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Public Disturbance (UKHC band)
Encyclopedia
Public Disturbance were a hardcore
band from South Wales
, formed in 1995. They went on to release two demos and two full-length albums, as well as contributing to several UKHC compilations before disbanding in late 2000. Ian Watkins and Mike Lewis went on to find fame in their side-project Lostprophets
.
Gav Insano Leakey - Drums in the mix 96 - oblivion
Other members
, Agnostic Front
and Warzone
, decided they wanted to start a band. They recruited friends from the area, Speedo, Lewis and Watkins, who was at that time playing drums in another local band, Fleshbind. It was with this line-up that they went on to record their first 6-track demo Lash Out in March 1996.
Following frequent gigging in the local area with contemporaries Disco Assassins, Four Letter Word and Watkins previous band, Fleshbind and they were ready to record their second demo, Who's First in February 1997, composed of six new songs. The release of this demo saw the band starting to venture further afield, playing gigs in London and Portsmouth in support of bigger name bands Knuckledust
, Medulla Nocte, Stampin' Ground
, Above All
and Ninebar.
Whilst the gigs extended their fanbase, it also got them noticed by Household Name Records
who invited the band to contribute tracks to an EP and a UKHC compilation they were putting out. This saw the band feature on the 4-Way Tie UP EP (along with three other up and coming UKHC bands, Lockdown, FLS and Freebase), with Face to Face and Blame Yourself from their Who's First demo. They also contributed Agony and Fake as Fuck, also from their second demo, to HHN
's 1997 UKHC Compilation.
Following these releases and yet more gigging, the band entered the studio to record their first full length album, Victim of Circumstance
, for the now defunct, Liverpool based Days of Glory Records. This recording saw the emergence of a Clevo
sound in their previously NYHC
-influenced style. It is this sound for which the band became better known; influenced by the more aggressive and rage driven lyrics of bands such as Integrity
and Face Value.
Following the release of Victim of Circumstance
, drummer Ian Watkins left band to concentrate on Lostprophets
, with whom he is still currently performing as the lead singer and main songwriter. He was replaced by another drummer from the South Wales scene, Paul Bailey whose more aggressive style suited the bands continuing Cleveland-hardcore influenced sound.
Following more gigging with hardcore mainstays Agnostic Front
, 25 ta Life
and countless London-based hardcore bands, they recorded their second full-length CD Possessed to Hate
, containing what is considered to be their strongest material, by the band and fans alike. The album was also their angriest yet, seemingly acting as a release for all their pent up feelings of confrontation and negativity towards some members of the hardcore scene - in their review of the album, UK magazine Terrorizer noted that the album contained a lot of "revenege obsessed lyrics". This album also saw them celebrate their Clevo-sound by covering Integrity
's No One.
Following the release of their second album, the band were invited to record a song for an upcoming UKHC tribute to the Cro-Mags
, entitled Ushering in a New Age Of Quarrel. The compilation was released in late-1999 by Blackfish Records and featured PD's ferocious cover of We Gotta Know.
Not long after this, Lewis left the band to concentrate on Lostprophets
. Although he was replaced by Neil Smith (former guitarist of Disco Assassins), Public Disturbance eventually disbanded in late 2000.
Watkins and Lewis went on to find much greater success with the now internationally-recognised Lostprophets
. However, despite the fact they have achieved a great deal of mainstream exposure, including dropping a lot of their hardcore-rooted sound, the band have stayed true to their small town origins and are still signed to independent label Visible Noise
(part of major label Columbia) in the UK.
McKee was later instrumental in the foundation of Twist the Knife, a band put together by three schoolfriends, and helped them recruit Speedo as their lead guitarist. Although McKee later left the band, the band have continued gigging around South Wales and London, as well as supporting bands such as Most Precious Blood
, Knuckledust
, Ringworm and Rise and Fall
. The band have become a big part of the South Wales hardcore and UKHC scenes and in 2007 they recorded their first full length CD, Down For The Count.
It was through Twist the Knife that two Public Disturbance reunion shows came about - with Butcher joining the band on stage at a gig at Henry Africa's Hot House in Cardiff for a cover of Break Your Face in late 2006. The success of this performance led to a surprise reunion at a Twist The Knife gig in January 2007 at the Barfly
venue, also in Cardiff. Here Lewis and Butcher joined Twist the Knife on stage to cover several PD songs with McKee and Watkins also in attendance at the venue.
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band from South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, formed in 1995. They went on to release two demos and two full-length albums, as well as contributing to several UKHC compilations before disbanding in late 2000. Ian Watkins and Mike Lewis went on to find fame in their side-project Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
.
Band members
Original Line-Up- Stuart Butcher (vocals) 1995 - 2000
- Sean McKee (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) 1995 - 2000 - Justin "Speedo" Taylor (lead guitarGuitarThe 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...
) 1995 - 2000 - Ian Watkins (drums) 1995 - 1998
- Mike Lewis (guitarGuitarThe 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...
) 1995 - 2000
Gav Insano Leakey - Drums in the mix 96 - oblivion
Other members
- Paul Bailey (drums) 1998 - 2000 (Taking over from Ian Watkins after he left to concentrate on LostprophetsLostprophetsLostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
) - Neil Smith (guitarGuitarThe 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...
