Groop Dogdrill were an English rock band formed in the early 1990s in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, by Damien "Damo" Fowkes (bass), Pete Spiby (vocals/guitar) and Hugh "Hug" Kelly (drums).
They entered a 'battle of the bands' competition in their hometown of Doncaster, as they were unable to afford the bass gear that would allow them to start working the live circuit.
[1] The album chronicled the band's obsessions with Americana, the Rat Pack, working class humour, the seedier side of personal and sexual relationships and classic 1970s movies, with an ever-present combination of metal, punk, blues and rockabilly at its core.
A double headline tour with the London-based band Penthouse (who were renamed 'Fifty Tons of Black Terror' for the occasion, after a legal run-in with the head of the adult magazine who shared their name) ensued.
With the loss of their management, booking agent and lack of financial funds, Kelly made the decision to quit the band in December 2000.
He currently plays in Black Spiders which he formed in 2007, self-releasing their first album Sons of the North through Cargo distribution and a second via DXX, an imprint label of Cooking Vinyl.