Bis

Describing themselves as "too pop to be indie, yet too indie to be pop", Bis became cult favourites of the 1990s with their oddball brand of spiky, cartoonish, punk and DIY electro pop. Formed by Glasgow schoolfriends Amanda MacKinnon (vocals, keyboards) and brothers John (guitar) and Steven Clark (guitar), the trio were championed by Radio One DJ John Peel from early on and became the first ever unsigned band to appear on Top of the Pops. Their strange mix of exuberance, homemade disco beats and bouncy teenage innocence produced the singles Kandy Pop, Eurodisco and Sweet Shop Avenger and they gained a keen following in Japan, where they featured on the soundtrack to animated series The Powerpuff Girls. Part of Scotland's vibrant independent scene, the band signed to Beastie Boys label Grand Royal for albums The New Transistor Heoes (1997) and Social Dancing (1999), but split in 2003 with a farewell gig at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in their home town of Glasgow. Offshoot bands like The Amphetameanies, The Kitchen and Data Panik followed and Manda Rin released a solo single DNA in 2008 and also set up an alternative career as a cartoon strip writer.

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