        color:bass
 width:3
 bar:Falco      from:start      till:07/01/2005 color:guitar
 bar:Falco      from:01/10/2014 till:end        color:guitar
 bar:Chapple    from:01/06/1997 till:07/01/2005 color:vocals
 bar:Sayell     from:01/06/2018 till:end        color:vocals
}}

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
*''[[My Pain and Sadness is More Sad and Painful Than Yours]]'' (Fuzzbox, 2000; r: [[Too Pure]], 2003)
*''[[Mclusky Do Dallas]]'' (Too Pure, 2002)
*''[[The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire]]'' (Too Pure, 2004)
*''[[The World Is Still Here and So Are We]]'' (Ipecac Recordings, 2025)

===Compilations===
*''[[Mcluskyism]]'' (Too Pure, 2006)

===Live releases===
*''Gateway Band'' (2020)

===Official single/EP releases===
* 1999 – "Huwuno" (as Best)
* 2000 – "Joy"
* 2000 – "Rice Is Nice"
* 2001 – "Whoyouknow"
* 2001 – "Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues"
* 2002 – "To Hell with Good Intentions"
* 2002 – "Alan Is a Cowboy Killer"
* 2003 – "There Ain't No Fool in Ferguson/1956 And All That"
* 2003 – "Undress for Success" (the first song played 3 times in one show by [[Colin Murray]])
* 2004 – "That Man Will Not Hang"
* 2004 – "She Will Only Bring You Happiness"
* 2023 – "Unpopular Parts of a Pig/The Digger You Deep"
* 2025 – "Way of the Exploding Dickhead"

===Demos===
* 1997 – "Benedict EP" (as Best)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.toopure.com Too Pure Records]
*[https://archive.today/20130419200331/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/genres_artists/rock_pop/mclusky_difference.shtml BBC review of ''The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire'']
*[http://www.deafsparrow.com/lost&found-mclusky.htm Extensive article on the compilation Mcluskyism]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070525060000/http://realcooltime.com/2006/04/mclusky-you-should-be-ashamed-seamus.shtml Mclusky remembered at Real Cool Time]

{{Mclusky}}
{{Future of the Left}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mclusky}}
[[Category:Welsh rock music groups]]
[[Category:Welsh noise rock groups]]
[[Category:British post-hardcore musical groups]]
[[Category:Welsh musical trios]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1996]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Cardiff]]
[[Category:Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cool Cymru]]