The straps
| The straps | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Punk rock |
| founding | 1977, 2004 |
| resolution | 1983, 2008 |
| Last occupation | |
singing |
Jock Strap (John Grant) |
guitar |
Dave Reeves |
guitar |
Stuart Phillips |
bass |
Mark Hobbs |
Drums |
Raffeye |
| former members | |
singing |
Howard Jackson (1977–1978) |
guitar |
Steve Macintosh (1977-1978) |
guitar |
Andy "Heed" Forbes (1978-1980) |
guitar |
Jonathan Werner (1980-1983) |
bass |
Green † (1977-1979) |
bass |
Stan Stammers (1979-1980) |
bass |
Simon Werner (1980-1983) |
Drums |
Brad Day (1977-1979) |
Drums |
Cliff "Gluebag" Warby (1979-1980) |
Drums |
Luke Rendall (1980) |
Drums |
Jim Walker (1980-1982) |
Drums |
Neil Holdom (1983) |
Drums |
Lloyd Dudley (2004-2007) |
The Straps is a British punk band that existed from 1977 to 1983 and from 2004 to 2008.
Band history
The punk band The Straps was founded in late 1977 by the two guitarists Dave Reeves and Steve Macintosh, who lived as squatters in London . The first line-up of the band with the singer Howard Jackson did not get beyond the rehearsal room stage, in May 1978 he was replaced by the Glaswegian punk John "Jock" Grant.
The first concert took place on September 28, 1978 in London in the opening act of the UK Subs . A few more gigs followed until the end of the year, in 1979 the band became quiet after bassist Green died of a heroin overdose.
Singer Jock and guitarist Dave Reeves put together a new band and began performing live again in the spring of 1980, until conflicts arose in June 1980 and The Straps quickly swapped musicians with their friends, punk band The Pack : bassist Stan Stammers and drummer Luke Rendall rose joined The Pack , who changed their name to Theater of Hate , and took over their bassist Simon Werner, guitarist Jonathan Werner and drummer Jim Walker, who played in Johnny Rotten's band Public Image Ltd. from 1978-79 . had played. Guitarist Andy Forbes got out and switched to The Wall .
After just one rehearsal, the new band had their first concert in London on August 8, 1980, as a support act for the UK Subs , followed by a three-week tour of Great Britain in support of The Damned in November and December 1980 . The Straps had to buy into the tour from the Damned manager for £ 2000.
In December 1980 the first single Just Can't Take Anymore was released on Jim Walker's Donut Records , oddly enough, a rockabilly number that only briefly made it into the UK independent charts. Parallel to The Straps, Jim Walker and his former PIL bandmate Jah Wobble founded the jazz rock project The Human Condition in March 1981 , with which he toured Holland in the fall of 1981.
Upon his return, The Straps recorded a second single, Brixton , which was released again on Donut Records in June 1982 . By July 1982, there were again some gigs in London, then Jim Walker left the band. In autumn 1982 Jock and Simon Werner recorded a postpunk single under the name Bartok with the help of Jah Wobble , which was released in November 1982.
In late 1982, The Straps recorded their studio album of the same name with the help of UK Subs drummer Pete Davies, which was released in January 1983. Due to lack of money, the entire album was recorded live in the recording studio in just six hours, so the band was correspondingly dissatisfied with the quality of the recordings.
In 1983 The Straps recorded a third single Omega Man with new drummer Neil Holdom , but it remained unreleased as the band split up.
After the split, Jock ran a rock band called Freakshow for four years and then retired from the music industry.
In August 1993, Jock and Dave Reeves gave a single reunion concert as part of the "Fuck Reading" festival at Brixton Academy in London.
In December 2004, the two revived The Straps with a new line-up. A new studio album In Love With The New World Order was recorded in 2007 but has not yet been released. Due to a lack of interest, the band was disbanded in 2008.
Discography
Albums
- The Straps (Cyclops Records, January 1983)
- The Punk Collection ( Captain Oi! Records , April 2005)
Singles
- Just Can't Take Anymore / New Age (Donut Records, December 1980)
- Brixton / No Liquor (Donut Records, June 1982)
literature
- Ian Glasper: Burning Britain. The history of UK punk, 1980-1984 . Cherry Red, London 2004, ISBN 1-901447-24-3 .