Since their inception in 2003, the Welsh quartet Bullet for My Valentine have been taking cues from '80s metal bands and the punk-infused metal of the new millennium to make melodic, metallic, dark rock songs. Originating from Bridgend, South Wales -- a breeding ground for likeminded groups like Funeral for a Friend and Lost Prophets -- the group consists of childhood friends Matthew Tuck (vocals/guitar),  Michael Padget (guitar/vocals), Jason James (bass/vocals), and Michael Thomas (drums). Everyone in the group, with the sole exception of James, previously performed together for a few years in Jeff Killed John. One day before entering the recording studio, though, Jeff Killed John's original bassist abruptly walked out, effectively breaking up the band with his exit. 

Regrouping under the new name Bullet for My Valentine (with James on board), the guys reworked their sound and were signed at their second gig by London's Visible Noise. They released a self-titled EP in the U.K. in November 2004, and their debut album, The Poison, appeared that next fall. One year later, they partnered with an American label, Trustkill, to begin releasing their material in the U.S. As a result, Hand of Blood -- essentially a deluxe version of the band's first EP -- was issued to American audiences in August. That same year, Bullet for My Valentine won Kerrang!'s Best British Newcomer Award and headlined the magazine's XXV tour. The U.S. release of The Poison followed in early 2006, as did a nationwide tour in support of Rob Zombie, and the album eventually sold more than 500,000 copies in America alone. Meanwhile, Bullet for My Valentine headed back to the U.K. in June for a third appearance at the annual Download Festival. 

Scream Aim Fire appeared in 2008, marking the band's second full-length album and cracking the Top Ten in multiple countries (including the U.K. and U.S., where it peaked at numbers five and four, respectively). After touring, the band headed back into the studio, this time choosing Linkin Park producer Don Gilmore to helm the recording sessions. The result was 2010's Fever, another high-charting album with a slightly more mainstream sound than the band's previous releases.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE VIDEOS

Discography:

The Poison (2005)
Scream Aim Fire (2008)
Fever (2010)

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE MERCHANDISE HERE

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Linkin' Park

Rage Against The Machine

Avenged Sevenfold

Metallica

Pantera

Anthrax

Toyah Willcox is a highly successful, creative and incredibly diverse woman. Her major hit records and many prestigious stage and screen roles have made her one of Britain's biggest household names.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE TOYAH WILLCOX VIDEOS

Her musical career spans three decades and highlights include 13 UK top 40 singles, over 30 albums and she is considered one of the greatest women in British music. More recently, she formed a new band called The Humans with Bill Rieflin (also in REM), Chris Wong and special guest appearances by rocker husband, Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame.

Willcox began life in Birmingham where she started out in acting school. She had a role in the classic, Quadrophenia. She played the brash and blonde Monkey which launched her as belligerent and anti-establishment figure.

Meanwhile, she had also started up her own band, simply called Toyah. By 1979, the band released its first EP called Sheep Farming in Barnet. The second album, The Blue Meaning, slipped into the Top 40 and with the critical acclaim of her previous release, she was heralded as an up-and-coming talent.

By 1981, the track It’s a Mystery helped to secure her appearances on hit TV shows like Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test Christmas Special. This was followed by several other hits including Thunder In The Mountains (#4) and I Want to Be Free (#8). The following year, she was awarded Best Female Singer in the Rock & Pop Awards (known today as the BRITs).

Although 1981 was the last year she had any top 10 hits, her EPs and albums continued to do well.

In the mid-80s, Willcox went solo and had some modest hits with Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) and a version of Echo Beach.

After concentrating mainly on her acting career, Willcox returned with avengence in 2007 with a digital release called Latex Messiah and two years later, she formed The Humans and released a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walking.

Toyah continues to work in music, writing and performing, whilst refusing to compromise any aspect of her multi-faceted and varied career.

Albums:

Source: Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Blondie

Soft Cell

Transvision Vamp

In The Court Of Robert Fripp

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Perhaps the best songwriter to come from the punk scene, TV Smith continues to be an inspiration more than thirty years after The Adverts released their debut single One Chord Wonders. To this day TV Smith is touring solo all over the world, strengthening his fan base with his uncompromising lyrics and charismatic live performances.

