It is assumed that the band broke up at some point prior to 1997 due to unknown circumstances. Not much is known about the band outside of being a featured headliner for a concert at the Withered Hand in Stoke-on-Trent on November 29, 1994. The Cream of Stoke at the Withered Hand with Murdoc's Burning Sensations as part of the starting lineup.Īt some point in the early 1990s, Murdoc founded a band called, Murdoc's Burning Sensations. The names and instruments of the other members appear in the Gorillaz 2005 promotional booklet and are given as follows: Billy Boy (who is based on a character in A Clockwork Orange) and Tiny on guitars, Crunch on drums, Rocky on keyboards, and Munch, who appears to be listed as "Band Artist." Not much else is known about these characters including their personalities or current whereabouts, although they appear on a few pieces of official Gorillaz artwork, most notably in the previously mentioned booklet as well as in Kong Studios, where an image of Crunch, Billy Boy, and Tiny can be seen on the wall in the instrument room. Murdoc played in a number of bands before Gorillaz, though they never went anywhere. When the deal was finalized, Murdoc acquired Satan's bass guitar “El Diablo” and his middle name was changed from "Alphonce" to " Faust". If Murdoc was to become a famous rock star, he would offer Satan his soul. After becoming a Satanist, he began making deals with the devil and came to an arrangement with him. Murdoc dreamt about becoming a famous musician and leaving Stoke-On-Trent. He would wreak his havoc on this world of buffoons. It was from here on out that Murdoc decided to become a musician, and he would never again take the stage under someone else's direction.
The performances arranged by his father were always humiliating song and dance numbers, usually with feathered costumes and tap shoes, including one performance in which Murdoc was forcibly dressed up as Pinocchio and sang "I've Got No Strings". The local pub had a routine talent show called the "Are You A Star?" talent contest that Murdoc was often forced to participate in so he could win his father's drinking money. Murdoc and his father, Sebastian Jacob Niccals Murdoc got back at Tony by calling him a lot of offensive and extremely harsh names, ultimately calling him "a useless, bloated backward waste of space who would probably get a job of holding up 'For Sale' signs on the corner of streets only to then get himself fired and replaced by a bucket of soil", which resulted in Tony punching Murdoc in the nose, breaking it. Chopper would call Murdoc all kinds of names and the list went on with new ones added daily. Murdoc was also bullied at school by a big, thick, meaty skinhead lump of a boy with arms like two racks of kabob meat named Tony Chopper. Despite all this, he was also the target of much bullying both from the pupils and the teachers.
Although, even as a child, he had charisma, had a great knack of getting his acquaintances to see things "the Murdoc Niccals way" and certainly stood out. Gravadlax, a man described by Murdoc as "turning up stinking of poppers", described Murdoc as "an appalling student" and "a stupid imbecile who often turned up smelling of whiskey". From the first day, he would frequently be found in the corridors during lessons and propping up walls outside of the classrooms, distracting the other students with "endless quacking noises and pointless, malicious humor". ĭuring his childhood years, Murdoc attended Sodsworth Comprehensive School where he gained a reputation for his truancy, puerile pranks, ugliness, poor personal hygiene, and generally unruly behavior. His father, Sebastian Jacob Niccals, (or Jacob Sebastian Niccals, depending on who's asking) was a spiteful drunk of a man who often verbally abused and exploited his sons. It has been proposed that his many addictions and his sour attitude were due to his abusive childhood. Murdoc went on to a very abusive childhood. Although the exact whereabouts were never verified, it was rumored that his mother gave birth to him at the Belphegor Sanatorium, a halfway house for "the sick, the needy, and the incredibly bored."Īs an infant, he was dumped on the doorstep of his father's house one night and was discovered by him as he was returning home from the pub. Murdoc Alphonse Niccals was born in Stoke-On-Trent on June 6th, 1966.