A History Of South Wales Punk
Written by Paul Payne
Saturday, 06 February 2016 04:00
Foreword
I was given this piece by the stalwart of the South Wales punk rock scene that is Payney. If you don’t know the man, he’ll introduce himself sufficiently in the article to follow. His scattered history of the bands, labels, people and culture that grace the Welsh valleys and major towns and cities has been translated into French for a four page spread in the current edition of Brittany’s Mass Prod fanzine. On reading the submission I thought it too good a report to be committed to French print only, and that it needed to be archived in English for the punkers of Wales and the world. The folks here at Über Röck have very kindly agreed to do just that.
From the late ‘70s to the present day, by no means is this piece a definitive history of Welsh punk, but more a view from Payney’s time in the scene and features some of the underground bands and people who help make this Principality a whole lot richer (but obviously not in the monetary sense). Also included is his time and experiences in Welsh punk bands. Whether you’re familiar with the names you read here or not, you could do a lot worse than this article as a starting point to delving into the history and future of Wales and its punks.
Hope you enjoy.
Ginge Knievil
A History Of South Wales Punk
Here’s a small scene report from South Wales. For those who are not sure where it is, Wales is basically a small country in the United Kingdom, to the west of England and along with Scotland and Ireland it’s known as one of the Celtic nations. As some of you know, the Celts also have connections in Cornwall (England) and Brittany.
I’ll concentrate here on where I live, as with Wales there mainly two areas for music, the north and south. There’s no real reason why the two are disconnected but I think you can probably say it’s down to location. The north is nearer to English cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. Here in the south we’re nearer Bristol and the south of England, so London is actually nearer to go to a gig for myself than North Wales when you look at time and travelling.
Over the years I think it’s fair to say there’s been some good punk bands that have come out of Wales. In the north the most well known was Anhrefn (English translation – Disorder). They sang in Welsh and were signed to Worker’s Playtime Records, which is a subsidiary company of Cherry Red. Where I grew up I think the music scene was made up of more dominant and well known bands, that some may have heard of on reading this.
In South Wales there are four main towns/cities in which bands sprung up around. In order from east to west and with approximately 20 miles between each location – Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend and Swansea. All are connected along the main route of the M4 motorway, and in turn, the Welsh Valleys are connected to the same motorway. In Wales, punk gigs tended to be hit or miss and I think this has to do with a lot of people living in the Valleys, and like Brittany itself, there’s not much public transport so a gig had to be an event where people could congregate.
I think in my era, one of the best venues to ever to grace Wales, and dare I say the UK as it was as well known around the world as CBGBs, was a place called TJ’s. The venue started in 1971 as a restaurant named Cedar’s Rest before becoming a burger bar named The Pittsburg Diner. John Siccolo bought the premises in 1973 and extended it into an adjoining property to form the nightclub El Sieco’s. During this time, a variety of musical artists including local folk acts performed at the premises and it changed to its TJ’s name in 1985. The owner John Siccolo is known as a legend in this area for creating one of the greatest venues to ever grace the UK music scene. The history of the place was littered with cool stories from people like Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), where John charged him an entry fee to the club before later joining him at the bar for drinks. There was a photo that he had framed on the wall of the occasion.
Iron Maiden visited the place after a gig in Newport and as the story goes, Trilby (John’s partner) turned the electric off when their song was playing as it was after time and the music licence was only until midnight. Other bands who played this place in their early days were Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, Green Day, The Offspring, Lostprophets, Primal Scream, Descendents, NOFX, Misfits, Poison Idea, The Vandals, Rocket From The Crypt, Skunk Anansie. There’s been so many bands that played there that it’s difficult to name them all!
