Delivering fiery blues-infused garage rock straight out of a film noir nightmare, the Amazing Snakeheads were a Glasgow-based trio consisting of singer and guitarist Dale Barclay, bassist William Coombe, and drummer Jordon Hutchison. Barclay and Coombe had known one another since childhood, and Barclay got to know Hutchison, originally from New Zealand, when they were neighbors; all three men were serious music fans who went to shows together and compared notes on records, but they never planned on starting a group until 2010, when they spontaneously decided to rent some time at a rehearsal space and see what happened. While Hutchison had been in a band in New Zealand, Barclay and Coombe had never played with a group before, and the result was a sound that was fresh and fierce. Before long, the trio came together as the Amazing Snakeheads, whose volatile music earned comparisons to the Birthday Party and the Gun Club. By 2013, the band had earned a fearsome reputation on the U.K. club scene, and Domino Records approached the band about recording a single. The Amazing Snakeheads' first 7" release, "Testifying Time," was a blast of bad attitude that clocked in at less than 85 seconds, and it sent critics' tongues wagging. The enthusiastic reception awarded the single led to an album deal, and the group's first full-length, Amphetamine Ballads, arrived in stores in the spring of 2014. Sadly, Dale Barclay was diagnosed with brain cancer in December of 2017, and he died in September of the following year. ~ Mark Deming