Dayglo Abortions

ByLets Go Punk
Dayglo Abortions is a Victoria

Dayglo Abortions is a hardcore punk and metal band from Victoria, British Columbia that formed in 1979. The group built a reputation for caustic humor, provocative artwork, and a catalog that swerves between punk rock bite and crossover heft. Their lyrics take aim at social norms without apology, and their history includes courtroom drama, lineup shifts, and a long string of releases dating back to their first album in 1981.

How The Band Got Started

The band began in Victoria in 1979 and issued its first album in 1981. Over time the lineup changed, but the name kept circulating across Canada’s punk circuits. The group’s story has been documented in Argh Fuck Kill: The Story of the Dayglo Abortions by Chris Walter, published in 2010. From 1994 to 2007, Gymbo Jak handled lead vocals while also performing with Toronto outfit Maximum RNR.

Legal Trouble

Graphic album covers drew scrutiny in the late 1980s. In 1988, after a police officer in Nepean, Ontario saw a copy of Here Today, Guano Tomorrow at home, obscenity charges were filed against the band’s label, Fringe Product Inc., and its shop, Record Peddler. The band itself was not charged. A jury later found the material was not obscene.

On August 30, 2025, Murray “The Cretin” Acton and Matt Fiorito were arrested in Ohio.

Politics

The 2004 album Holy Shiite marked a sharper political focus, with song titles such as “America Eats Her Young,” “Christina Bin Laden,” “Scientology,” and “Where’s Bin Laden?” The themes remained blunt, and the delivery stayed fast and abrasive.

Members

Current

  • Murray “The Cretin” Acton – lead guitar, vocals (1979-1994, 1998-present)
  • Mike Jak – guitar (1986-1994, 1997, 2009-present)
  • “Blind” Marc – drums (2011-present)
  • Matt Fiorito – guitar (2015-present)

Former

  • “Jesus Bonehead” – drums (1979-2010)
  • Trevor “Spud” Hagen – bass (1979-1999)
  • “Gymbo Jak” – vocals (1994-2007)
  • “Hung Jak” – guitar (1995-2000)
  • “Willy Jak” – bass (2000-2018)
  • “Nev the Impailer” – guitar (1986-1989; died 2013)
  • “Squid” – lead guitar (1994-1996)
  • “Wayne Gretsky” – guitar (1985-1986)

Discography

Studio albums

  • Out of the Womb (1981)
  • Feed Us a Fetus (1986)
  • Here Today, Guano Tomorrow (1988)
  • Two Dogs Fucking (1991)
  • Little Man in the Canoe (1995)
  • Corporate Whores (1996)
  • Death Race 2000 (1999)
  • Holy Shiite (2004)
  • Armageddon Survival Guide (2016)
  • Hate Speech (2021)
  • Upside Down World EP (2023)

Compilations and live

  • Stupid World, Stupid Songs (1998)
  • Live A.D. (2011)
  • Wake Up It’s Time To Die EP (2019)
  • Fuck The World, If It Can’t Take A Joke

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