Responsible for bringing the gigs to TJ’s were Cheap Sweaty Fun, which was ran predominantly by Simon Phillips, who also used to run Rockaway Records. I think Cheap Sweaty Fun basically formed the connections in the scene in the ‘80s as it gave people around the Valleys, and those who played in bands, a place to go to support other bands and make long lasting friendships. That really is the start of any scene. Local bands would get to play with some of the biggest punk bands. John Siccolo sadly passed way in March 2010, leaving a big hole in the music scene and that chapter of South Wales was sadly condemned to the history books with the closure of TJ’s. Ashley Siccolo, his Grandson, tried to keep it going although the upkeep and cost to repair and renovate the venue was far too expensive. He tried another place on Stow Hill (where in the early ‘80s another venue renowned for music had been situated), although it was closed down due to noise complaints. Rockaway Records became Kriminal Records, which is still a really cool independent record shop based in the market in Newport and is run by Beddis, who you will read more of later in this report.
There have been other venues in Cardiff and Swansea for bands, although not as connected as TJ’s. These were more where the UK bands played so it’s hard to get all the names and my memory is not what it used to be! The Top Rank was the best known in Cardiff at that time.
Okay, onto the punk bands from the history of South Wales’ past. I think the biggest one in the early years, the 80s, would be The Partisans. ‘Police Story’ is probably known as the classic EP from 1981. Some of their releases can be found on the No Future record label, which was home to other bands such as Peter And The Test Tube Babies. Coming from Bridgend, the lesser known of all the Welsh towns/cities, they played more of an Oi!/ punk style which I guess was the norm for that era. Since then some of them went to live in Sweden and there’s a release on Dr. Strange Records from 2004, which surprised me at time of writing as I didn’t know it was some of the same members.
Cardiff being the capital city had a big input during this period of time when it came to punk bands. In 1979, a band formed called Mock Death. They called it a day after a year and some members went to form Atomic Filth. A year later with the same line-up they became more known as Icons Of Filth, probably the biggest anarcho punk band of that era from Wales, and maybe just as well known as most bigger bands from around the UK. Their early releases were on Motorhate Records run by Colin Jerwood of Conflict. They finished in 1985 due to family commitments but reformed in 2001 and a toured the USA with the addition of Pete Rose from Bristol band Spite. He also played a part in another Welsh band, In The Shit. Sadly, in October 2004 Stig Sewell died of a heart attack after a gig in Hackney. A very sad part of Welsh punk history and since then there’s been benefit gigs where money raised went to the family, as bands and people from around the world showed their respect for him.
Other bands around that time were No Choice, another anarcho band with their first 7″ record released via Riot City Records, and also anti fascist skinhead band The Oppressed. They are one of the most well known bands and still going today and play a part in the Cardiff scene.
The Living Legends were founded by infamous anarchist Ian Bone, a mature student in Swansea at the time, and released a single “The Pope Is A Dope” for the Papal’s vist. They tried to play it live on the day in Llandaff Fields but were arrested. Ian Bone later went on to found the magazine Class War.
In the ‘80s, quite a few bands started springing up on the scene. There was a really interesting compilation on Anti Society Records (1980-84), which was released a few years back and is a good Welsh punk read and listen. It’s entitled “Bullsheep Detector” and includes bands such as Pseudo Sadists, Impact (mostly known for a punk Xmas EP), Abnormal, and a certain Valleys’ band called Classified Protest. These appeared on Motorhate Records, along with Crass Records’ compilation LPs. The singer, Pig, was more known for animal rights protests, hunt sabs, etc. The band went onto become Rectify in late 80s, with the sound becoming more hardcore. Maybe not as well known as some other bands, although personally I think these were underrated and in fairness they did a lot of things that made me often wonder why they didn’t get more recognition. In the early 2000s they called it a day and Pig went onto form a new band called This System Kills. I’m sure some reading this will know, as Mass Prod have helped them to release records. They are one of my favourite Welsh bands at present. I also played guitar in the band for a few years and the line-up has changed a few times although I think the present line-up is by far the best, with Newt (coming in on bass, who played in Rectify and Disarm), and Steve (from old Cardiff band Politrix).
In the mid-80s, bands like Symbol Of Freedom and Shrapnel sprang up. Playing more towards anarcho punk, Shrapnel had some tapes released via Bluug Records, the Subhumans’ record label with whom they toured in 1984 (I think). Both bands have since gone, but Paul from Shrapnel drives bands on tours these days. I occasionally bump into him as he drives for Snuff.
