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Healthy Junkies

Rank #16 london, UK Rock / punk / garage rock

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About

Members: Nina Courson-Vocals, Phil Honey-Jones-Guitar/vocals, Tjay Tarantino-Bass, Steve Nightmare-Drums

Label: Banana Castle Records

Manager: Philip Allen

Bio: How Healthy Junkies formed:
Parisian Lead singer Nina Courson met British guitarist Phil Honey-Jones in 2009 in the venue Punk in Soho, both of them were in separate bands at the time. Before long sparks were flying and songs began flowing, the shared influences of the likes of Iggy Pop, Nirvana,... See Full Bio

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Status

: Click for a free download of "Play me": http://t.co/4R7DU81xcA

Press

“Track one, Copycat, of Sick Note kicks off with a powerful guitar line and heavy bassline - the soft voiced French singer Nina Courson has a voice that does not need to be loud to be appreciated, it's simply angelic. You can hear influences from bands such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Hole, Killing Joke, Sex Pistols, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Iggy and the Stooges, David Bowie, T-Rex, The Pixies, and Tanya Donelly fronted Belly practically bleed out these tracks. These kids know their way around their instruments and the resulting sound is easy on the ears and kind on the soul. Manifesto, to me, is easily the best track on this album, Nina's vocals have a haunting Amy Mann quality to them on this song. The guitar solo here is soulful and understanding of loss and the pain and frustration that comes along with loss. Sick Note is a 13 track album that shouldn't be overlooked, especially if you you enjoy throwing the windows open and relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.”

— Chris Griffith, PoDunk Radio

“Healthy Junkies are also at home to a bit of the old punk rock spirit, but they are interesting. They take their punk influence a lot further than crash-and-bash.There's a certain perky glam about the band, too, and a pop sensibility which keeps everything catchy and acesssible even when the guitar gets crunchy. And, indeed, the guitar does get crunchy. Healthy Junkies songs are spunky, choppy, chunks of rock 'n' roll energy, with vocalist Nina fronting the band's backstreet glam racket with good humoured charm and a pair of purple Doc Martens. 'Manifesto' is the band's new, naggingly catchy, hit in the making: a slice of alternopop that pitches up somewhere between Penetration and Transvision Vamp. Healthy Junkies join the dots between punk, glam and pop with a cheerfully gritty charm.”

— Michael Johnson, Nemesis to go

“ Healthy Junkies, also hailing from London, provided an altogether different feel, closely reminiscent of 'Hole', with Parisian vocalist Nina shining rays of Courtney Love across the small entourage of personal friends and gyrating onlookers. Showcasing several songs from their debut album 'Sick Note' including new single 'Manifesto' they added a glam-grunge essence with moments of elaborate guitar work 'wah-wah' distortion that would have sent Hendrix rushing to his studio.”

— DJArmand , Terrorizer

“HEALTHY JUNKIES came to me courtesy of MySpace when I was surfing the new one day. A decision that I haven’t regretted once since then. This is some pretty cool punk rock/”hardrock” that should be checked out. Anders Ekdahl ©2012”

— Anders Ekdahl, Battlehelm.com

“It’s reassuring to find a band who is passionate about making music that isn’t generic or run-of-the-mill. And if you’re going to be a Junkie, may as well be a Healthy one! Healthy Junkies are a refreshing sound that you don’t hear a lot of these days. They blend a few genres together. Their songs tend to have a kind of dark feeling to them. That is to say, I would hardly consider the music to be happy-go-lucky, sunshine and rainbows. But despite that darkness, Healthy Junkies tends to keep their songs rather upbeat and fast paced. At times their music blurs the lines of genres, as all good music tends to do. You’re not sure if you’re listening to Pop Rock, Thrash Rock, Grunge, Punk. What matters is how wonderfully surprising the vocals of Nina Courson are. She can be loud when needed or soft, yet intimidating, at any given point of a song. There’s a feistiness that shines through in their songs. An attitude that radiates out saying, “I could kick your ass”.”

