Angelic Upstarts
Encyclopedia
Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock
/Oi!
band formed in South Shields
in 1977. The band espoused an anti-fascist
and socialist
working class
philosophy, and have been associated with the skinhead
subculture
. More than two decades after its release, their debut single, "The Murder Of Liddle Towers
", was included in Mojo
magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.
, Steve Forsten on bass guitar
, and Derek "Decca" Wade on drums
. Keith Bell was the manager until 1980 when he was jailed for four and a half years for arson. The band has reformed and split a few times, and former members include bassists Ronnie Wooden, Glyn Warren, Tony Feedback (now in Long Tall Shorty
and Kiria
's live band), Ronnie Rocker and Max Splodge (who also had a stint playing drums). Other drummers have included Sticks (who later joined Cockney Rejects
), Paul Thompson
(ex-Roxy Music
) and Chris White. Wade rejoined the band for a few years before leaving again. Hayes originally joined the band as second guitarist until Mond left, leaving Hayes as the only guitarist. Mensi was the only original member still in the band.
In August 2006, Mensi announced he was resigning, however he requested that the band continue with Chris Wright (of the band Crashed Out) on vocals. The band's lineup became Wright on vocals, Dickie Hammond on guitar, Neil Newton on guitar, Gaz Stoker on bass and Wade on drums. In the latter part of 2007, Mensi rejoined the band and the lineup became Mensi on vocals, Stoker on bass, Hammond on guitar, Newton on guitar and Brett Mulvaney on drums.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
band formed in South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
in 1977. The band espoused an anti-fascist
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
and socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
philosophy, and have been associated with the skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
. More than two decades after its release, their debut single, "The Murder Of Liddle Towers
Liddle Towers
Liddle Towers was a 39 year old electrician and amateur boxer from Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, England, who died following a spell in police custody in 1976.- Death :...
", was included in Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.
Career
The band's original members were Thomas Mensforth (Mensi) on vocals, Ray Cowie (Mond) on guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Steve Forsten on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Derek "Decca" Wade on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Keith Bell was the manager until 1980 when he was jailed for four and a half years for arson. The band has reformed and split a few times, and former members include bassists Ronnie Wooden, Glyn Warren, Tony Feedback (now in Long Tall Shorty
Long Tall Shorty
Long Tall Shorty were a mod revival band that formed in 1978 in London. They recorded several singles before splitting up in 1982, when lead singer Tony Perfect left to join Angelic Upstarts...
and Kiria
Kiria (musician)
Kiria is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist, born and currently based in LondonHer debut album Radio was released in October 2010, by independent record label Koochie Coo Records.-Musical style:...
's live band), Ronnie Rocker and Max Splodge (who also had a stint playing drums). Other drummers have included Sticks (who later joined Cockney Rejects
Cockney Rejects
Cockney Rejects are an English punk rock band that formed in the East End of London in 1978. Their 1980 song "Oi, Oi, Oi" was the inspiration for the name of the Oi! music genre...
), Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson (musician)
Paul Thompson is the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971 to 1980 and from 2001 onwards.In between those stints with Roxy Music, he was drummer in the Oi! band, Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde...
(ex-Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
) and Chris White. Wade rejoined the band for a few years before leaving again. Hayes originally joined the band as second guitarist until Mond left, leaving Hayes as the only guitarist. Mensi was the only original member still in the band.
In August 2006, Mensi announced he was resigning, however he requested that the band continue with Chris Wright (of the band Crashed Out) on vocals. The band's lineup became Wright on vocals, Dickie Hammond on guitar, Neil Newton on guitar, Gaz Stoker on bass and Wade on drums. In the latter part of 2007, Mensi rejoined the band and the lineup became Mensi on vocals, Stoker on bass, Hammond on guitar, Newton on guitar and Brett Mulvaney on drums.
