Group

Chaos UK

UK punk band from Bristol

From: Bristol, United Kingdom
Since: 1979–present
Releases: 42

punk
hardcore punk
street punk

About

Chaos UK is an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Portishead, near Bristol. They emerged as part of the anarcho-punk scene, developing a fast and aggressive hardcore punk style. The band recorded two EPs and a full LP for Riot City Records. In the process, they, along with fellow Bristolians Disorder and Stoke's Discharge, revolutionized the hardcore punk scene. In particular, the Japanese '80s hardcore punk bands were heavily influenced by Chaos UK and Disorder's brutal take on punk. Chaos UK's debut LP was notable in the fact that the band's label claimed it was the "fastest, noisiest LP in the cosmos" in the short-lived "Punk Lives" magazine. Vocal duties on this recording were also handled by bassist Chaos.

The original line-up consisted of Simon Greenham (vocals), Andy Farrier (guitar) and Adrian Rice (bass, aka Lice and later Chaos/Kaos) finally joined by Richard Potts (drums, aka Potts). The mid-1980s saw an almost new line-up, with Chaos remaining the only original member. He was joined by Mower on vocals, Gabba on guitar (previously with Nottingham's The Seats of Piss), and Chuck on drums. Over the rest of the 1980s, Chaos UK were the mainstay and lynchpin of the UK hardcore punk scene playing many hundreds of shows around the world, including Japan (the first English punk band to do so, but with a stand-in drummer: Blackmore of Bristol punk band Lunatic Fringe), the United States, Mexico, and all over Europe.
Mower eventually left the band and Gabba would go on to use new songs in new band FUK.
Gabba died in March 2026.

From Chaos UK on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Chaos 1979–1982, 1982–1984, 1984–1986, 1989–now · original member electric bass guitar, lead vocals
Gabba 1984–1986, 1989–now electric guitar
J. Cloth 1996–now electric bass guitar
Phill Thudd 1996–now drums (drum set)
Simon Greenham 1979–1982 · original member · former lead vocals
Andy Farrier 1979–1984 · original member · former electric guitar
Richard Potts 1979–1984 · original member · former drums (drum set)
Nige 1982–1983 · former electric bass guitar
Mower 1984–1986 · former lead vocals
Chuck 1984–1986, 1989–1992 · former drums (drum set)
Beckie Chaos 1989–1996 · former electric bass guitar
Devilman 1992–1996 · former drums (drum set)
Victor Dominicis 1992–1996 · former electric guitar
Marvin Gauntlett 1993–1996 · former