Created in 1978 by Peter (vocals) and Del (vocals and guitar) in Peter's Dads garage in Peacehaven, Sussex, their early gigs were fun filled events with electrifying tunes and plenty of entertainment. Harmless humour of those early gigs was captured on their debut album, "Pissed And Proud". From those early gems, the Test Tubes just got better and better. The next crop of songs, "Jinx", "Blown Out Again" and "September" all featured on "The Mating Sounds Of South American Frogs", which stayed at number one for four months at the top of the independent charts. A US tour followed, climaxing with a 4,000 capacity sell out show at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium.
The Test Tubes first US domestic release, "Soberphobia", is probably one of their finest moments. The use of keyboards and sax on some tracks may not have been what people expected but it worked a treat. The much sought after CDs "Cringe" and "The $Hit Factory" again proved the Test Tubes unpredictability in the early '90s.
The mid '90s saw the release of "Supermodels" and the departure from the band of originals 'Trapper' and 'Ogs' (bass and drums). The band brought in fresh blood:local heroes Rum and AD, on bass and drums respectively,joined to promote the 'Supermodels' album. The band then went on a 25 date tour of Germany, Holland and Switzerland.
On their 20th anniversary in 1998 the band flew to Germany to record the "Alien Pubduction" album, their first with AD and Rum. The band also undertook a massive US and Canadian tour that lasted five weeks, lots of UK gigs and of course the annual German Christmas tour.
Rum & AD quit in 1999 due to the punishing tour schedule. Paul 'H' Henrickson, known to the band and a Brighton stalwart, took over on bass and Dave 'Caveman' 'O'Brien' was soon added behind, and sometimes on top of, the drum kit . The band hit the road again with renewed vigour touring repeatedly throughout the UK, Germany, Ireland, USA, France, Australia, New Zealand and making an impact on the summer festival circuits.
In 2005, after a seven year hiatus in the studio, the band released "A Foot Full of Bullets", recorded at Ford Lane Studios, Ford, West Sussex. The album was definitely worth the long wait demonstrating a familiar core sound matched with smart self assurance gained from decades of experience. Storming on with characteristic vigour, the Test Tubes gained praise as "the best band of the weekend" (Lars Friedrickson) at the WASTED festival before closing the year with the annual German Xmas Tour 2005. A remix of "A Foot Full of Bullets" was produced with contributions from Campino (Die Toten Hosen) and Olga (The Toy Dolls) at the start of 2006. "For a Few Bullets More".
Peter and the Test Tube Babies continue to tour and perform at festivals across the globe and remain one of the best punk bands to come out of Europe. See them live if you ever get the chance and check they're gig listings for all the latest show news and events!!
We're Too Drunk
Peter and the Test Tube Babies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're too drunk to play,we're to drunk to play, we're too drunk too play Rock'n'Roll.
When we hit the stage the world is spinning 'round, when Derek hits a note he falls into the crowd.
In the song "We're Too Drunk" by Peter and the Test Tube Babies, the band talks about their struggles with songwriting and being original. The song starts off with the band sitting in a pub, brainstorming ideas for new songs. They admit to ripping off other songs, but feel the need to write their own music. However, they are too drunk to do so. The repetition of "we're too drunk to play rock'n'roll" emphasizes their inability to focus and create music due to their level of intoxication.
The second verse describes their experience on stage. Despite being drunk, they still perform. However, the world is spinning around them and Derek, the band member playing guitar, falls into the crowd after hitting a note. This not only shows the band's lack of professionalism but also their tendency to indulge in drinking to the point of losing control.
Overall, the song portrays the negative impact of alcohol on creativity and performance. Despite their struggles, the band continues to write and play their music, but they recognize the need to break away from copying other artists and create their own original sound.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been sitting in the pub thinking of new songs to play we rip off so many so we gotta write some our own way.
We've been brainstorming ideas at the pub, realizing that we've been stealing too many songs from others, and figuring we should make some truly original ones.
We're too drunk to play,we're to drunk to play, we're too drunk too play Rock'n'Roll.
We're too intoxicated to perform music well, even though we love Rock'n'Roll.
When we hit the stage the world is spinning 'round, when Derek hits a note he falls into the crowd.
Once we start performing, our dizziness from being drunk makes us feel disoriented, and Derek's clumsy playing may cause him to tumble into the audience.
Contributed by Aaron M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.