Lost & Found is an ongoing series in which we take a nostalgic dive into Brighton’s musical history to dig some up old favourites and maybe discover a few lost gems from back in the day.
Anal Beard
(1995-2015)
You came for the name, but you stayed (or stayed away) for the eccentric and absurdist punk rock. Anal Beard were liked and loathed in equal measure: a review of an early single simply stated it was “the worst record in the history of music”. But the band lasted – on and off – for 20 years, with frontmen Grebn and MC Sofa morphing from puerile pranksters into a kind of satirical double-act which took the piss out of the giro’n’cider punk scene that they were initially part of. Some outside the scene took the humour at face value and dismissed them; others were either peeved or highly amused. The band’s music was a mishmash of thrashy punk and jangly indie with some music hall curveballs thrown in for comedic effect. When SOURCE interviewed them ahead of their farewell gig at the Prince Albert, they told us they had once participated in a battle of the bands to determine the worst band in Brighton. Guess who won?
Where are they now?
Grebn now plays in folk-punk outfit Pog and makes board games about Brighton. MC Sofa moved to Portslade and became an accountant.
Best song titles: ‘Music to Watch Girls Ignore You To’ / ‘I Bet You’d Look Good In A Dole Queue’
Photo by Ashley Laurence