— Mars Band, MarsBand

“Make way for some fresh and fine punk rock-inspired jams infused with a badass female vocalist hailing from Paris. Healthy Junkies is a breath of fresh air, because their music is a unique style that has not been experimented with since the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and has not been exposed to the pop and rap generation we live in today. . Courson has a hint of early Gwen Stefani (a ’90s No Doubt) in her voice, making her easy to sing along to and head bang with. “Manifesto,” “Trash My Love” and “20th Century Boy” are the tracks on the album that seem to hold the most power, infused with heart melting electric guitar and blood pumping drums. I welcome this new find that can finally hold their own individuality while reigniting the grunge/punk rock flame of the ’80s and ’90s. Courson is a goddess in her ability to scream, yell and be loud while also being soft and delicate while maintaining constant vocal terrorization. This is definitely a band that will”

— SARAH ELEANOR CLARK, FSU News

“This London quartet began in early 2010, when British guitarist Phil Honey-Jones and French vocalist Nina Courson wrote a song ("Glam Sister", here) for a friend's birthday party. The fantastic, hard charging opener "Copycat" (which addresses an actual music theft case between two Parisian women, who reconciled after making cameos in the song's video !) introduces their sound: catchy, driving pop/punk with hints of glam and new wave, anchored by bassist TJay Tarentino's and newest drummer Steve Nightmare's potent rhythms, and Honey-Jones hurricane force guitars. Best, the smart, stylish, and self-assured Courson is a hugely appealing frontwoman, with an expressive voice that recalls The Rezillos' Fay Fife, Ivy's Dominique Durand, and Echobelly's Sonya Madan. With 13 could-be singles (including a ripping cover of T-Rex's 1973 U.K. #3 '20th Century Boy'), Sick Note is a most engaging and invigorating debut.”

— Mark Suppanz, Big Take-Over Magazine

“They've been kicking their punky-glammy sound around London for a while, but now you can take home your own parcel of Healthy Junkies noise in a handy wipe-clean package. This, the band's debut album, contains thirteen brash, immediate bursts of spunky, punky, pop, played with a fine appreciation of the full-fat glam-rock guitar sound. Just to make the point, the band include a cover of T.Rex's '20th Century Boy' here, but their own songs stake out the territory with plenty of crash and dash. There's a pop sensibility at work here, too, courtesy of Nina Courson's clear-as-a-bell vocals, which work rather well as a counterpoint to the chunky, fuzzy guitars. In a way, the Healthy Junkies are a twenty-first century Transvision Vamp, in that they blend their glam swagger with an accessible pop approach. At any rate, you'll be shouting along with 'Copycat' and joining in the chorus of 'Manifesto' within a couple of listens, I betcha.”

— Michael Johnson, Nemessistogo

“If there really is going to be a grunge revival, Healthy Junkies are the most obvious candidates for stardom we've seen so far tonight, if only because their music has the essential ripped-up, ragged-edged quality. The band have got that tough-but-tender thing well sorted: the bass and drums kick the rhythm around with bovver boots while Nina Courson's vocals Jefferson Airplane over choppy seas of guitar. There's a bit of good old glam in that guitar sound, as it happens, but it's a shredded, tarnished glam that's got the grime of London streets embedded in it. Healthy Junkies walk the line between brightly accessible and enticingly disreputable. The guitar chugs and grinds like an overdriven cement mixer, but the vocals pirouette neatly around the scuzzy guitar-fuzz, even as Nina steps lightly round her patch of stage while the band stirs up the noise. The Junkies don't neglect the catchy chorus side of things, either: bet you half the audience will be singing Copycat all the way home”

— Michael Johnson, Nemesistogo

“The Healthy Junkies kick butt, and they are a great antidote to boring sound alike pop songs.”

— DA Bear, Bearly Rambling

“A mix of trashy rock'n'roll and glam/punk, perhaps with a few gothic undertones. actually, its a pretty nice balance between pop and harder edged-moments. Not entirely focused but certainly a good debut. Probably a band to watch out for.”

— Andy, Fear and Loathing zine

“Copycat opens exactly as it says on the tin, powerful guitars underpin solid female vocals whilst the drums and bass add further depth to proceedings. The track itself is almost catchy in a way, the progression of the chords leans more towards the punk/grunge side of things and creates a track which is easily accessible and one which you’ll come back to again and again. I really like the way the vocals get layered at different times during this track as well, the combination of different lines creates an almost dark edge, it’s the combination of male and female vocals which do it and do you know what, it works! Throwing a guitar solo in to the mix just to make sure you’re still there and still listening, this track finishes as it begins leaving you with no doubt that this is going to be one hell of an album. ”

— Dave Nicholls, Loud-stuff.com

“Melodic French edge meets English grunt”

— Carl Byron Batson, Trebuchet Magazine

“Pop punk with a French accent courtesy of London based Healthy Junkies. Stripped-down production and straight-forward writing give this debut a real 70s era vibe. Nina Courson has a great voice for this, at once aggressive and innocent. She is backed up by Phil Honey-Jones, who also does a fine job on the guitar, as well as taking the lead vocal on Beaten Dog. They do a good line in addictive songs with a bounce and energy to them even when there's an angry element, starting with opener Copycat, about betrayal in a friendship. Lyrical inspiration tends to social commentary-Famous for being famous on the fleeting nature and hazards of pursuing reality TV fame, and Manifesto on the death of youthful idealism. Frozen Fields is one of the few down-beat tracks but even the darker minor-key rhythms are infectious. The sole cover among the originals is a faster-paced version of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", done decently enough but an odd choice for a female vocalist. Promising debut.”

