Gob: the pop punk band that started in Langley

1. It started here. Tom Thacker and Theo Goutzinakis formed Gob in Langley in 1993, and Wikipedia says Thacker grew up in Langley. Drummer Patrick Paszana and bassist Kelly Macauley rounded out the first line-up for the self-titled debut in 1994.

2. Seven albums. Gob (1994), Too Late… No Friends (1995), How Far Shallow Takes You (1998), The World According to Gob (2001), Foot in Mouth Disease (2003), Muertos Vivos (2007) and Apt. 13 (2014). The World According to Gob and Foot in Mouth Disease were both certified gold by Music Canada.

3. Two Juno nominations. Best new group in 2000, and best video in 2002 for “I Hear You Calling.” No win, but Wikipedia lists it among the band’s best-selling songs, with “Soda” and “Banshee Song.”

4. The Sum 41 years. Thacker joined Sum 41 as a touring guitarist in 2007 and was confirmed as a full member in 2009. He co-wrote the title track of Screaming Bloody Murder (2011), and stayed through to the band’s last album, Heaven :x: Hell, in 2024. Gob played the final show of Sum 41’s farewell tour at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in January 2025.

5. Still going. The line-up has been steady for two decades: Thacker and Goutzinakis, drummer Gabe Mantle (since 1998) and bassist Steven Fairweather (since 2003). In July 2025 they played a free Peterborough Musicfest show ahead of a European tour, and said they meant to make a seventh album, with no date set.

Gob is one of the few Langley acts on our musicians page that isn’t country. Wikipedia says Thacker now lives in New York.