Mouthwash

The U.K. four-piece Mouthwash is composed of frontman Ben McCarthy, guitarist Robert Tortelli, bassist Rich Fry, and drummer Chris Hugall that originally formed as a trio in 1995 while the mates were still wee teenagers. Incorporating their own brandish hardcore punk, Mouthwash played into influences such as Minor Threat, Operation Ivy, and Bad Religion. By the late '90s, Mouthwash was playing area gigs around London and issued the Music for the Average Ninja EP while forming their own label, Hot Wok Records. It was during this time that Fry officially came on board for bass duties, which allowed McCarthy more time to focus on his priorities as the band's chief songwriter and full-time vocalist. Throughout the remainder of the '90s, Mouthwash opened shows for the Vandals, Hepcat, Agnostic Front, Rancid, the Get Up Kids, and Vanilla Pod. Rancid's Tim Armstrong was instantly taken to the fierce embodiment of the band and asked Mouthwash to be a part of his record group, Hellcat Records. A self-titled EP was issued in late 1998 with the band also participating on various Hellcat compilations. A debut full-length 1000 Dreams was released in early 2001.