With an eccentric origin story, Dusty Plankton are anything but a typical band.

Humorously describing themselves as ‘King Neptune’s former in-house musicians’, the group claim they were ‘banished to land after an altercation with an angry octopus’.

While their aquatic backstory may be unusual, their presence on the local music scene is anything but a joke.

Formed around 2011/2012, Dusty Plankton first took to the stage at Camma Fest, an event in Port Soderick, marking the beginning of a journey that has seen them perform at many of the island’s best-known cultural festivals and venues.

Over the years they have built a reputation for energetic live shows and a willingness to experiment musically.

The band consists of Christian Clague on vocals, Alan Stacey on synth and sprinkles, Nell Kneale on guitar, Jonny Peacock on drums and Seb Fosdal on bass.

Together they create a sound that does not fit neatly into one category.

‘We tend to hop around genres like a happy frog, never settling on one lily pad,’ Christian explains, highlighting their playful and exploratory approach to making music.

Dusty Plankton’s roots lie partly in DJ culture, with Clague and Stacey initially coming from DJing backgrounds.

For them this naturally led to music production and eventually evolved into forming a full band.

That evolution has shaped their distinctive sound, blending electronic influences with live instrumentation.

Despite their growing popularity, the band remain characteristically self-deprecating, jokingly referring to themselves during gigs as ‘the fifth best band in Onchan’, with Christian jokingly explaining that the Onchan Silver Band are marginally better.

The group are now preparing to release their second album, titled ASMR, on April 10.

Standing for ‘Are Sea Monkeys Real’, the abbreviation ‘ASMR’ was first noted in the studio files by Gyp, who works at Ballagroove recording studios.

With the band deciding it was too good not to keep, the recording process for their second album took around a year and a half.

Fans of the eccentric band will not have to wait long to hear the new material live.

Dusty Plankton will host an album launch party on April 11 at the Institute in Laxey.

Entry is priced at £8 on the door, with festivities beginning at 6pm. The evening will feature DJ sets from Ninjafingers, Gyp Buggane and Audiowok before the band takes to the stage at 8pm.

For those unable to attend, Dusty Plankton’s music is widely available online, with tracks accessible via Spotify, Bandcamp and YouTube.

With their imaginative style, genre-blending sound and commitment to entertaining audiences, Dusty Plankton continue to carve out a unique space within the Isle of Man’s music scene, proving that even bands ‘banished from the sea’ are more than capable of surviving on dry land.

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