The Defects are a
punk rock band from
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
, formed in 1978
History
The band formed in 1978 with a lineup of Ian "Buck" Murdock (vocals), Marcus "Dukie" Duke (guitar), Greg Fenton(bass) and Glenn Kingsmore (drums).
[Glasper, Ian (2004) "The Defects", in ''Burning Britain: The Story of UK Punk 1980 - 1984'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 346-352]( Fenton was soon replaced by Jeff Gilmore.)
After playing some gigs locally Gary Smith replaced Jeff Gilmore on bass and they recorded their first demo, (in Downtown Studios Newtownards)but when this failed to gain them a record deal, they started their own Casualty Records label and issued their debut 7", "Dance (Until You Drop)".
The three-song EP sold all 2,000 copies and brought the band to the attention of the UK music press. ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' journalist Carol Clerk who befriended the band and recommended them to John Curd, manager of WXYZ Records, who signed them to his label.
The Defects moved to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
in 1982 and embarked on the six-week "So What" UK tour with labelmates
the Anti-Nowhere League,
Chelsea and
Chron Gen. The tour was filmed by
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
(with backing from brother
Miles
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
) and intended for cinema release, but it was never issued.
A second single, "Survival", was issued in 1982, reaching No. 8 in the
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...
.
[Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, ] The band released their debut album, ''Defective Breakdown'', in 1982. Christopher Owens (writing for The Pensive Quill) describes the album as one "...that epitomises the sound of (what we now call) UK82 (or early 80's British punk)."
With Curd looking for ways to gain crossover success for the bands on his label, he persuaded the Defects to record a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's "
Suspicious Minds" with producer
Ray Shulman on keyboards. The single's release in early 1984 coincided with the decline in popularity of second-wave punk, and did not sell well. With control of the band's destiny slipping away, Murdock left after the release of "Suspicious Minds". The band continued, playing a gig supporting
999 with Kingsmore on vocals, before Murdock rejoined to play in support of
the Clash
The Clash were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave music, new wave moveme ...
in Belfast. The band then permanently split, with all members returning to Belfast except Duke, who stayed in London.
Kingsmore joined Western Justice with former members of Rabies, including Murdock's brother Gary, and was later a member of Ashanti.
Murdock revived the Defects name in 1996 for a one-off performance at a punk festival at the
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
Pavilion, which was filmed and released on video by Barn End Video as ''Live at the Pavilion 12.10.96''. He later started the punk and
ska covers band Doghouse.
The Defects reformed again in 2010 and played various punk festivals. Added to the lineup were Roy McAllister and Aidy "Fudge" Dunlop (replacing Duke and Smith). In 2012, they toured
Australia, followed by appearances at the Rebellion Punk Festival in
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Since 2014, Duke occasionally joins them on stage for some of their best known songs.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Defective Breakdown'' (1982, WXYZ Records)
UK Indie No. 10 (reissued 1994,
Captain Oi!)
*''Politicophobia'' (2013, Punkerama Records)
*''45 Minutes'' (2015, Punkerama Records)
*''Feed the Good Dog'' (2017, Punkerama Records)
*''The Death of Imagination'' (2020, Punkerama Records)
Singles
*"Dance (Until You Drop)" (1981, Casualty Records)
*"Survival / Brutality" (1982, WXYZ Records)
UK Indie No. 8
*"Suspicious Minds" (1984, I.D. Records)
UK Indie No. 17
*"Revelator" (2011, Punkerama Records)
*"Riot Free Zone?" (2013, Punkerama Records)
*"Hill Street" (2013, Punkerama Records)
Live albums
*''Live at the Ulster Hall March 2014'' (2015, Punkerama Records)
Compilation albums
*''1979 - 1984 (2010, Punkerama Records/Antisociety)
Compilation appearances
*"Dance (Until You Drop)" on ''Punky Party E.P.'' flexi-disc (1982,
Flexipop)
Videos
*''Live at the Pavilion 12.10.96'' (1996, Barn End Video)
*''Made in Belfast'' (2015, Punkerama Records)
References
External links
*O'Neill, Sean
The Defects Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Defects, The
Punk rock groups from Northern Ireland
Musical groups established in 1979
Musical groups disestablished in 1984
Musical groups from Belfast