I think in the late 80s, in my opinion, the best Welsh best band had to be Cowboy Killers from Newport/Cardiff. What can you say about this band? The “WELSH DEAD KENNEDYS” with excellent live shows and great melodic tunes. Consisting of members from The Heretics, plus Beddis who I mentioned earlier. Personally, even though the band has long gone, you seriously need to check them out if you want an insight into South Wales punk. They also did a spin-off band called Las Vegas Elvis. So, if you get the picture, its Beddis dressed as Elvis Presley playing Elvis songs in a punk hardcore style whilst putting on an Elvis voice. Great fun! Nowadays there’s a band called Bad Sam, which is basically two members of the Cowboy Killers (including Beddis) plus ex members of Dub War. They’re along the lines of Cowboy Killers and are well worth checking out.
So, now we’re around the late ‘80s era, I think it be the right time to add in a record label, Words Of Warning Records. Based in Newport and ran by Carl, it started around ’86 and was a big part of the history of Welsh scene. Some of the bands mentioned above had releases via the label, plus many more bands including Oi Polloi, Aos3 , Dub War, Terminus, Blaggers, Cowboy Killers, Shrapnel, Symbol Of Freedom, as well as King Prawn. I think for a time it was an important part of Welsh punk and shows connections between Welsh bands in the late ‘80s to the early ‘90s.
A band called Four Letter Word started and lead vocalist Welly is the longest standing zine writer I know of from South Wales. It seems his Artcore zine has been out since the beginning of time and is still released frequently. Every copy now normally has a 7″ record in the package and the latest features Oi Polloi and Welsh band Grand Collapse, who I will write some more on later. Four Letter Word went on to sign for Byo Records in America but were dropped by the label when a court case appeared about the copyright of the band name, which happened to be the same as some boy band in America. I don’t know the whole story but I know Welly fought and won the case. He now sings in a band called Violent Arrest, which has past members from Ripcord and Spite. A very good hardcore punk band worth checking out. From this era, 2000 DS came out of Cwmbran and are also well worth checking out. Another band that has connections to today with the scene around Cardiff is Surplus. Sadly, some members have passed away. From what I know, one whilst on a holiday.
In the mid ‘90s, around ’96, In The Shit started and were a band that became a big part of my life for around 10 years. Kip Xool played drums initially, who was with The Heretics / Cowboy Killers / Four Letter Word, and nowadays Bad Sam. Later came Mike on drums who filled in on tour for Sensa Yuma one time and now lives in Sweden and plays in a psycho/rockabilly band. Buffy played bass originally before leaving music and then came back years later and now plays double bass in Deadbeat Deluxe, another psycho/rockabilly type band based around Newport. Whereas myself, I came from a band called Disarm, where the connection to This System Kills is the bassist of this band has been a friend of mine for over 30 years. We started Disarm together with Freeman and Grant, who sadly died after the band had started. It was an anarcho band along the lines of Crass / Conflict. Not a big or important band, just a start for myself and it came from the first ever punk band to play the village where I lived, The Oddments, which Newt and Freeman played in. With In The Shit we made some great connections and networks, and as some many know, Mass Prod helped out in releasing our records. We had some great memories starting out with Mass Murderers, and for myself it was the start of many friendships which I still have to this day.
After In The Shit ended, which became inevitable when Flid left, we continued together but it didn’t feel the same when he left because of family commitments. It carried on for another year or so but we all knew it had to end. I went on to play in This System Kills for a while, but things didn’t really work out for myself and at that time I left music for a short time. A break (maybe) after 20 years of being in bands or putting gigs, attempting a record label; I think we all need time out… but it didn’t last long! I started to learn to play drums, more for fun really, and then one night I was asked to stand-in on guitar for Rejected as they were desperate to play this one show. So I said “why not” and ironically ended up playing guitar in the band for a few years more.
