5 Underrated Surf Rock Bands You Need To Hear

Surf rock’s heyday was back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, though it has seen a few resurgences here and there through the years. There were quite a few bands and musicians who made music in the genre back in the day, with notable acts including Dick Dale, The Beach Boys, and The Trashmen. Just as well, there are a few underrated surf rock bands out there that deserve more recognition. Let’s look at five underrated surf rock bands from music history that all fans of the genre should be familiar with!

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1. The Challengers

Few surf rock bands have a discography as huge as The Challengers. This surf rock outfit is best known for the highly influential record Surfbeat from 1963. They were quite popular at the time; they even had their own television show. Still, rock fans have mostly forgotten about this stellar surf-rock outfit in the years since they sort of fizzled into obscurity. If you’re getting into surf rock, The Challengers are essential listening.

2. The Revels

Ah, The Revels. This surf rock outfit stood out from their contemporaries with their iconic Jazzmaster Jaguar sound. They were also making surf rock before the first wave of surf rock hit California in the 1960s. The Revels were influential, to say the least. Unfortunately, the band broke up in 1962 after most of their members were drafted into the Vietnam War.

3. Avengers VI

Avengers VI formed in 1964 in sunny Anaheim, California. The band was made up of very young members, but their professionalism and expert songwriting skills put them ahead of their time. “Time Bomb” went on to become a pretty big song still covered by rock bands today, and “Heartbeat is a notable fan favorite. They disbanded around 1968 and only released one album.

4. Messer Chups

Surf rock is mainly associated with the United States, particularly California. However, that didn’t stop Russian surf rockers Messer Chups from delivering some of the best surf rock tunes since their inception in 1998. 

Messer Chups are technically a surf rock “revival” band. However, if they were just a bit older and started making music in the early 1960s, they could have easily become one of the greats.

5. Jan Davis

Jan Davis isn’t a band, but he’s definitely worth noting on this list of underrated surf rock acts. He was an expert studio guitarist who delivered a number of hit solo tracks in the 1960s, including “Watusi Zombie” and “Boss Machine”, among others. He also contributed to a few Dick Dale songs as well. Davis moved on from surf rock to other genres, but his surf rock career remains quite memorable.

Photo courtesy of The Challengers’ official Facebook page

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