TV Smith was the front man of The Adverts, one of the pioneering bands of the first wave of British punk. The Adverts were formed in 1977 and appeared regularly in iconic venues such as London’s Roxy Club. Their single One Chord Wonders became a cult hit and Gary Gilmore’s Eyes made it to the Top of the charts. In 1978 The Adverts released the album Crossing The Red Sea with The Adverts which is now one of the classic punk albums. After releasing a second album, The Adverts split up in November 1979 and TV Smith formed a new band, TV Smith’s Explorers. They recorded the album The Last Words of the Great Explorer, which failed to achieve the commercial success of The Adverts. Next, Smith formed the band Cheap alongside guitarist Mik Heslin, bass player Andy Bennie and drummer Howard Martin Deniz. Between 1986 and 1991 Cheap toured in Britain and Europe. They released the confrontational single Third Term and did a John Peel Session for the BBC. Cheap could not find commercial backing for their album RIP… Everything Must Go, which was eventually released several years later but is still hard to find.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE TV SMITH VIDEOS

In 1992 TV Smith released his solo debut March Of The Giants. This marked the beginning of a new phase in Smith’s career. Throughout the nineties TV Smith toured non-stop, which earned him a strong fan base in Germany, Swiss, the United States and Finland. Smith continues to perform as a solo artist today, recording and performing his own songs. He has released five more studio albums: Immortal Rich (1994), Generation Y (1998), Not A Bad Day (2003), Misinformation Overload (2006) and In The Arms Of My Enemy (2009). Over the years he has worked together with a variety of other bands from around the world, including German punk band Die Toten Hosen, Punk Lurex OK from Finland, Midnight Creeps (USA), The Valentines from Italy and Suzy & Los Quattro from Spain. In 2001 Smith released Useless, a selection of TV Smith and Adverts classics re-recorded with Die Toten Hosen as backing band. The solo work of TV Smith is renowned for its politically charged lyrics, for example in the song Expensive Being Poor or the anti-war song Not In My Name. Smith plays as many gigs as he can and he doesn’t hesitate to play for up to 2,5 hours. TV Smith is famous for his intense live performances, in which he mixes his recent solo work effortlessly with classics from The Adverts. At the request of many, he finally released a double live album, Live At The NVA, recorded in a small German venue, late 2009.

Albums:

Channel Five, Expulsion, 1983

Source: Leonor Jonker

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

AFI

Dr Feelgood

Inspiral Carpets

Complete History Of Punk

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Hardcore punk revivalists AFI (A Fire Inside) originally formed in 1991 when their members; vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Markus Stopholese, bassist Vick, and drummer Adam Carson, were attending high school in Ukiah, CA. Vick was replaced by Geoff Kresge after several months, and the band played a few local gigs and released a split 7" titled Dork with fellow Ukiah natives Loose Change (a band that incidentally included future AFI member Jade Puget). An EP titled Behind the Times was released as well. The bandmembers then split up to attend different colleges, with Kresge temporarily moving to New Jersey to join Blanks 77, and all assumed East Bay's AFI was defunct. However, the band reconvened during a holiday break from school to play a one-off reunion show, and audience response was so positive that the bandmembers decided to quit school and concentrate on music full-time.

A couple of singles preceded a record deal with the Nitro label, which issued the band's second album, Very Proud of Ya, in 1996. Two LPs followed in 1997, a re-release of their 1995 debut, Answer That and Stay Fashionable, and Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes,and personnel shifts ensued; Kresge was the first to leave, being replaced by Hunter Burgan, and Stopholese departed in favor of ex-Redemption 87 guitarist Jade Puget, who then shared songwriting duties with Havok. The new lineup recorded an EP titled A Fire Inside in 1998, and issued a noticeably more mature full-length in 1999, Black Sails in the Sunset. 1999 also saw the release of the All Hallow's EP before The Art of Drowning followed a year later. Though already owning a fiercely loyal core base of fans, the latter album saw the band's music being received by an even larger audience, due in part to the moderate success of the single "Days of the Phoenix".

