Gibby Haynes launches UK dates with Thunes Institute ensemble and Evicshen

Gibby Haynes, vocalist of Butthole Surfers, begins a UK and European tour accompanied by a student ensemble trained under Scott Thunes and noise artist Evicshen. The tour opens in Helsinki on 5 August 2025 and continues through Tallinn, Prague, Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Birmingham, and Dublin.

The concerts are structured in three parts. The Thunes Institute of Musical Excellence (TIME) ensemble performs an opening set consisting of classic punk tracks. Evicshen follows with a solo performance based on handmade electronics and noise-driven improvisation. The final section features Haynes performing Butthole Surfers material with TIME as the backing band.

TIME is a music training program directed by Scott Thunes, former bassist and Clonemeister for Frank Zappa during the 1980s. The ensemble consists of students aged between 13 and 19 who have trained with Thunes for two years. This tour functions as the culmination of their studies.

Evicshen, also known as Victoria Shen, is a San Francisco-based sound artist. Her practice incorporates analog modular synthesizers, self-built electronics, and physical performance. She has released the album Hair Birth and has performed internationally, collaborating with artists such as Mariam Rezaei, Maria Chavez, Kronos Quartet, Matmos, clipping, Acid Mothers Temple, and Mike Watt.

Gibby Haynes co-founded Butthole Surfers in San Antonio, Texas, in 1981 with guitarist Paul Leary. The band’s releases during the 1980s and 1990s, including Locust Abortion Technician (1987) and Independent Worm Saloon (1993), became associated with experimental punk and psychedelic noise. Beyond the band, Haynes has appeared in independent films, published the novel Me and Mr. Cigar, exhibited visual art, and collaborated musically with Johnny Depp, Flea, and others.

Scott Thunes was part of Frank Zappa’s band from 1981 to 1988, contributing as bassist on several studio albums and serving as Clonemeister during Zappa’s later tours. He has worked with Fear, The Waterboys, and Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa. Currently, he teaches and directs TIME from the Bay Area.

Evicshen is active in experimental and noise music, performing with custom-built instruments and using materials such as vinyl resin records and Needle Nails—acrylic nails embedded with turntable styluses. Her work is grounded in the physical and spatial properties of sound.

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