Thee Hypnotics are an English psychedelic garage rock band, formed in 1985 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.
[1] The band are currently composed of frontman James "Jim" Jones, guitarist Ray Hanson, drummer Phil Smith and bassist Jeremy Cottingham.
[1] The band cemented this union by scoring an independent chart hit with the 12" single "Justice In Freedom" and the follow-up "Soul Trader".
Thee Hypnotics began to attract attention in the United States, in particular Seattle where its own alternative rock scene was taking off.
[6] In 1989, Ray Hanson and Jim Jones joined Stiv Bators onstage at The Opera On The Green, Shepherd's Bush, London, as temporary Dead Boys,[7] after Cheetah Chrome failed to secure a work visa.
It featured guest appearances from Phil May and Dick Taylor of the Pretty Things,[1] and was mixed in Seattle by Sub Pop's Jack Endino.
"[9] In 1990 they completed their own UK and European tour, as well as supporting The Cramps at the Brixton Academy, Naz Nomad and The Nightmares at the Town and Country Club and the Reading Festival main stage with Mudhoney, Sonic Youth and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
After playing at Prince's club in Minneapolis, a drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into the band's tour bus.
The rest of the US tour was cancelled and the band returned to the UK to complete live commitments with The Damned drummer, Rat Scabies, standing in while Smith recovered.
[citation needed] The latter of whom championed the band by declaring his adoration for the album, insisting it was the soundtrack on his tour bus, and appearing in a Rolling Stone issued poster wearing a Thee Hypnotics t-shirt.
"[11] and a month later "...a sleazy, swaggering, soulful, absurdly and gloriously self-conscious trash blues thing..."[12] Thee Hypnotics continued to tour extensively throughout the UK, Europe and the US, and were main support to The Black Crowes on their UK tour, highlights included playing two nights at the Hammersmith Odeon (18 and 19 October 1991).
The band headed back to London and began work on new demos, but tragedy struck with Pike's untimely death from a drug overdose.
After the break-up of Thee Hypnotics, co-founder and lead guitarist Ray Hanson was approached by The Sisters of Mercy to join on guitar duties but declined,[14] before taking a 15-year hiatus from the music industry.
Craig Pike passed away from a drug overdose sometime in the mid-90s, as written in Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan memoir "Sing Backwards and Weep".