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE AFI VIDEOS

In the new millennium, AFI hooked up with Jerry Finn and Garbage's Butch Vig for some recording. The end result was the ambitious Sing the Sorrow, released in March 2003, their major-label debut for DreamWorks that showcased the band's significant growth from their early hardcore days. This album also showcased Havok's ability in nursing degrees of dark wave into the sound of the band with his melodic and dark vocals.The record also marked AFI's crossover into the mainstream as their fan base considerably grew, national news publications praised them, and several singles found airplay on MTV. Working again with producer Jerry Finn (Blink-182, Green Day), the band's next record was their most labor-intensive to date, resulting from two years of detailed songwriting. Decemberunderground, album number seven, surfaced on June 6, 2006, on Interscope. The album was an instant success, debuting at number one on the Billboard charts. AFI kept the momentum going on the road nationwide that summer, followed by a string of overseas dates in October. While on tour, Havok and Puget dedicated their spare time to a side project that would become Black Audio, which they debuted in early 2007. AFI went on to release I Heard a Voice: Live from Long Beach Arena later that same year. 

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT AFI MERCHANDISE HERE

For The Record:

Members include Adam Carson (born c. 1974), drums; Davey Havok (born David Marchand on November 20, 1975, in Rochester, NY), lead vocals; Hunter (born c. 1976; joined group, 1997), bass; Geoff Kresge (group member, 1991-97), bass; Jade Puget (born Jade Puget Smith c. 1974; joined group, 997), guitar; Markus Stopholese (group member, 1991-97), guitar. 

Group formed in Ukiah, CA, 1991; released debut album Answer That & Stay Fashionable on Wingnut, 1995; four albums on NIT, 1996-2000; signed with Nitro/DreamWorks Records; major label debut, Sing the Sorrow, 2003. 

Awards: California Music Awards (CAMA), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Rock Album, and Outstanding Debut on a Major Label, 2004. 

Addresses: Contact—P.O. Box 4522, Berkeley, CA 94704. Booking—Leave Home Booking, 1400 S. Foothill Dr. Ste. 34, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, phone: (801) 582-4111, fax: (801) 582-4112. Website—AFI Official Website: http://www.afireinside.net.

Souce: G. Cooksey

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

blink-182

Green Day

Fall Out Boy

Rage Against the Machine

Complete History Of Punk

Alongside their Detroit-area brethren The Stooges, MC5 essentially laid the foundations for the emergence of punk; deafeningly loud and uncompromisingly intense, the group's politics were ultimately as crucial as their music, their revolutionary sloganeering and anti-establishment outrage crystallizing the counterculture movement at its most volatile and threatening. Under the guidance of svengali John Sinclair (the infamous founder of the radical White Panther Party), MC5 celebrated the holy trinity of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, their incendiary live sets offering a defiantly bacchanalian counterpoint to the peace-and-love reveries of their hippie contemporaries. Although corporate censorship, label interference, and legal hassles combined to cripple the band's hopes of mainstream notoriety, both their sound and their sensibility remain seminal influences on successive generations of artists.

The Motor City Five formed in Lincoln Park, MI, in late 1964 by vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Fred "Sonic" Smith and Wayne Kramer, bassist Pat Burrows, and drummer Bob Gaspar; at the time, its members were still in high school, appearing at local parties and teen hangouts while clad in matching stage uniforms. In time, however, Smith and Kramer began experimenting with feedback and distortion, a development that hastened the exits of Burrows and Gaspar during the fall of 1965; adding bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson a year later, MC5 landed a regular gig at the famed Detroit venue the Grande Ballroom, building a fanatical local fan base on the strength of their increasingly anarchic live appearances. Soon the band caught the attention of Sinclair, a former high school English teacher anointed the Motor City's "King of the Hippies" after founding Trans Love Energies, the umbrella name applied to the many underground enterprises he operated, including his White Panther Party, a radical political faction espousing "total assault on the culture by any means necessary, including rock & roll, dope, and f*cking in the streets."

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE MC5 VIDEOS

In early 1967, Sinclair was named MC5's manager; within months they issued their debut single, "I Can Only Give You Everything". As the official house band of the White Panthers, they became musical conduits for the party's political rhetoric, taking the stage draped in American flags and calling for a revolution; run-ins with the law became increasingly common, although in the wake of the Detroit riots of July 1967, the group relocated to the nearby college town of Ann Arbor. The following summer, MC5 appeared in Chicago at the Yippies' Festival of Life, a rally mounted in opposition to the Democratic National Convention, and in the audience was Elektra Records A&R executive Danny Fields, who signed the band a few months later. Their debut album, the classic Kick Out the Jams, was recorded live at the Grande Ballroom on October 30 and 31, 1968; although the album reached the national Top 30, retailers, including the Hudson's chain, refused to carry copies due to its inclusion of Tyner's trademark battle cry of  "Kick out the jams, motherf*ckers!" The controversy spurred MC5 to run advertisements in the underground press reading "F*ck Hudson's!" Against the band's wishes, Elektra also issued a censored version of the album, replacing the offending expletive with "brothers and sisters.

