The story goes that Guana Batz were formed by singer Pip Hancox after he clocked an early Meteors show at the Hope & Anchor, and made their debut supporting the mighty King Kurt at Feltham Football Club in 1983. In strictly psychobilly terms, it’s the sort of start that suggested the Batz could hardly go wrong. And they didn’t, becoming major players on the scene via indie chart hits You’re So Fine and The Cave, released on Big Beat in 1983 and 1984 respectively. A move to ID consolidated their position with their 1985 indie No 1 album, Held Down To Vinyl… At Last, and this happy state of success continued until 1994, when Hancox moved to America.
From the start, Get Around was intended to be their last album, with Hancox only flying back from the States to add vocals to the backing tracks. Not exactly promising circumstances, then, but it’s the sound of a band anxious to go out on a high. Hancox is in fine, playful form, and the songwriting team of long time guitarist Stuart Osborne and new bassist Mark Penington came up with some strong material, making this a worthy swan song.