— Clare Huckett, Black velvet magazine

“ust what should you expect from a band named Healthy Junkies and an album titled ‘Sick Note’? Junkie isn’t a term exclusive to Class A drugs; it can also be used to describe a personality trait that features a very strong enthusiasm for some particular activity. By their choice of name I sense that Healthy Junkies seek to challenge stereotypes and this ‘Sick Note’ summarises their ‘symptoms’. The lead track is ‘Copycat’, but I certainly can’t accuse the band of being copycats. They promote themselves as a Rock/Punk/Grunge/Glam band – as I’ve said before I prefer to look beyond such genre claims and decide simply, do I like! After all any one genre will inevitable include excellent acts as well as others who “could do better”. The track has no build up – from the first chords it’s there and ‘in your face’ with clear indications in the lyrics of previous disappointments.Nina’s distinctive voice helps to ensure that a recognisable sense of identity s”

— Donald Strachnan, Generate radio

“The Healthy Junkies belong to a new British underground generation of bands counteracting the predominance of pop music in the Charts. On the scene for less than two years their debut album is a collection of 80's and 90's music gendres revamped in a modern and genuine style. The rock and roll spirit of the likes of Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth and Killing Joke can be felt in vocalist Nina, this extravagant mermaide whose attitude reminds a little of Blondie. This is garage rock at its best with some punk flavour witch manifest itself in 13 juicy tunes, energetic and fun to listen to but at times moody and deeper. "Copycat" and "Manifesto" are singles on a winning formula, others like "Trash My Love" and "Little Groupie" are frantic. There is a cover of T-Rex "20 Century Boy" which in itself is a reminder to us of their musical background. This band is very focused and active by playing quite a few gigs in England and just back from a mini-tour of France.”

— Dagiesha.com, Dageisha

“Taking the best qualities of rock,punk and grunge, these London rockers create a flawless old-school sound.Vocalist Nina Courson leads the band with her harmonic yet punky voice.The songs represent the 'don't give a shit' attitude of punk and the melodies are energetic rock with constant drum rhythms and guitar lines. Healthy Junkies have definitely made a name for themselves with this record. They play numerous shows in the London area and are planning a U.K. tour for next year so don't miss out on the latest and best of the DIY underground”

— Big cheese, Big Cheese magazine

“Sick Note: Interesting band these are! They describe themselves as grunge but I'd say there's a lot more to them than that! There's other musical influences thrown in the pot especially that of new wave. Damn! They even have a rock n roll tune thrown in there too! Nina the vocalist stands out here – Fantastic voice which fits so well with the music. Musically the band certainly knows how to play and their diversity shines through. Fave tunes for me include 'Copycat', 'Manifesto', Famous For Being Famous' and 'Big Dreams Of Tomorrow'. I hope that people check this band out simply because 'Sick Note' is one of those albums that is both creative and good listening experience. 8/10”

— Steve DIY, Streetvoice

“Wrapped inside this trashy, cheap 'n' nasty looking DIY CD cover is possibly one of the nicest little surprise albums I have had to review this year. This female-fronted four piece hail from London and deliver 13 tracks of blistering, trashy, punky glam rock. Formed in 2009 by singer Nina Courson and guitarist Phil Honey-Jones, a shared love of Iggy Pop, Blondie and Nirvana brought them together and, backed by the wonderfully named Tjay Tarantino on bass and Steve Nightmare on drums, they bring us their debut offering, 'Sick Note'. Opener 'Copycat' is a song about a dispute between two girls over the theft of music and lyrics. It starts funnily enough with a nicked riff from D Generation's 'No Way Out' and then as Nina sings the first line we are in a NY Loose state of mind and that's fine by me, the world could sure do with another Brijitte West at the moment. The guitars sound like they are aimed from the crotch which is what I want from my rock 'n' roll, don't you?,,,,, ”

— Ben Hughs, Uber Rock

“FAULT: What is your FAULT? Having French and English in the same band (Remember the 100years war!) ”