When the dust settled, MC5 was dropped by Elektra; when Sinclair was subsequently jailed for possession of marijuana, the band was left without their manager and without a contract. They signed to Atlantic, where producer Jon Landau was installed to helm their second album, 1970's Back in the U.S.A.; with Sinclair out of the picture, the music's political stance vanished as well, with a newly stripped-down, razor-sharp sound replacing the feedback-driven fury of before. The record's approach divided fans and critics, however, and when the 1971 follow-up High Time failed to even reach the charts, Atlantic released MC5 from their contract; in addition to filing for bankruptcy, the group was dogged by mounting drug problems and in early 1972, Davis was dismissed from the lineup as a result of heroin abuse. Bassist Steve Moorhouse stepped in as his replacement, but soon after, both Tyner and Thompson announced their retirement from active touring; on New Year's Eve of 1972, the group played their final gig, appearing at the Grande Ballroom, the site of so many past glories, for just 500 dollars.

As the years went by, however, MC5's influence expanded; punk, hard rock, and power pop all clearly reflected the band's impact and by the 1990s, they were the subject of a steady stream of reissues and rarities packages. Following the band's demise, its members pursued new projects: Tyner released several solo records and also earned acclaim for his photography before suffering a fatal heart attack on September 17, 1991. Smith, meanwhile, formed Sonic's Rendezvous with fellow Detroit music legend Scott Morgan, issuing the underground classic "City Slang" in 1977 before leaving the group; in 1980 he wed Patti Smith, dying of heart failure on November 4, 1994. After spending much of the following decades battling drug addiction, including a two-year prison stint, Kramer resurfaced in 1995 with a blistering solo album, The Hard Stuff, the first of several new efforts for punk label Epitaph. Less successful were Davis, who seemingly disappeared from sight after a tenure with underground legends Destroy All Monsters, and Thompson, whose solo ambitions went largely unrealized.

artistdirect.com

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

The Stooges

Iggy Pop

New York Dolls

Booming Berlin

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

UK Punk pioneers X-Ray Spex formed in 1976, as deliberate underachievers; a shambling musical mess of Rebellion and fashion, as main muse ‘Poly Styrene’ danced to her punchy “buzz saw ‘n’ biscuit-tin’ band,” whilst trying to fight off Saxophonist Lora Logic.

Not conventionally attractive, Styrene wore thick braces on her teeth, and once stated that “I am not a sex symbol, and if somebody tried to make me one, I’d shave my head tomorrow” - Which she later did at John Lydon’s apartment, prior to the ‘Rock Against Racism’ concert in Victoria Park, Hackney in 1977. Lydon’s close friend and bassist for his post-punk venture PiL described Styrene as “a very strange girl, who often talked about hallucinating. She freaked John out.”

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE X-RAY SPEX VIDEOS

X-Ray Spex later went on to record two live sessions for John Peel, at BBC Radio 1, their profile further enhanced by a fortnightly residency at CBGB’s, even though their debut album “Germ Free Adolescent’s,” was not released in America until late 1992. 

However after releasing the album in the UK, along with a number of singles, including the notorious “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” - a track often confused with the riot girl movement some fifteen years later, the band split up in 1979, when Styrene left the band to record a solo album and join the Hare Krishna movement. 

The band had several failed reconciliation attempts, before finally reforming more successfully in 1995 to release a new album “Conscious Consumer.” Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success, Styrene later explained that touring and promotional work came to an abrupt halt,  when she was run over by a fire engine in central London. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group’s early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.

Members include Jak Airport (born Jack Stafford), guitar; Paul Dean, bass; John Gun (joined in 1979), saxophone; B.P. Hurding, drums; Laura Logic (born Susan Whitby; left band in 1977; returned in 1995), saxophone; Poly Styrene (born Marion Elliot), vocals; Rudi Thompson (joined band in 1977), saxophone. 

