sound of the suburbs

Four short sharp shocks for you today from the belle epoque, all of which I owned on vinyl at the time.

Chelsea - 'Right To Work'. A classic debut single that was originally on Step Forward in 1977. Don't be fooled by the song title as it is not a rant against the then rampant unemployment in the UK but more Gene October moaning about not being able to get his equity card, so as Mark P said at the time a rousing punk anthem with dodgy lyrics. Chelsea as I mentioned the other day boasted Billy Idol and Tony James amongst their ranks though they were both long gone by the time this was recorded. Despite having played their first farewell gig in late '77 the band is still on it's (last legs) and can be caught playing the punk festival circuit. Interesting fact concerning Gene October, it was he that persuaded the manger of a gay London nightclub to take a risk by becoming the capital's first punk club, the Roxy, in 1976.

Art Attacks - 'I Am A Dalek'. with a typically stupid title for the time their sole single was to wait for the band to split before hitting the shops in April 1978. The band was led by one Savage Pencil, who was better known as a cartoonist in the then popular music weekly Sounds, who effectively called it a day when he decided to follow his studies. Still this stands out as a good picture of what was good independent punk rock at the time hardly surprising as various band members went on to be play with the Motors, Monochrome Set and Wire.

The Nosebleeds - 'I Ain't Bin To No Music School'. Why the name? Edmund Garrity, later to be known as Ed Banger, was roadieing for his friends band Slaughter and the Dogs when they supported the Sex Pistols at their second gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1976. As violence flared Ed was injured by a flying bottle and his friend Pete suffered a nosebleed, thus the inspiration for their name. Released on Manchester's Rabid Records in 1977 and given a helping hand with an appearance on Tony Wilson's So It Goes T.V. program it sold in excess of 10,000 copies. In band arguing led to Ed Banger quitting and group guitarist Vini Reilley leaving to start his own band, Durutti Column.

Psychos - 'Young British And White'. little bit of a fetish song for me I had this on the Raw records compilation 'Raw Deal' that I wore out long before I was twenty by over playing. Some of the bands on the album had had singles released and for others such as the Psychos this was their first and only song to reach the public. I know nothing and have been able to come up with even less concerning the band still the song struck a chord with me and summed up lots of peoples feelings at the time with its refrain "young British and white, what a big deal".