The Moonlandingz

The Moonlandingz are a rock group from Sheffield, United Kingdom, formed as a joint project between The Eccentronic Research Council and The Fat White Family. The line-up includes Saul Adamczewski, Adrian Flanagan, Dean Honer, Mairead O'Connor and Lias Saoudi.

Origins and formation

The group begins as a fictional band on The Eccentronic Research Council’s 2015 album, Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine...I’m Your Biggest Fan. That album tells a story about a female fan stalking Johnny Rocket, the singer in her favourite outer-space rockabilly band, the Moonlandingz. The project then expands from a studio concept into a real band, with Saul Adamczewski and Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family brought in to play the group.

The first stage of the project includes an EP made to accompany the album. After that, the musicians decide to continue as a proper live act.

Recording and collaborators

The Moonlandingz begin work on an album in Sheffield, with Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer writing the music. Flanagan and Saoudi handle the lyrics and vocals, while Adamczewski adds guitars.

They then travel to Sean Lennon’s studio in upstate New York to enlarge the recordings with additional musicians. Ross Orton, formerly of Fat Truckers and Add (N) to X, plays live drums, and Mairead O'Connor contributes bass. Further contributors include Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club, Philip Oakey of the Human League, Randy Jones, known as the Cowboy from the Village People, and Yoko Ono.

Releases and live work

Their album Interplanetary Class Classics is released on Chimera Music. Later in 2017 they issue the This Cities Undone EP. Their live activity during that period includes performances across the UK and Europe, and some of their final 2017 shows are billed as potentially the last under the name, as the members plan to return to their regular bands.

In early 2018, the label releases a deluxe edition of Interplanetary Class Classics with a second disc of remixes, demos and stray tracks.