Whether or not it can be argued that Sun City Girls are one of the most influential bands on the list, there's no question that they've courted the most controversy. The band was comprised of guitarist/pianist Sir Richard Bishop, drummer/vocalist Charles Gocher and bassist/vocalist Alan Bishop, and (prior to their dissolution following the death of Gocher in 2007) they were, without any shadow of a doubt, the strangest trio of musicians on the planet. Sun City Girls, much like SC3, were inspired by Eastern sounds. However, where SC3 take those influences and treat them with the most sincerity possible, Sun City Girls used them as a device to critique and mock what they deemed to be simplistic Western ideologies. A totally surreal sense of humour ran through EVERYTHING they did, meaning that a lot of journalists questioned their seriousness and, indeed, whether they were simply appropriating sounds and imagery from other cultures for their own gain. Were they effectively being racist? SCG always disputed that, and it's hard to disagree with them. Their critiques of Western values, as well as their constant attempts to shed light onto lesser-known international musical styles, showed a genuine love for the music that influenced them. The fact that they remained the definitive "independent" act throughout their existence is further testament to their disinterest in financial rewards. They would put out pretty much everything they created, releasing triple-disc CDs and more live material (a lot of it of awful quality) than anyone could possible own. They dressed up in ridiculous costumes. Their live shows were notoriously unpredictable. At one, they claimed to be playing the songs of John Coltrane, but when fans showed up they were treated to a Coltrane LP playing onstage. They'd do performative dramas instead of playing their own songs. They created complex and abstract cinematic "documentaries" comprised of the most bizarre material they could find. SCG are challenging, and their back catalogue is huge. But their supreme oddness makes them a necessary band to track down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5fEnIdaI-I
