Various - The Bristol Punk Explosion Vol 2 (1977-1981) - New Clear LP
Format: New Clear LP Label: Bristol Archive Cat. No. ARC383V
Barcode: 5052571209615
Released: 24/05/2024
The follow up to the successful The Bristol Punk Explosion (1977-1979) album - a twelve-track compilation entitled The Bristol Punk Explosion Vol 2 (1977-1981) issued on crystal clear vinyl and limited to three hundred copies. The sleeve notes are written by Tim Williams author of the 1977 Loaded fanzine. Tim talks about the transition from soul to punk, the demise of prog rock and the fashion culture that sat seamlessly alongside the music. There are three previously unreleased tracks never before available on vinyl.
The Cortinas were the first. They played the Roxy Club, released two singles on Mark Perry and Miles Copeland's Step Forward label, graced the front cover of Sniffin' Glue and recorded a Peel Session. Guitarist Nick Sheppard remembers the night it all slotted into place: “I think a real turning point for us was seeing the Ramones at the Roundhouse on July 4,1976 – we started to write our own songs after that gig. We had been playing and doing gigs for about a year by then – all covers apart from one song, Tokyo Joe as I remember. After that gig we started writing stuff like ‘Television Families’. We saw people like us in the audience at that gig and it must have given us confidence.”
Taking their cue, bands like Social Security (the first band on Heartbeat Records), The Pigs (whose ‘Youthanasia’ single was released by Miles Copeland's New Bristol Records), The Media, 48 Hours and Private Dicks gave Bristol one of the strongest provincial early punk scenes.
The area of Barton Hill gave us The X-Certs, who by 1978 could already pull audiences of five hundred into Trinity Hall. Though we did not realise it at the time, they effectively bridged the gap between the late 70s Bristol scene and what our American cousins like to term the UK82 bands.
In time bands from the suburbs of Bristol started to appear on the scene, Misdemeanor (who were managed by the late Dennis Sheehan U2’s tour manager for thirty plus years), Apartment from Downend (whose photo adorns the front cover) and Noiz Boiz from Weston Super Mare, the seaside town just down the road.
This compilation is designed to give all fans of punk a snapshot of what Bristol punk was all about during that period. We close side two of the album with The X-Certs Clash infused /reggae single ‘Together’ and follow it with one of Bristol finest Roots reggae bands Talisman and their single ‘Wicked Dem’. The punky/reggae party had truly started as we move into the 80’s Bristol stylee!