Wonk Unit are a band from Croydon known for their unique take on punk rock, their super proactive DIY ethos and cult like T shirt range. Formed in 2005, the band are now on their 9th album. Curators of their own festival Wonkfest – the undisputed champions of the UK underground.
Who better to introduce you to the band than Alex Wonk Unit himself?
“The Wonk started life is 1992 when I formed a band called The Flying Medallions. We were young and very dumb. We courted chaos and controversy. Punk was very much dead in the UK at the time. We were super fresh and caught the eye of the mainstream media which championed our notoriety until we crashed on tour in 1995. Sadly we lost our bass player Dougie Palompo.
Things got super messy after that. I got sober in 1999.
Wonk formed in around 2006. I hadn’t made any music for a while, everything felt so jaded and stale, so done to death, especially punk. Somehow I ended up in a rehearsal room with 2 insanely talented musicians, drummer Mez Clough and guitarist Gavin Kinch. Their playing lifted my songwriting. Suddenly everything sounded uber fresh.
The first 3 songs we ever recorded were Anna, Candy and My Nemesis. We continued to record 3 songs a month which we uploaded to our MySpace page for download until we had enough for our debut album Flying the Japanese Flag (songs off this had previously been released as the Punks are Hard ep).
Wonk Unit has always been about “me”. My songs are my diary. I make music for myself, exactly as I skateboard for myself and draw pictures for myself. I never wanted to force Wonk on anyone as it was such a personal thing to me. My original ethos which still stands to this day is that I would never ask for a gig or review or record deal or endorsement. Wonk only go where we are wanted and appreciated. I never needed the approval of others.
I’ve been lucky to have had such a rad bunch of idiots join me over the years. Because of our non stop commitment to touring, our line ups often change (notable exception being Mark “Pwosion” Rowland (bass) who’s been my long suffering bass player pretty much from the beginning).
I’m lucky enough to have Snuff/Guns and Wankers legend Duncan Redmonds waiting in the wings to step in on drums for the odd Wonk gig. Duncan played on our 2nd album Trolleys Thank You.
We also have BMX filming legend Mark Richards as our official videotographer and photographer.
The name Wonk Unit came about like this:- In 2005 myself and original Wonk axe man Gavin Kinch were laying a crazy paving driveway. It was miserable,cold and wet,and then it started snowing on our sorry asses, and I looked over and said;
“Look at us,we’re a right f**king Wonk Unit aint we!”
“Wonk Unit” we exclaimed. “What a great name for a band”.
So there you have it. A reference to the cold pathetic miserable and depressed. A description that sums us up perfectly in no way whatsoever.”
Day job wanker
Christmas in a crack house
Flummoxed more than jealous
Ride it out
Thank you
Hope
As the rest of the world sleeps
My new safe place
Judus betrayers
Faith
She knows it
Me and Curtis
Awful Jeans
I Told You So
Bin Him
And You Call This Normal
Silly Voices
Owen Meany
Je M’Appelle Alex
Old Trains
Ode To Summer
Pale Moonlight
Model On The Northern Line
Old Man
Hot Day You Know It
We Are The England
ALL OF YOU
ALWAYS THE SAME
ANNA
BACK OF THE VAN
BLEED WITH YOU
CATHY
DEPRESSED?
DIFFERENT
DONKEY OF THE DAMNED
ELBOWS
ESTATE GIRL
FLYING THE JAPANESE FLAG
FRIENDS FOREVER
GHOST WRITER
GIRLFRIEND IS A LUNATIC
GO EASY
GUTS
HEROIN
HORSES
HOW WE ALL LAUGHED WHEN WE HEARD THE NEWS ABOUT THAT SILLY P
HOW WE ALL LAUGHED
I HATE YOU
I JUST LOVE THE WAY
I LOVE MY NAGGING WIFE
IDIOTIC TRAIN LOONY
I’M NOT SCARED
JOHN
JOHNNY RAMBO
KATHY
KINGS ROAD SPORTING HEROES
LADY
LEWISHAM
LOS ANGELES
LOVE OF MY LIFE
LUCY
MISTAKE
MR RECOVERY
MY NEMESIS
NAN
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
NINA SIMONE
NOT MINE
ONE FOR THE MRS
OWEN MEANEY
PEARLY WHITE AWKWARDNESS
PHOTOS OF THE TIRED
PIZZA ON GOLDEN HILL
PLASTERER
POEM FOR SATURDAY
PON THE SCAFFOLD THE WIND CUTS THROUGH
RAMBO
RUNNING
SHE CUT HER FINGER
SHE WAS GOOD
SINGING AT THE SEASIDE
SINKING
SIOBHAN
SPOOKY HOUSE
ST LUCIAN HOLIDAY
STIGMATA
STREETS OF SOHO
TAKE ME HOME
THE BLONDE
THE GHOUL
THE GLORIOUS STREETS OF SOHO
THE MURDERER’S SHOE
THE PLACES
THE TRAIL (FRENCH BOOTY SONG)
THE WOODS
THERE’S ME
THIEF
WOOD PIGEON
YOU MARRIED A TORTURED GENIUS
Cyclists
Summer Time
You’re Sick
Strength
Bloodstains
Disco Fever
Green Eyed Monster
Together Forever
Stop
Traditional Punk Song
Part 2
Teresa
My Blood
Quality
The pathetic merry go round of existence
Jamie
I’m OK
Gospel Of Love
Profiteroles
Bloodlust