The Crazy World of The Killer Rabbits all started in 1983 when two musicians called Roger decided that their four piece rock combo, Rich and Famous, was too sensible. With Famous names, Captain Abnormal on guitar and Morgan Rabbit (The sensitive tag was to be added much later) on drums the crazy two formed a four (and occasionally three) piece called, firstly The Frantic Five and then briefly Six of One and Half a Dozen of the Other before settling on the name The Killer Rabbits. Morgan and Roger (1) had met when Roger (1) had guested in Morgan's mock-punk outfit Ted Turd and the Toolsheds. Soon Ted Turd's talented axeman, Johnny Sequins, joined, Captain Abnormal left, Nick "Seaside" Rabbit (who lived at the seaside) joined and The Killer Rabbits began to attract a huge following in several small villages and hamlets around Kent and London.
The first record...With Geoff "the Point" on bass the band recorded their first single in 1984. "Captain Marvellous" was recorded in Canterbury and written by Sequins and Morgan, as was the B-side "Bill the Magic Bunny". The band had begun to "write" a number of "songs" at this stage, and all members of the band contributed in their own pathetic way. The above two songs continued to be featured in the band's live set for over ten years, until the demise of the band in fact.
Jeff left and now plays in "Stormy Monday" a Faversham outfit. Blind Lemon Riley joined to play bass and harmonica and sing and I'm pretty sure that Steve Crisp was there sometime too. It's all rather lost in the mists of time. Anyway Nick left after a while to live in London and the band continued with the line-up of Sequins, Morgan, Roger (1), Roger (2) and Blind Lemon Riley. This line-up played mainly Kent venues, pubs, colleges and others. The Nag's Head in Rochester and Audrey's Wine Bar in Canterbury were regular gigs during this time, and the band also played the University of Kent fresher's week gigs. There also exists a recording of the band interviewed on Radio Kent and Invicta radio on successive nights. Heads have rolled at both stations since.
The video and the "new boys" The band were captured (but unfortunately not imprisoned) on video by Chelsea College of Art in 1993, performing at "the Hand and Flower" in Chelsea to an ecstatic and inebriated audience.
Sequins and Blind Lemon left to write more serious music and soon joined Kent rockers "The Brothers Grimm" fronted by Gary Miller who had curiously once auditioned for the "Toolsheds" mentioned above. The new boys now joining were Deaf Lemon Bradford - leaving the Maidstone band "The Hurlimann Brothers" to play bass, and Anthea Ridgepole a.k.a. James from London on guitar. This line up of Roger (1), Roger (2), Morgan, Anthea and Deaf were to continue for the next eight years or so, the latter two always being known as "the new boys".
The Classic Album The band's classic album was recorded in 1988. Dodgy Derek's Desert Drive-in Dunk-a-Doughnut Stand was to become a watershed, a benchmark for all aspiring bands and an inspiration to the new crop of Britpop stars, who were just about beginning to start school and listen to music for the first time. Heady days.
Cult Status The band's appeal continued to grow and by the early nineties had reached cult status. They guested with such names as John Otway and John Cooper Clarke and for many years the World Wildlife Fund threatened to book the band for a huge blockbuster gig in outer Hertfordshire. Eventually the World Wrestling Federation admitted that there was some confusion over initials but the band, being weeds and cowards, wouldn't talk to them.
Roger Rabbit and the Mickey Mouse organisation The release of the film "Roger Rabbit" was a great boost to Roger (2)'s career with many requests for press interviews, but he never received a penny from Bob Hoskins, despite their uncanny resemblance. The band played on and there were many memorable memories to remember such as the clearing of a whole shelf of glasses by Roger (1) whilst flying from the bar at a pub in Woolwich, and the same Roger also inadvertently exposing himself at Wembley in front of some very impressionable old ladies.
Eric Clapton Eventually, the pressures of touring and playing four, sometimes five gigs a year became too much, and The Rabbit's heavy work load and endless touring began to take its toll. The "new boys" were often found playing in a loud Maidstone band, Pyromaniacs from Hell, featuring one Raymond on vocals and the two Rogers (1 and 2) could also be found performing illegally in a duo known as "The Wrong Brothers", stealing much of the Rabbit's act, or at least the bits which they had written themselves! Eventually the band decided to split. The band's widely publicised last gig was at the Old Ash Tree at Gillingham, in May 1995, and included guest appearances from Blind Lemon Riley and Steve Crisp (who hasn't been mentioned up until now but was in the band briefly in the very early days. Eric Clapton, who was in the audience that night, could be seen visibly weeping as the band played their last number, a definitive version of Layla. The following night, the band played at a club near Biggin Hill.
Like seeds blown by the wind...Roger "Grandad" Rabbit (referred to above as Roger 2) formed "The Lawnmowers" and several other bands. Morgan and the two Rogers performed in "Les Anoraks Bleu", and Morgan the drummist now takes his kit to gigs by a soul band called "Loose Change". Roger Radio (referred to above as Roger 1) moved to Nottingham and joined a Deep Purple tribute band. Then moved to Sussex where he now lives Deaf Lemon Bradford now plays in Maidstone's very own "Shaven Haven" with Johnny Sequins and Raymond. (Whatever happened to baby James?)
Reunions The Killer Rabbits played their first reunion gig at the Rainham Oast one year after they split. Everybody hoped that this would be the last one, but in October 1998, Radio, Deaf and Morgan joined for a brief appearance in the Faversham area. Then, in May 1999, came two further final farewell gigs in Maidstone and Medway. Followed quickly by another couple of final farewell gigs in March 2001.