I think you find in bands that they all tend to have problems, and Welsh bands I find, seem to have problems staying together. Maybe it’s distance, maybe it’s as life moves on and circumstances change? Andy, the singer, left the band due to having no time and has since been studying hard and is now in university to become a doctor. It never seemed right to continue a band that he primarily started when he was 15, so after a tour as a 3 piece we changed the name and we carried on and made Bring To Ruin. That was myself, Jon and Dave. We asked Ross to sing, he was the bass player in Jon’s other band Threat Manifesto, and probably played bass in numerous smaller bands around the turn of century. One I do remember was the Young Prisoners, we played our last gig in October 2014 due to various reasons. So after a European tour it seemed like the right time for myself to leave. Some people ask “why?” Well I’m not getting any younger and I think being in a band is about enthusiasm and the want to do something. When you don’t do a lot (Bring To Ruin had come to the point of only playing 1 or 2 Euro tours a year and a very rare gig in the UK), it feels kind of like being outcaste and it becomes hard work. Things in people’s lives takeover and time to do something becomes less each year. I wanted to be in a band that wanted to play gigs, wanted to do things, and the time just wasn’t there anymore. First Dave left, thus we became a 3 piece, as he didn’t have the time. Then I decided to go two years later because I felt it wasn’t working. After this band I got chatting to Dean of Ephemeral Foetus, he was moving to Bristol (England’s nearest city to South Wales, which plays a big part in the Welsh scene), along with Ferg from the same band, plus Myles of This Ends Here and those old anarchos Jesus Bruiser, and Sean who played drums in War / System at some point. We made a band called Regret, which I am enjoying and it’s probably more what I like to do. Something a little different, heavier with a lot of energy and above all good fun, which I think is the basic ingredient of any band.
At the time of Bring To Ruin, Dave and Jon played in another band called Asylum. Cal Sewell sang, the son of the late Icons Of Filth singer, and he also sang on ‘White Poison’ which was on the Rejected LP. On drums was Glen from another Valleys’ band Haddonfield. After so many years together, these guys are now known today as Grand Collapse. They play thrash anarcho hardcore punk and have become popular in the UK. Their releases are well worth checking out via Pumpkin Records.
I think the above are the most relevant points for myself. Some people may write things differently, although I’ve had to write through my life and how things connected me with some brief history of Wales.
So, what of the scene today? Well, from all the bands above, Bad Sam, This System Kills Regret, Grand Collapse and The Oppressed are all still present on the music scene here, so I have given an insight on how some bands started whilst showing connections. Sometimes the places and people are more important than the bands and I think the entire South Wales scene is based a lot on friendship. So here’s some that are about today that I have not mentioned previously.
The Guntys and Quisling Killers; these bands pretty much have the same core of members. A more melodic take on punk, kind of like ‘80s singalong with a bit of Oi! mixed in with good heavy street punk. They sing songs about their upbringing and everyday life and share a member with another band Trigger McPoopshute, also from the same area of Wales – Abertillery. Trigger are a more of a rock ‘n’ roll type punk band with piss-taking lyrics. Between these bands they are known for Slugfest, which has become a popular festival in Wales. Most gigs in this area evolve around The Dolls House, in which Southy from Guntys / Quisling Killers run. There’s not many venues left in Wales although this is a really good music place and you have to give Jammy (who himself was once a member of Classified Protest) and Southy credit for keeping this going.
From Swansea/Neath, we have a band called State Of Decay. This band started from the ashes of Filthy Habits and they play anarcho hardcore punk with a dual vocal style. They’re of my favourites at this moment in time. There’s a place in Swansea where gigs are held called The Garage. Where in Neath you get punk gigs at The Duke. There’s a big music scene in Swansea from bands such as Taint, and there’s more metal and hardcore through to ska bands. I don’t have much of an insight in this area. I think bands over the years tended to come and go. I remember seeing Black Eye Riot here, which was a grindcore type band with two crazy singers. Smiling With Semtex were another good band from this area.
Onto Bridgend and the biggest band here is The Sick Livers. A rock ‘n’ roll fuelled punk band who are very popular in South Wales. They’re making good inroads in the UK and are certainly one to look out for. They’re one of the best bands we have here and are renowned for excellent gig performances and have releases on Glunk Records. They came from old bands such as The Viva Knievils, Black Eye Riot and Shrapnel. At a glance I can certainly say these are probably the best liked band for gigs around South Wales and their electric live shows will give you a treat to watch. From previous bands they have put the miles on the clock and they deserve what they can get.
