Long Tall Texans

Long Tall Texans are a long-running psychobilly/rockabilly band from Brighton, UK, and they’ve been part of the scene since the mid-1980s. They came out of the same South Coast underground that helped shape British psychobilly, mixing rockabilly roots with punk energy, ska rhythms, and a sense of humour that never took itself too seriously. Brighton was a key hotspot for the genre at the time, and the band quickly became associated with the city’s wild live circuit. 

 
Long Tall Texans are best known for their upbeat, energetic sound built around slap double bass, driving drums, and twangy guitar. While they’re usually labelled psychobilly, they’ve never stuck rigidly to one style. Across their albums you’ll hear straight rockabilly, punk, ska, blues, and even hints of pop and country. That flexibility is part of why they’ve lasted so long -they always sounded like themselves rather than trying to follow trends in the scene. 

 
The band has gone through various lineup changes over the years, but vocalist and double-bass player Mark Carew has always been the core of Long Tall Texans. Early members included guitarist Mark “Boggles” Denman and drummer Theo (Anthony Theodotou), with later lineups adding different guitarists and even saxophone at times, which helped push their sound in new directions. No matter the lineup, their live shows have always been loud, fun, and crowd-friendly rather than dark or aggressive. 

 
They released their first recordings in the late 1980s, with albums like 'Sodbusters', 'Los Me Boleros', and 'Saturnalia!' helping establish them in the UK and European psychobilly scenes. Around the turn of the 1990s, records such as 'Five Beans in the Wheel' and 'Singing to the Moon' showed them branching out stylistically, adding more melody and genre crossover. After a quieter period, they returned with later releases like 'The Adventures of the Long Tall Texans' in 2005 and 'The Devil Made Us Do It' in 2014, proving they hadn’t lost their spark. 

 
Long Tall Texans were regulars at legendary venues like the Klub Foot in Hammersmith and became a familiar name on the European festival circuit, where they built a loyal following. Even as psychobilly faded from the mainstream, the band kept going, touring, recording, and popping up on festival bills decades after they first formed. 

 
Today, they’re remembered as one of the most approachable and enduring bands to come out of the UK psychobilly scene -not the darkest or fastest, but one of the most fun. Their legacy is tied to great live shows, catchy songs, and a refusal to take the genre too seriously, which is exactly why people are still listening to them after more than 40 years.