Thirty years ago, The Bus Station Loonies played their first gig at The Cooperage. The original intention was to do just two or three gigs. As frontman Wheelie explains, “It was just to shut me up from being a drum monkey who wanted to have a crack at shrieking and leaping around in the front of the drum kit for a change.” However, once he had been unchained from behind the kit, getting him back there again was a different matter.
Bus Station Loonies
Leadworks, Plymouth – 29 November 2025
Words: Jools Green
Photography: Keith Conlin / Jools Green
Three decades later, with over twelve hundred gigs covering the length and breadth of the country, it is time to call it a day. They did so in a celebratory way with a collection of bands with strong links to The Loonies, who have either influenced them or have been influenced by them, and with many people in multiple bands, so the event had a strong familial feel.
They were certainly determined to go out in style, performing the evening before at the Junction at their nearly final gig and tonight for their final gig at Leadworks, delivering two full sets with a comfort break in between, ending as they began, as always giving one hundred per cent.
There was clearly much love in the room for the Bus Station Loonies, a full venue, everyone dancing and jumping around, getting on stage and joining in with the vocals.
By the final self-titled song Loonies, performed loosely to the tune of Kids In America, there were so many people onstage that I did not notice Wheelie had sneaked away, eventually spotting him at the back of the venue laughing, heckling, and just being fun-loving Wheelie.
Set-wise, they delivered all their best-loved material, including Playing Silly Buggers, Cool Britannia, Dick Dastardly, Bloody Drunkards, Fancied By People, Anarchists and a whole lot more, with a fully animated Wheelie at the helm.
It was undisputedly a night to remember, full of mixed emotions but foremostly joy.
Riot City Radio
Street punk band Riot City Radio brought another injection of energy to the evening with Tony “Popkids” setting himself a challenge. First, a set behind the kit for this band, then straight after a double set with the Loonies.
Their upbeat driving performance reflected their influences, which are taken from punk, Oi! hardcore and ska. With the majority of their set coming from their album Time Will Tell, including Never Forgive/Never Forget about the Andrew Winsor/Jeffry Epstein scandal, as well as a couple of tracks from their previous Anchor In The Storm EP.
The Butt Plug Babies
The Butt Plug Babies brought even more of a fun twist to their set with a tribute to the recently “retired” landlord, Matty of the Nowhere Inn, with Fatlip sporting Matty’s trademark wonky sunglasses and Billi his multi coloured animal print fluffy hat.
Set-wise, they delivered the usual favourites, including Insert The Butt Plug, the tale of caution I Once Tried To Shave My Balls, and my personal favourite horror punk anthem Stay Away which always culminates, these days, in a tirade of blastbeats from their Metal drummer Jez.
This time, there was a sudden, random throwing of rectangles of sponge someone found in the corner, no doubt intended for emergency mop-ups because the corrugated sheeting roof of Leadworks occasionally leaks in bad weather.
The sponges continued to fly as they moved onto Beer Song. The full Matty tribute came into play during the song about him and his former pub, Going Nowhere, when Fatlip donned Matty’s sunglasses, hat and matching coat for the duration.
There was the usual witty banter between tracks, and everyone seemed to enjoy “giving the finger” with impunity during the song Fuck You Too. Because there were a spare five minutes, they rolled out Pennywise’s anthemic Bro Hymn as a tribute, as always, to their late friend Ed Bartlam.
The Spoils Collective
The Loonies might not have been able to get Wheelie back behind the kit but he was behind it for pop-punk, art-rock outfit The Spoils Collective delivering a very avant-garde, visual performance they describe as Rhythm-and-Poetry-Performance Art that’s “louder than bread” and “like the lovechild of Andy Warhol and Vivien Stanshall.” A fair description.
Much of their set was performed behind an oversized mock-up TV screen, which could be wheeled around the stage, with guitarist Mo donning a collection of unique headwear.
The set included several tracks: Isabella, Bridzilla, and Nothing from their 2020 album Stop Making Things, with the vocals covered by three of the band members, adding to the variation of their sound.
Their limelight was slightly stolen by a cute and friendly dog which suddenly appeared at the front of the stage, her owner nearby. But no one seemed to mind. It just added to the wonderful, random nature of the event.
The Chineapple Punx
Before this point in time, I had no idea who The Chineapple Punx were, largely because this was their first gig in around fifteen years. They were coaxed out of retirement by Wheelie, who happily does not take no for an answer.
But I felt somehow I would love them purely based on that superb play on words band name. I was not disappointed, nor was anyone else. The Chineapple Punx surpassed my expectations, not just because of the guitarist’s Bad Religion hat and occasional Bad Religion riff, and not because of the vocalist’s pineapple hat with googly eyes or sketchy yoghurt-based competition to win a moped either.
It was because they were entertaining. Their performance was excellent and their songs upbeat and catchy, particularly Tandoori Story and their closing song, a punk rock version of the Wheels On The Bus, which was just pure genius.
Modern Life
Modern Life delivered another electro-acoustic punk set with songs about life but delivered in an upbeat manner. The inclusion of a violinist to their line-up added a unique, slightly folky slant to their sound.
They concluded with a tribute to the Loonies with a cover of their Kill That Nazi (In My Head), and despite the vocalist not remembering all the lyrics, no one cared.
We all loved it because it is the sentiment that counts, and it also sounded great.
Wags To Wytches
Bringing a touch of glamour to the proceedings were Wags To Wytches. This is a band for whom, in their early days, Wheelie played drums until permanent replacement Jasmine came along.
The majority of their set was drawn from their most recent album Parliament Of Crows: Tories on Drugs, Rage Bait, Scared Of You, Wicked Game and Vanilla Blues, with its more traditionally punk anarcho/political undercurrent.
But a few tracks were from their more esoteric first release, 23 Alice In Wonderpants, Polly and my personal favourite, the upbeat, punchy and catchy Thelemite.
Seeyellow
Seeyellow wasted no time delivering their no-nonsense, high-tempo, foot-stomping, electro-acoustic, punk rock tunes. Even though there was often a strong message behind the pieces, most of which came from their latest album Haven’t We Been Here Before?
The acoustic element and use of just a snare drum added a catchy and slightly surf punk mood to their sound.
Scvmfvzz
The event was opened by punk drum and bass duo Scvmfvzz with the gloriously colourful Dag Basturd on bass and vocals, and Billi Bollox on backing vocals and drums.
They delivered some great pieces covering topics like Toxic Masculinity, Living In A Bedsit, a song about Donald Trump’s neck called Neck Pussy, which had me choking on my cider and the utterly brilliant Cardboard Sex Doll from their first EP.
Scvmfvzz caused a second choking fit with a cover of The Mighty Boosh’s I Did A Shit On Your Mum And She Liked It, and anyone who missed it missed out. After vigorous exertion behind the kit, Billi was no doubt glad she had a few hours’ rest before becoming Billi Butt Plug and donning her bass with the Butt Plug Babies.
Is Wheelie really calling it a day?
I will leave the final words with Wheelie and The Bus Station Loonies, who said that, “We’ve been asked if we REALLY are gonna call it a day, and even accusations that we ‘retired’ in the past. Not so, we just had spates of extreme laziness. The answer is ‘yes’.
“That’s not to say there shan’t be possibilities of a reunion, should the money be right (so, any money), but should that happen, it would be the occasional one-off and probably not until we celebrate a Loony’s milestone birfday. So a wee while hence, that’s fer sure.”
