Puncture were an early English
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
group. Founded in the summer of 1976, this
Islington
Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
, London based, four-piece combo consisted of Paul McCallum (guitar/vocals), Steve Counsel (bass/vocals),
Jak Stafford (guitar/vocals) and "The Fabulous" Marty Truss (drums). Their influences ranged from early
The Who
The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
,
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
,
Small Faces
Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...
, to
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
, and
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Their first major gig was in November 1976, at
Fulham Town Hall in London a week after an early gig by
The Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
. Various personnel changes ensued, with Jak Stafford leaving to join prominent punk band
X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex were an English punk rock band formed in 1976 in London.
During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. Their 1977 single " Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album '' Germfree Adol ...
, as Jak Airport. A brief tenure with guitarist Eric Electroid (aka Kenny) saw them move on to pastures new, with the recruitment of band member Anthony Keen on
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
and keyboards.
In October 1977 they released the single "Mucky Pup"/"Can't Rock & Roll (In a Council Flat)", the first release (Small One) for the
Small Wonder Records
Small Wonder Records was a British independent record label owned and managed by Pete and Mari Stennett, that specialised in releasing records by punk rock and post-punk bands. It operated out of a record shop of the same name at 162 Hoe Stree ...
label, based in Hoe Street,
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
, London. 2,000 copies of the single sold out, prompting Small Wonder Records to press another 1,000 singles. "Mucky Pup" gained much airplay at various punk gigs throughout 1977, and the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
, "Can't Rock & Roll (In a Council Flat)" was played on the
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
Show. They continued to play various gigs around London, notably at the punk club
The Roxy in Covent Garden, supporting The Wasps and The Man in the Moon in Kings Road, Chelsea, supporting The Fruit Eating Bears. They continued gigging until January 1978, culminating in their farewell gig on 20 January 1978 at the Basement Club in Covent Garden, London.
In the 1980s,
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, covered Puncture's song "Mucky Pup" on their album ''
Punks Not Dead''.
Like so many other English punk singles of the time, original copies of the Puncture single now sell for up to £30.
"Mucky Pup" is available on the ''Small Wonder Vol. 1: Punk Singles Collection'' and on ''PUNK 45 Vol. 2''. "Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flat)" is on ''Small Wonder Vol.2: Punk Singles Collection''
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s.
Further reading
* ''Punk Diary: Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970-1982'', by
George Gimarc.
External links
Small Wonder Vol. 1: Punk Singles CollectionDownload Mucky Pup/Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flatmyspace.com/stevecounselmyspace.com/elementals3myspace.com/maccagrafica
Puncture
Puncture, punctured or puncturing may refer to:
* a flat tyre in British English (US English "flat tire" or just "flat")
* a penetrating wound caused by pointy objects as nails or needles
* Lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap
* Puncture ( ...
Musical groups established in 1976
Musical groups disestablished in 1978
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