— Fault, Fault magazine

“Healthy Junkies - Sick Note Bloody good trashy female fronted punk n roll a la NY Loose”

— Bennyman23, Uber rock soldiers

“Healthy Junkies are a highly touted female fronted band from London. They formed in 2009 when Lead Singer Nina Courson met Phil Honey-Jones. They were both in separate bands but sparks began flying... The first song they wrote together is my personal favorite track on this CD called "Glam Sister" They have already had two hit singles from this CD "Copycat" and "Trash My Love". The band is pumping a third single "Manifesto" . Paris born Nina Courson also adds vocals to the new Bubblegum Screw which was just recently released.. All in all this band is a fun pop/punk band with alot of potential.. On September 29th they plan a CD release party at The Dublin Castle Camden Town...”

— Ginger Coyote, Punk Globe

“Fronted by the alternately breathless and swaggering vocals of Nina Courson, the band excel at peripherally gothic action rock, with an acid guitar solo cropping up from time to time on songs like'Manifesto' to drive the choruses kicking and stuttering over the cliff edges. At their best the band have a light-footedness to offset the thrashing: 'Famous for being famous' might be a fairly self explanatory observation of our times but the track jumps out of bed with enthusiasm before echoing 90s also-rans Sleeper with a fresh and fine chorus. Elsewhere if its thrashing you want its thrashing you'll get. 'Burn in hell' floors the accelerator with a Siouxie-gone-garage chorus while 'Exile' burns out the album to a description of 'Staring at your bedroom walls at dead rock stars', while Courson does a fairly realistic impression of a vampire flying in a bath tub of holy water. Cracking stuff.”

— Cindy Suzuki, Artrocker Magazine

“Healthy Junkies are the newest project fostered by Altercation’s Nina Courson and Phil Honey Jones of Hiroshamour and combines their respective styles and influences into an exciting pop-grunge mix. Throw into the mix the powerful drumming of Steve Nightmare and TJay Tarantino’s punchy bass-work and the Junkies prove to be just as intriguing as their name suggests. The guitar hammers home irresistible, growling riffs showcasing incredible skill and the on-stage chemistry of the band members makes for an exciting dynamic. Healthy or junky - either way, I’m hooked. Following several single releases last year, debut album ‘Sicknote’ is due out very soon. ”

— Kate Ross, Sailingsound.com

“FRIDAY 21ST JANUARY **NEMESIS TO GO RECOMMENDS** HEALTHY JUNKIES, DELTA UNIT @ St. Moritz, Wardour Street, 22.00 (Healthy Junkies on stage 23.00, club to 03.30) 'Healthy Junkies are like a more rockin' Primitives...or a slightly less bonkers Queen Adreena. They kick fuzzed-out grunge riffs around with plenty of rock 'n' roll panache, but they know how to keep the pop hooks coming, too. This is an after-hours gig, as part of a rock club which runs through to the early morning.'”

— Michael Johnson, lONDONGIGS.NET

“Healthy Junkies is a collaboration of Banana castle record label mates Altercation and HiroshAmour.Fast, frantic and conversley as glam punk friendly as it is grunge rooted, single copycat skids and skitters through a mad 3 minutes, delighting in eluding all attempts to pin it down as a derivative of anything on the musical horizon at the moment.”

— Alison B, Bubblegumslut zine issue 37

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Recent Blogs

The Valentine's Ball
Feb 18, 2011
http://themirrortales.blogspot.com/2011/02/be-my-valentine.html [more]

Healthy Junkies playing live
Dec 18, 2010
Healthy Junkies will be playing live @ Proud Gallery, Camden stable market on Tu... [more]

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Play "Play me"

Play me

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Resistance

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Play "Big Dreams of tomorrow"

Big Dreams of tomor…

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Healthy Junkies - Manifesto (Official Music Video)

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Little Big Box
Awesome Tunes, Loving the Music. Keep Bringing it! Love Music Always Lisa LBB xo Enjoyed Resistance. Going to listen to the rest now:)
punkalert
Brilliant show at the Fleece tonight! Would definitely go out to see you guys again. Great stuff. Cheers!
G-lite
Thanks for posting Play Me online! Great song that makes me love rocking out!!!
Potion13
Stopping by to show some support! Best of luck with your projects!! Cheers from Montréal, Danielle,Potion13
Bonnie McGill
I love your song BIG DREAMS OF TOMORROW awesome ,,,,
Skarred Kage
Sounding great on Reverbnation today! If you have time listen to my music and fan me back. Thanks! Alex Skarred Kage