BJB’s Atomic Twin is drummer Tim Huston, baritone vocalist Big John Bates and guitarist Christian Thorvaldson. Bates is also wielding a hard-edged Gretsch DuoJet Baritone with a dual fuzz bass/guitar amp setup while Christian has armed himself with a vintage Vox Phantom, foot keyboards, obsolete electronics and a Brian Jones hangover.
Atomic Twin infused some old-school BJB favourites with new blood to bring their sonic monster to life. Now the band is writing, recording and greasing up a few cover tunes with sweat and swagger. When they hit the stage they do it with the intensity of an old-school rat bike – banging out big beats and an industrial design.
John Bates began his career as the singer and co-founder of thrash metal legends Annihilator (Roadrunner). Yes, he wrote Alison Hell. He was part of the second-wave Psychobilly movement for ten years with Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz (Frontman) which he followed with a decade of Americana Noir, touring the world with the Big John Bates: Noirchestra (Rookie). Christian Thorvaldson originally hit the stage with his band Slow (notably influencing the Pacific Northwest proto-grunge scene) and was also the main songwriter in Copyright (Geffen). Tim Huston has been a pivotal drummer in the local scene, playing in many of Vancouver’s OG punk’n’roll bands (GG Dartray, Big John Bates).