77 | Musicosity

77

Johnny Moped

Formed in Croydon in mid 1976, the band were present at UK punk’s birth. Johnny Moped became one of the pioneering punk bands that played live in the first few months of London’s now-legendary Roxy Club. They played two gigs in February 1977, one supporting Eater and one backing The Damned. Again, in March, they played another two gigs, one supporting Slaughter and The Dogs and the other backing The Damned. In April, they were on a bill that included Wire, X-Ray Spex and the Buzzcocks.

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Sad Society

Sad Society formed in Edinburgh in 1982 from the merging of several other bands who were playing the punk circuit at that time: area 12, Pressure Point and Radar. The name 'Sad Society' was inspired by a headline from the Edinburgh Evening News, which read "We are living in a sad society". The band have released several 7" vinyl singles, all featuring their brand of fast, tuneful circa-1977 punk rock, plus a CD album, '(The Best Thing Since) Hand Relief', which was released in 1995.

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The Toy Dolls

The Toy Dolls are a British band. They formed in 1979, playing their first ever gig at Millview Social Club, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK, on 20 October 1979. After a couple of gigs, vocalist Pete Zulu left to form his own band. He was replaced by Paul "Hud" Hudson, who himself left after a single gig, leaving Toy Dolls as a trio with guitarist Michael "Olga" Algar to assume vocal duties. This was just the start of the revolving door of drummers and bassists that would characterize the Toy Dolls line-up over the years.

Read more about The Toy Dolls on Last.fm.

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The Riffs

There are at least three bands called The Riffs - one from the UK and two from the USA. 1) The Riffs from England were formed in 1989 and play ska/reggae music. They signed to Skank and Link records in the 1980s, and had tracks licenced to dozens of compilations around that time. Following a few years off they reformed in 1993 and have since released tracks with Greased Pig Records, Mad Butcher Records and most recently (2008) Moon Ska World.

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Protex

There are 2 bands with the name Protex:
1) A punk band from Belfast, Ireland, formed in 1978.
2) A punk band from Cluj, Romania, formed in 1993. 1) In 1977, four schoolfriends formed the Incredibly Boring Band and did a few gigs playing covers of Thin Lizzy and Dr Feelgood songs. However, they were soon smitten by the punk bug and decided that they wanted to play energic pop like the Buzzcocks and the Ramones.

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Drones

Drones were a punk rock band from Manchester, England. For a period of time, the band were produced and managed by Paul Morley.
Formed in Manchester in 1975, the band started out as a pub rock outfit called Rockslide and released a single called Roller Coaster. When their only single did not have an impact, they reinvented themselves as a punk rock band. They played Deeply Vale Festivals one year as Rockslide and the next year as The Drones. The band developed a local rivalry with the emerging band the Buzzcocks, but failed to match the success of their rivals outside of their home town.

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Lockjaw

There is more than one Lockjaw: 1) Lockjaw was formed in Portland, Oregon around 1980 by Del Murry (guitar), Tony Arcudi (vocals), Eric Couch (bass), and Rob Parker (drums)... the band played clubs like The Met, 13th Precinct, and the Satyricon in the early days. By 1984 drummer Rob Parker was replaced with Jeremy J., and guitarist Garrett Garitano was added to the lineup. By that time Lockjaw was labeled "Portland's most hated band."

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The Lurkers

The Lurkers were a late 1970s English punk rock group from West London, notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records. Unlike most of their UK contemporaries, The Lurkers' influence lay far more with American punks The Ramones, than with British trailblazers The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Their heavily, and unabashedly derivative style, garnered them the affectionate tag of "The British Ramones".

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