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Citizen Fish

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Long-running British ska-punk outfit fronted by Subhumans vocalist Dick Lucas, going since 1990 — upstroke guitars, horns and unrelenting political argument.

Citizen Fish came together in 1990 in the west of England, formed by vocalist Dick Lucas with musicians from Culture Shock after that band ended; the original line-up paired Lucas with bassist Jasper, drummer Trotsky and guitarist Larry. Lucas had already spent the 1980s fronting Subhumans, and Citizen Fish continued the same DIY approach, with much of the group's output appearing on Bluurg Records, the label Lucas ran himself.

After the debut album Free Souls in a Trapped Environment, Larry left and was replaced by Phil, a former Subhumans bandmate of Lucas and Trotsky. Trotsky himself was later replaced by Silas in 2006, following a five-year gap between studio albums.

The band's music sits between ska and punk: skanking upstroke guitar and bouncing bass under fast tempos, with brass appearing on many recordings and live sets. Lucas writes densely worded lyrics about consumption, work, waste, media and the small daily compromises of living under capitalism, delivered in a rapid, conversational style.

Citizen Fish have toured widely in Europe and North America over the decades, often playing small venues and squats. In 2006 they returned to the studio after their five-year break to record Deadline, a split album with the New York band Leftöver Crack.

Their eighth studio album, Goods, appeared in 2011 and was regarded as a return to form, and the band followed it with the Manmade EP in 2015.

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