The South African Rock Encyclopedia > Rock Legends > 1980s > The Pop Guns
Biography
Formed in Johannesburg in 1980 out of the remnants of Cape Town outfit The Safari Suits and Springs rock band The Radio Rats, The Popguns were a rock band that owed much to the likes of David Bowie, The Damned and Marc Bolan.
No wonder songs such as Home Address -The Burning Road sound a lot like British band Suede, which combined similar influences in the Nineties to create their drug-induced rock.
Featuring Jonathan Handley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Steve Moni on lead guitar, Graham Handley on bass guitar and Gikas Markantinatos and Larry Friedburg on drums, The Popguns’ name was inspired by an editorial in The Star newspaper, which read: “Police use popguns to control riots.”
Lloyd Gedye, 18 December 2009, from Mail & Guardian
The Popguns formed in Johannesburg in 1980 out of Cape Town band The Safari Suits and Springs band The Radio Rats. The name was inspired by a sub-editorial in The Star newspaper which went Police use popguns to control riots. ‘Shock Time For Rock’ was probably their most successful song and it appeared on a compilation cassette called ‘World Class Punk’ that was put out by ROIR (Reachout International Records).
Jonathan Handley
The band’s name is styled as “The Pop Guns” on the actual disc of their debut single, however their name also appears as simply “Pop Guns” on the World Class Punk cassette and as “The Popguns” in various other places.
Brian Currin
Musicians
- Steve Moni (from Safari Suits): lead guitar
- Graham Handley (from Safari Suits): bass guitar
- Jonathan Handley (from Radio Rats): vocals, rhythm guitar
- Larry Friedburg, Gikas Markantinatos, Julian Platt: drums (at various times)
Discography
Single
Home Address – The Burning Road
Tracks
- Home Address – The Burning Road [2:39]
- Keep It A Secret [3:11]
Engineered by Phil Audoire at Satbel, August 1980.
Produced by Jonathan Handley.
Release information
7″ Single: 2 December 1980, Radium Wreckords, RAD 600
Streaming / Download: 13 February 2026, Next Music under exclusive license from Radium Wreckords
Musicians
- Jonathan Handley: vocals, guitars
- Graham Handley: bass
- Steve Moni: guitars
- Larry Friedburg: drums
Artwork
Album
The Complete Popguns 1980/1981
Tracks
- Keep It A Secret (b-side of Home Address – The Burning Road single in 1980)
- Shock Time For Rock (released on World Class Punk)
- Dummy Goddess
- Home Address – The Burning Road (single 1980)
- Heart Throb
- Mister Lazir
- My Baby’s Giving Me The Bends
- Metal Marie
- Star Heat
- Last Night Together
- Dummy Goddess #1
- Live At Wits August 1980
- Would You Be True (see comments below)
- Sound Collage featuring Gillian Lloyd
Release information
CD-R: 1999, Radium Wreckords
Musicians
- Steve Moni: lead guitar
- Graham Handley: bass guitar
- Jonathan Handley: vocals, rhythm guitar
- Larry Friedburg: drums on 1, 4 & 12
- Gikas Markantinatos: drums on 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8
- Julian Platt: drums (joined later)
Other souls involved
- John Ireland: engineer on 9, 10 & 14
- Nick Taylor: engineer on parts of 14
- Lloyd Ross (Radio Rats): guitar on 11
- Gillian Lloyd: vocals on 9, 10 & 14
Comments
‘Would You Be True?’ is a re-recording from 1996 as the original featuring Gillian Lloyd on vocals has been lost.
Various Artists Compilation
World Class Punk
“Shock Time For Rock” was included on this cassette and credited to “Pop Guns”.
Release information
Cassette: 1984, ROIR, A-131 (US)
CD: 1998, ROIR, RUSCD8243 (US)
Streaming / Download: 2002, ROIR
“Shock Time For Rock” was recorded by Pop Guns in 1980 and released on the “World Class Punk” cassette in 1984, reissued on CD in 1998, and released on Bandcamp in 2002. The track was also released on The Complete Pop Guns 1980/1981 CD-R by Radium Wreckords in November 1999.
Brian Currin
Musicians
- Jonathan Handley: vocals, guitars
- Graham Handley: bass
- Steve Moni: guitars
- Gikas Markantinatos: drums
Artwork