Studio albums
- Teenage Warning (August 1979, Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
) - #29 UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... - We Gotta Get Out of this PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
(April 1980, WEAWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
) - #54 UK - 2,000,000 Voices (June 1981, Zonophone/EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) - #32 UK - Still from the Heart (1982, Zonophone/EMI)
- Reason Why (1983, Anagram/Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) - Last Tango in Moscow (1984, Picasso)
- Power of the Press (1986, Gas)
- Brighton Bomb (1987, Chameleon)
- Blood on the Terraces (1987, Link)
- Bombed Out (1992, Dojo)
- Sons Of Spartacus (2002, Captain Oi!/Insurgence RecordsInsurgence RecordsInsurgence Records is a Toronto-based independent record label specializing in anti-fascist and anti-racist hardcore, Oi! and punk rock. The label is associated with the anti-racist skinhead subculture, including redskins...
)
Live albums
- Angelic Upstarts Live (September 1981, Zonophone/EMI) - #27 UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
- Live in YugoslaviaLive in YugoslaviaLive in Yugoslavia is a live album from the punk band the Anti-Nowhere League. It was recorded in Moša Pijade Hall in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on April 24, 1983 and released and pressed later in the same year in England on I.D Records...
(1985, Picasso) - Live & Loud (1988, Link)
- Greatest Hits LiveGreatest Hits LiveGreatest Hits Live may refer to:-See also:*List of albums titled Greatest Hits*List of albums titled Live...
(1991, Link) - Live in Lubeck 1989 (1994, Bay City)
- Live from the Justice League (2001, TKO)
- Anthems Against Scum (2001, Insurgence)
Compilation albums
- Angel Dust - The Collected Highs (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red)
- Bootlegs & Rarities (1985, Dojo)
- Lost & Found (1991, Link)
- Alternative Chartbusters (1991, AOK)
- Kids on the Streets (1993, CleopatraCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - The Independent Punk Singles Collection (1995, Cherry Red)
- Rarities (1997, Captain Oi)
- The EMI Punk Years (1999, Captain Oi)
- Who Killed Liddle (1999, Recall)
- Punk Singles Collection (2004, Captain Oi)
Singles
- "The Murder of Liddle Towers"/"Police Oppression" (1978, Dead Records, re-released on Rough Trade/Small Wonder Records, Repress)
- "I'm an Upstart"/"Leave Me Alone" (1979, Warner Bros.) - #31 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- "Teenage Warning"/"The Young Ones" (1979, Warner Bros.) - UK #29
- "Never 'ad Nothin'"/"Nowhere Left to Hide" (1979, Warner Bros.) - UK #52
- "Out of Control"/"Shotgun Solution" (1980, Warner Bros. Records) - UK #58
- "We Gotta Get Out of this Place"/"Unsung Heroes" (1980, Warner Bros. Records) - UK #65
- "Last Night Another Soldier"/"I Wish" (1980, Zonophone/EMI) - UK #51
- "England"/"Stick's Diary" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
- "Kids on the Street"/"The Sun Never Shines" (1981, Zonophone/EMI) - UK #57
- "I Understand"/"Never Come Back" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
- "Different Strokes"/"Different Dub" (1981, Zonophone/EMI)
- "Never Say Die"/"We Defy You" (1982, Zonophone/EMI)
- "Woman in Disguise"/"Lust for Glory" (1982, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single)
- "Solidarity"/"Five Flew Over..." (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single)
- "Not Just a Name"/"The Leech" (1983, Anagram/Cherry Red) (Also released on 12" single?)
- "Machinegun Kelly"/"There's a Drink in It" (1984, Picasso)
- "Brighton Bomb" E.P (1985, Sparta Florida/Gas Music Ltd) (12" Single)
- "Brighton Bomb" (1987, Chameleon)
- "England's Alive" E.P. (1988, Skunx) (12" Single)
External links
- Angelic Upstarts unofficial website
- Angelic Upstarts on www.punk77.co.uk
- Angelic Upstarts on Punkmodpop