Time : 19:30 - 23:00 1125721978875519
A special Punk/Powerpop event featuring 4 of the original bands from the late 70s/early 80s.
THE DISTRACTIONS
The Distractions were well known on the post-punk scene and, along with Joy Division and The Fall, were regarded as one of the top three bands in Manchester in the late 70s and early 80s. They recorded for the TJM, Factory, Island and Rough Trade labels and toured extensively in the UK and Ireland as well as doing dates in New York before splitting up in 1981
With Alex Sidebottom on drums and singer Mike Finney as original members they put a gigging version of the band back together in 2017. The new guys were members of The Things, Blue Orchids and Kill Pretty, all steeped in the Manchester musical tradition.
They have been doing headlining gigs ever since as well as supporting bands such as The Flamin’ Groovies, Penetration, Monochrome Set, Vic Goddard, The Buzzcocks and The Skids, amongst others. In 2018 They did two sold out gigs at the Dublin Castle in London.
In 2020 The Distractions 1980 debut album for Island, Nobody’s Perfect, was released as part of a double CD box set with a remixed version of the album and with other rare tracks. It received 4 and 5 star reviews in the national and music press and was one of Amazon’s reissues of the year. It continues to sell well in the UK and USA.
Along with New Order and A Certain Ratio they are one of the few bands from the early Factory records era still gigging regularly but they are not a ‘heritage’ band! They have played many gigs to audiences who did not know their old material and went down a storm.
They also have a fantastic self- produced EP out of new material: ‘ Time and Time Again’ written by the current band which has had great reviews and radio play in the UK the USA and Australia.
It is available through Bandcamp to download or as CD. The CD will also be available at gigs
The Distractions are gaining a new generation of fans who appreciate classic songs and storming live sets!
THE LIMPS
The Limps are a Punk Rock band from Annan in Scotland that were signed to the Matchbox Classics independent record label based in Carlisle. The band was comprised of Chuck, Andy, Tam and Dee Dee. They formed Matchbox Classics with the band ‘No Support’ when each member of both bands put £50 in each to fund the creation of a split EP entitled ‘Opposite Sides’ in 1979, the same year they also released another split with ‘No Support’ called ‘Another Matchbox Classic”.
In 2024 the band’s track ‘Someone I Can Talk To’ will feature on the soundtrack of coming-of-age comedy Snack Shack, by US director Adam Rehmeier. In the wake of this renewed interest, the band have decided to reunite.
FENZYX
Fenzyx started life in 1979 when Tony Gialanze and Jim Rutter, both from former band Demon Preacher, added Gerry Lyons and Paul O’Connell to the line up. Fenzyx then spent a few months rehearsing at Halligan’s Rehearsal Rooms on the Holloway Road in Islington, North London before finally unveiling itself to the world.
Demon Preacher (which also featured Nik Wade – now Nik Fiend of Alien Sex Fiend) had moderate success with ‘Little Miss Perfect’, a song about the notorious Joyce McKinney, who got up to all sorts of things – allegedly! Preacher also recorded ‘Royal Northern N7’, a song critical of The Royal Northern Hospital in Islington, following John Lydon’s brother’s attack on it after he had received some treatment there.
In 1980 Fenzyx recorded the double A sided ‘Soldiers’ c/w ‘Angels of Mercy’ at IPS Studios in Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush for the independent Ellie Jay label. The single saw a release in 1981 with only 500 copies pressed. Nik Wade produced with the sleeve artwork and notes being penned by Ray Mathew, sometimes rock journalist for the illustrious Islington Gazette and as Ray Zell, a contributor to Kerrang! (the ‘Pandora Peroxide’ comic strip) and member of local glam rock band Marionette.
THE STEREOTYPES
The Stereotypes are a punk rock band from Ilford, Essex that was formed in 1977. They released the 1979 Countdown EP and essentially disappeared into the abyss. Fast forward 40 years, the band is informed that their EP is the rarest and most expensive punk EP in the world. With only 100 copies made and only four known copies still in circulation. So why not reunite the band and spark the old flame and finally release a debut album? The Stereotypes did just that, after a 42-year wait, they reunited and released their debut album, which is available now via streaming and physical copies.