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Buzzcocks

Steel Pulse

Transvision Vamp

Van Der Graff Generator

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Solo artist and singer/songwriter for The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed has survived electro-shock therapy, scathing critics, a false death report and numerous hit and miss album releases to become one of the most influential artists in the 20th century.

His career has spanned over five decades, raised taboo subjects such as homosexuality and drug abuse and pioneered distorted guitar and feedback effects. Present day labels him as the “Godfather of Punk”, photographer, recording studio collaborator and even an animated cartoon character voice.

Reed met his first of many partners in music, John Cale, while working as a staff songwriter at Pickwick Records in New York. Reed attracted attention with his off-the-wall lyrics and non-standard guitar tunings.

In 1965, Cale and Reed formed The Velvet Underground, with some managerial help from famous artist, Andy Warhol. The band went on to produce and record albums that although weren’t acclaimed in their day went on to influence the forthcoming glam rock and post-punk bands of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Once The Velvet Underground was signed to an Atlantic Records’ label, Reed was asked to tone down his song subjects in order to reach a more mainstream audience. Shortly after, Reed quit the band in 1970.

By 1972, he had embarked on a solo career, despite the criticism, and had his first (and only) Top 20 hit with Walk on the Wild Side.

One of his more infamous works was in the form of Metal Machine Music which was a double LP of just recorded, non-sensical feedback loops. The jury is still out on the reason for this album – a record company quota responsibility, a joke or an avant-garde musical expression?

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE LOU REED VIDEOS

Reed joined The Velvet Underground to support a European reunion tour and a collection of original work re-released as a five-CD box set called Peel Slowly and See. In 1996, The Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Reed performed with former band members Cale and Maureen Tucker at the induction ceremony.

As a solo artist, Reed has been nominated twice by the Hall of Fame. As a member of The Velvet Underground, Reed was responsible for bucking the trend over the happy hippies. As a solo artist, he continues to raise eyebrows, experiment with fashion and musical styles and is widely-regarded as an elder statesman of rock.

Juanita Appleby

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

The Velvet Underground

Rhinoceros

The Killers

The Complete History Of Punk

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

For over thirty years the Buzzcocks have been a figurehead of the English punk movement. In all these years the Buzzcocks never made concessions to freaks of fashion or dominant trends. Instead, they remained loyal to their own sound: beautiful songs drenched in punk energy, combining raw guitar riffs with intelligent lyrics.

Buzzcocks was formed in Manchester in the mid-seventies. Guitarist and vocalist Pete Shelley and vocalist Howard Devoto started their first musical project in 1975, inspired by electronic music, Brian Eno and American proto-punk groups like The Stooges. When Shelley and Devoto read an NME review of the first Sex Pistols live performance, the Buzzcocks as we now know them were born. In the spring of 1976 Shelley and Devoto organised two concerts of the Sex Pistols in Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. The second gig was supported by the Buzzcocks, by now complete with drummer John Maher and bass guitarist Steve Diggle.

Soon the Buzzcocks themselves became one of the most popular punk bands. In late 1976 they issued their debut EP ‘Spiral Scratch’ on their own label ‘New Hormones’. This was a milestone in the punk movement. The EP sounded raw, energetic, repetitive and minimalist and became a guideline for the punk sound. Establishing your own label to issue a record was later often repeated, at the summit of the do-it-yourself attitude of the punk era.

After these first eventful months Devoto left the band to form Magazine. Pete Shelley took over the vocals and Diggle switched from bass to guitar. With Steve Garvay as bass guitarist they signed with United Artists Records in 1977. The first single to be issued on this label was ‘Orgasm Addict’, a song which is still brash today, but caused a real stir in England of the 1970s. The BBC banning the single didn’t damage the sales figures whatsoever. The following albums ‘Another Music In A Different Kitchen’ and ‘Love Bites’ stormed the charts and the Buzzcocks toured all over Europe and America. They issued a third album ‘A Different Kind Of Tension’, before the group split up in 1981. Since 1989 the Buzzcocks have been reunited. The current line-up includes Shelley, Diggle, bass guitarist Chris Remington (who replaced long-standing band member Tony Barber in 2006) and drummer Danny Farrant. The Buzzcocks released their eighth studio album ‘Flat Pack Philosophy’ in 2006. In the 21st century the Buzzcocks are still relevant, not just as an innovative guitar band, but also as a continuing source of inspiration for the younger generation.

