The Nips are an 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 ...

band formed in London in 1976 as the Nipple Erectors by punk artist Shanne Bradley. They were Shane MacGowan's first musical group.

History

Initially consisting of vocalist/songwriter Shane MacGowan (known at the time as 'Shane O'Hooligan'), bassist/songwriter/original punk artist Shanne Bradley, guitarist/artist Roger Towndrow and drummer Adrian Fox (AKA "Arcane Vendetta"); the Nipple Erectors performed their first gig at the Roxy Club in Covent Garden in 1977. The band later released four singles and there was one bootleg live album between 1978 and 1981. Inspired by

the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

, the Nipple Erectors incorporated elements of

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

and 1960s

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

into their music. Following the release of their first single, "King of the Bop"/"Nervous Wreck", in June 1978, on Soho Records, the band renamed themselves the Nips and released the garage punk song "All the Time in the World"/"Private Eye" with Phil Rowland of Eater (band) on drums. By May 1979, the band's line up had changed to include Gavin "Fritz" Douglas, on guitar. "Gabrielle" was released in November 1979, first on Soho Records, and then reissued on Chiswick Records with John ("Grinny") Grinton (ex Skrewdriver) on drums. By the time of its release, Grinny had been replaced by Roger Travis Williams. Gavin Douglas' guitar playing on this record marked a change in the band's sound to a more melodic style. A live album, ''Only the End of the Beginning'' was released on Soho Records in 1980, from a recording made whilst on tour with the Purple Hearts. In 1980, the Nips recorded a demo for

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

at their studio in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

. It was produced by

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

. There were four songs recorded for this session: "Happy Song", "Nobody to Love", "Ghost Town" and "Love To Make You Cry". The line up for this recording was Shane MacGowan (vocals), Shanne Bradley (bass), Gavin Douglas (guitar) and Mark Harrison (ex Bernie Tormé Band) on drums. "Happy Song"/"Nobody to Love" was released as a single in October 1981, on Test Pressing Records. The Nips announced to the press that they were quitting after a last gig on 10 March 1980 at London's Covent Garden Rock Garden. MacGowan and Bradley did reform the band later that year, albeit briefly. The line up included James Fearnley on guitar and Jon Moss (ex– the Damned) on drums. This line up played a final gig in December 1980 at London's Music Machine with

the Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...

. In 1981 Jon Moss joined up with

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

to form

Culture Club Culture Club are an English new wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss ( ...

. During 1981, Bradley took the band in another direction away from the traditional rock band format to incorporate Greek, Cretan and Irish Roots/Folk music. The popular Irish folk and American folk song " Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" had previously formed part of their early live set with Guitarist Roger Towndrow. This line up included Macgowan and Bradley plus John Hasler (ex Madness) on standup

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

and Scots/Irish Folk Fiddler David Rattray. Later that year Bradley decided to take a break from music. Shane MacGowan and John Hasler went on to play in Pogue Mahone, later shortened to

the Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

. In 1984, Shanne Bradley co-founded the Men They Couldn't Hang to play "The Alternative Country and Western Festival" in March 1984 at the

Electric Ballroom The Electric Ballroom is a 1,500-capacity performance venue (primarily for rock and roll, rock bands) and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England. History The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballr ...

in Camden. In 1987,

Big Beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as the ...

released an anthology LP named ''Bops, Babes, Booze and Bovver'', credited to "Nips n Nipple Erectors". It collects both sides of the first three singles issued on Soho, as well as adding two outtakes: "So Pissed Off" and "Stavordale Rd, N5". The later CD edition added another two outtakes: "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

in Bovver Boots" and "Fuss & Bother".

Reformation

On 6 May 2008, the Nipple Erectors reformed, playing a somewhat secret gig at the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

, London. The line-up consisted of Shanne Bradley, Shane MacGowan, Eric "Le Baton" Baconstrip, and Fritz Douglas. Bradley's daughter Eucalypta sang backing vocals on the final number "Gabrielle". The group also performed one month later although this time minus MacGowan who was replaced by Eucalypta on vocals since Shane was in Ireland. In 2009 Shanne Bradley and Gavin Douglas travelled to Ireland. On 16 August 2009 a rehearsal with a drummer Mick Cronin was arranged at Philly Ryans Bar, Nenagh, Tipperary, Ireland.

Discography

Singles

* "King of the Bop" (b/w "Nervous Wreck") (as Nipple Erectors, 1978), Soho Records * "All the Time in the World" (b/w "Private Eye") (1979), Soho Records * "Gabrielle" (b/w "Vengeance") (1980), Soho Records * "Happy Song" (b/w "Nobody to Love") (1981), Test Pressings Records

Albums

* ''Only the End of the Beginning'' (1980), Soho Records ecorded live March 1980 at Wolverhampton Polytechnic on the Purple Hearts tour* ''Bops, Babes, Booze and Bovver'' (1987), Big Beat Records nthology of all Soho singles & b-sides with bonus unreleased tracks">b-sides.html" ;"title="nthology of all Soho singles & b-sides">nthology of all Soho singles & b-sides with bonus unreleased tracks

References

Bibliography

* ''Pogue Mahone: Kiss My Arse: The Story of The Pogues'' by Carol Clerk, Omnibus Press, 2006,

External links

The Nips: Licensed to Cool – a fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nips English punk rock groups Rock music groups from London Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 1976 establishments in England 1981 disestablishments in England