Smiler, these guys are a long time hardcore band along the lines of Minor Threat; the same sort of vein of in-your-face hardcore that takes no prisoners. Failed State, these guys tend to remind me of a Poison Idea type band. They’re very new and it will be interested to see what they do in the coming years. The drummer David used to play with Question The Mark. There’s also The Good Time Boys with more of a Fugazi style. They’re on Bridge Nine Records in America and have been making a good name for themselves, although I don’t know much about these guys. Question The Mark are another band from Bridgend that well worth checking out their melodic style and gruff vocals. They remind me a bit of Leatherface. There’s a few more bands here, but I’ve just added the main ones I know in every town/city.
Before we leave Bridgend, I think I have to add that this it is the home of a long standing zine called Mass Movement. Tim Cundle, the editor, has been doing this for years and contributors also play in some of the bands mentioned above, like Smiler, Trigger, etc. Beer City Records were doing distribution at some point, but now you tend to find Mass Movement more online. The main venue from this area is Hobos where there been some cool gigs over the years. It kinda has that TJ’s feel being an alternative/rock nightclub.
In Cardiff, some of the bands you will find here are varied. Poetic Justice features ex members of Icons Of Filth and No Choice. They’re a political anarcho band started a year or so ago. There’s some demos you can find on YouTube. Sometimes you will see an odd gig with Icons Of Filth, but I don’t think that will be a regular thing. Kilnaboy play a more folk styled music along lines of The Levellers or The Pogues and are very well known on the scene. Other bands include Big Red (who reside in a squat) and a feistier band called Wolfpunch. They’re a ska punk band also on the rise and are doing some good gigs. There’s also Wormhead, who have an ex member of Icons Of Filth and they play a more rock fuelled style of punk.
I have caught The Wall a few times lately and I’ve gotta be fair, I’d suggest checking them out as they play a Fugazi / Dischord style of punk. As with most bands you’ll find a connection, and here’s Stig Sewell’s other son, along with Welly’S son playing punk rock… and these guys can play too! A very interesting and a fresh sound. Other bands from Cardiff included Doug, who became popular for a stint around the late 90s with their melodic punk along the lines of Fat Wreck Chords’ sort of bands. Early ‘90s also had Slow Jam, the first band I’d seen with a drum machine in punk, and again bringing a different sound to the scene.
Venues in Cardiff tend to be more in the Moon Club and Clwb Ifor Bach. These are bigger venues which sometimes have punk gigs. Those that have been the most active at these gigs are Not Since The Accident who come from around this area. I can safely say they’re one of the best melodic hardcore bands I’ve heard in a while. If you went a little north of Cardiff, to Pontypridd, you have The Body Bags. A melodic punk band that was around in the late 80s/90s with two of the members joining This System Kills. They later left around the same time as I left the band and then went on to reform The Body Bags. There’s also a feisty type scene picking up here now and Surplus are mainly responsible. It’s like a collective, where they now have organised outdoor festivals plus many gigs around Cardiff.
I talked a lot previously about the history of Newport and how it connected with punk early on, and I should add here that Dub War came out of that late ‘80s scene playing a funky fusion of ragga, metal and punk. These guys became very popular over the years and evolved into ragga metal band Skindred. They still play as Dub War sometimes and that’s well worth checking out. The Abs also sprang out of the Newport scene; another known band for melodic punk. One last band I should give a mention to is Pizzatramp. Coming from Caldicot, just outside Newport, they play a hardcore punk that reminds me of Cro-Mags with their fast hardcore. There’s not many venues left in Newport after the demise of TJ’S, but there is Le Pub. A small venue with a great atmosphere and I think Sam the landlady has done a lot for punk and the music scene over the years.
So, I hope that gives you a good insight into some of the history of South Wales and maybe provides a little opener to checking out a new band. I’ve probably missed a lot out of the history, but I tried to concentrate on the information I knew best and bands that I thought were worth mentioning. These are the areas and bands that I still find today from the little scenes spring up, although writing about them all would turn into a book!
Words by Paul Payne (Payney)
