Octopus Joe and the Incredible Sponge

Octopus Joe and the Incredible Sponge are an alternative/Indie band, from Lylecity, Georgeland, formed in 1998. The band's musical style varies greatly, but generally the band perform a combination of 1960s-style acid rock accentuated with modern-day computerised mixing and sampling. Singer and bassist Sooty Van Cloot (real name: Adrian Sutcliffe) and his then-partner F. Jade Bouncy (real name: Lisa Flitcroft) formed the band as a two-member group in 1998, with a substantially different style. Both have admitted they played most of their gigs under the influence of ecstacy, contributing to the somewhat idiosyncratic sound and stage presence. After being joined by T, P.P. Freeman, Bosley Q. Constrictor and Major Who throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band began recording their first EP, entitled There's Somebody Eating My Porridge. The band were 'discovered' on local radio in 2002, and recorded their first album The Fantastic Goat the same year, gaining national attention. The band's stage act has grown increasingly bizzare, and their music increasingly obscure and quirky. Much of their behaviour has been attributed to drug use; however, in 2004 Van Cloot said he had not taken any drugs for three years after a serious health scare, though he admitted he could not vouch for the other members of the band. Also in 2004, Van Cloot and Bouncy ended their relationship, though both remained on good terms and continued to participate in the band. The second album for the outfit, Jimmy-Sue's Plastic Mortuary was released in May 2005 to mixed reviews, with the group's musical contribution labelled as 'erratic'. They nonetheless embarked on a tour of Georgeland and the United States, returning in October. A highly-publicised incident occured while playing in Pittsburgh when Major Who fell from the stage and fractured his collarbone. The group are currently 'on hiatus' and are expected to release a third album in 2007.

Members

 * Sooty Van Cloot (Adrian Sutcliffe) - vocals
 * F. Jade Bouncy (Lisa Flitcroft) - bongos, vocals, keyboards
 * T (Thomas Thursday) - keyboards, bass
 * P.P. Freeman (Patrick Freeman) - guitar
 * Bosley Q. Constrictor (Albert Bosley) - drums, percussion
 * Major Who (John Winters) - guitar, keyboards, woodwind, vocals

Origins of the name
In 2004, when asked why the band was referred to as "Octopus Joe and the Incredible Sponge" when nobody in it had the stage name "Octopus Joe", Van Cloot revealed that the name was arrived by randomly selecting words in a dictionary. This totally contradicted a 2001 interview in which he declared that the band's moniker was based on a vision he had had while under the influence of LSD. Van Cloot has since claimed that both stories are true.