Leonor Jonker

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT BUZZCOCKS MERCHANDISE HERE

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Sex Pistols

The Stooges

The Velvet Underground

The History Of Punk

The Higsons were active from 1980 to 1986. Their main creative driver, front man, and singer was Charlie Higson, now better known for “The Fast Show” and increasingly as the writer of the Young James Bond novels.

The Higsons were the best of a pretty good crop of Post Punk and New Wave bands that came out of the University of East Anglia in the late seventies and early eighties, many of whom were featured on the “Norwich, A Fine City” collection. There is a story that the greatest adoptive East Anglian of them all called them onto his show in frank amazement that any bands were active in Norfolk. John Peel championed The Higsons, and they had consistent Indie Chart success from the release of their first single “I Don’t Want To Live With Monkeys” in July 1981, through their excellent debut album “The Curse Of The Higsons” in October 1984, and right up to their eventual demise in 1986. Openly acknowledging a debt to The Talking Heads (something I myself only hear sporadically) The Higsons’s sound has echoes of Joy Division and Iggy Pop (if that isn’t a tautology), with some Ska blended into the mix which isn’t that surprising as they ended up on the 2 Tone label. If you haven’t heard any, download a couple of tracks at random – they’re all good.

The Higsons didn’t really do much wrong, had a loyal following both in London and amongst their many friends and fans from Norwich, and trod the boards with apparently sober professional well-rehearsed and packed gigs. They probably would have achieved commercial success to match their critical acclaim if they hadn’t got their timing exactly wrong. Looking back all those years as Punk descended Rome-like into the parody of Glam Rock it did so much to end, and music scratched around in the New Romantic void created by the death of the high priest of New Wave Ian Curtis, Switch, as we knew Charlie Higson then, seemed earnestly out of sorts with an eighties of big hair and covers. (Ironically this frustration contributed to his first taste of real fame, as the joint creator of “Loadsamoney”.)

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE HIGSONS VIDEOS

Three years earlier and they’d have been at ease alongside The Clash, and three years after they split The Stone Roses reinvented what was to become Brit Pop. The Higsons might have been another La’s. All we were left with is a most remarkable post-dissolution adieu in “The Attack Of The Cannibal Zombie Businessmen”(1987), a tantalising bazaar of the greatest of never to be hits.

Albums:

The Curse of The Higsons (October 1984)

©JD Shanks September 2009

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

The Talking Heads

Joy Division

Madness

Joy Division Cult Heroes

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Known mostly for their Christmas single, “Fairytale of New York”, The Pogues nevertheless had fourteen years of success on the punk scene. Shane MacGowan, Peter Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnly, on vocals, tin whistle, banjo and accordion respectively, formed the Irish folk-tinged punk outfit Pogue Mahone in London in 1982. Bassist Cait O’Riordan and drummer Andrew Ranken joined a little later.

The band were noticed, and signed, by Stiff Records in 1984 after opening The Clash’s UK tour. They changed their name to The Pogues after complaints from Gaelic-speaking BBC listeners – Pogue Mahone is the Anglicisation of the Gaelic meaning, “kiss my arse”.

Their first album, Red Roses For Me, was released in October that year, and, despite only reaching #89 in the UK charts, still gained The Pogues some recognition. With the help of Elvis Costello, The Pogues released Rum, Sodomy & the Lash a year later, which reached #13.

Despite the success of their second album, The Pogues didn’t release another until 1988, three years later. If I Should Fall from Grace with God, which contained “Fairytale of New York”, peaked at #3 in the charts, and 1989’s Peace and Love fared almost as well, hitting #5. However, MacGowan’s increasingly erratic behaviour – including missing the start of their 1988 US tour and preventing the band from promoting their next album, Hell’s Ditch – forced the rest of The Pogues to sack him in 1991. This sounded the death knell for the band, and they disbanded in 1996, following a failed seventh album, Pogue Mahone, multiple personnel changes and Jem Finer’s ill health.

The Pogues reformed in 2001 and have since conducted a few tours, but have not recorded any new material.

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Dropkick Murphys

Elvis Costello

The Clash

The Pogues Video

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store