) 2000 (Taking over from Mike Lewis after his departure to also concentrate on LostprophetsLostprophetsLostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
)
1995 - 1997: Formation, demos and first album
The band was formed in 1995 when college friends Butcher and McKee, united by their fondness for hardcore music and bands such as Sick of it AllSick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
and Warzone
Warzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...
, decided they wanted to start a band. They recruited friends from the area, Speedo, Lewis and Watkins, who was at that time playing drums in another local band, Fleshbind. It was with this line-up that they went on to record their first 6-track demo Lash Out in March 1996.
Following frequent gigging in the local area with contemporaries Disco Assassins, Four Letter Word and Watkins previous band, Fleshbind and they were ready to record their second demo, Who's First in February 1997, composed of six new songs. The release of this demo saw the band starting to venture further afield, playing gigs in London and Portsmouth in support of bigger name bands Knuckledust
Knuckledust
Knuckledust are a London-based hardcore band. The band was formed in 1996 when Nic, Ray and Wema contacted Pelbu to start a band. As the groups popularity grew, the band played with Agnostic Front, Warzone, Madball, The Misfits among others....
, Medulla Nocte, Stampin' Ground
Stampin' Ground
Stampin' Ground was a groove metal/Hardcore band from Cheltenham, UK active from 1995 to 2006. The band had toured with the likes of Anthrax, Chimaira, The Haunted, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Soulfly, Arch Enemy and played the main stage at Download Festival 2003.-Members:*Adam Frakes-Sime ...
, Above All
Above All
Above All is a British heavy metal band. They released their debut album Domain in 1996 on the Roadrunner Records label which was produced by Alex Newport...
and Ninebar.
Whilst the gigs extended their fanbase, it also got them noticed by Household Name Records
Household Name Records
Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands...
who invited the band to contribute tracks to an EP and a UKHC compilation they were putting out. This saw the band feature on the 4-Way Tie UP EP (along with three other up and coming UKHC bands, Lockdown, FLS and Freebase), with Face to Face and Blame Yourself from their Who's First demo. They also contributed Agony and Fake as Fuck, also from their second demo, to HHN
Household Name Records
Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands...
's 1997 UKHC Compilation.
Following these releases and yet more gigging, the band entered the studio to record their first full length album, Victim of Circumstance
Victim of Circumstance
Victim of Circumstance is the first full length album by Welsh hardcore punk band Public Disturbance and their only official release featuring future Lostprophets front man Ian Watkins on drums.-Track listing:# "I Will Remain"# "Duke Til Death"...
, for the now defunct, Liverpool based Days of Glory Records. This recording saw the emergence of a Clevo
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
sound in their previously NYHC
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
-influenced style. It is this sound for which the band became better known; influenced by the more aggressive and rage driven lyrics of bands such as Integrity
Integrity (band)
Integrity is a metallic hardcore band formed in 1988. Their lyrical themes include religion, the supernatural, mental illness, individualism, and the occult.- Discography :*Harder They Fall - Demo cassette - 1989...
and Face Value.
1998 - 2000: Later days
Victim of Circumstance
Victim of Circumstance is the first full length album by Welsh hardcore punk band Public Disturbance and their only official release featuring future Lostprophets front man Ian Watkins on drums.-Track listing:# "I Will Remain"# "Duke Til Death"...
, drummer Ian Watkins left band to concentrate on Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
, with whom he is still currently performing as the lead singer and main songwriter. He was replaced by another drummer from the South Wales scene, Paul Bailey whose more aggressive style suited the bands continuing Cleveland-hardcore influenced sound.
Following more gigging with hardcore mainstays Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, 25 ta Life
25 ta Life
25 ta Life is an American band from New York City, originally formed in Queens, N.Y. in mid-1991.- History :The band was started by Frank Smarra and Harry Minas in Astoria, Queens, N.Y., they were soon joined by Fred Mesk and together wrote most of the material that would be on their early...
and countless London-based hardcore bands, they recorded their second full-length CD Possessed to Hate
Possessed to Hate
Possessed to Hate is the second and last album by Welsh hardcore punk band, Public Disturbance.-Writing credits:All songs by Public Disturbance, except No One written by Integrity....
, containing what is considered to be their strongest material, by the band and fans alike. The album was also their angriest yet, seemingly acting as a release for all their pent up feelings of confrontation and negativity towards some members of the hardcore scene - in their review of the album, UK magazine Terrorizer noted that the album contained a lot of "revenege obsessed lyrics". This album also saw them celebrate their Clevo-sound by covering Integrity
Integrity (band)
Integrity is a metallic hardcore band formed in 1988. Their lyrical themes include religion, the supernatural, mental illness, individualism, and the occult.- Discography :*Harder They Fall - Demo cassette - 1989...
's No One.
Following the release of their second album, the band were invited to record a song for an upcoming UKHC tribute to the Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...
, entitled Ushering in a New Age Of Quarrel. The compilation was released in late-1999 by Blackfish Records and featured PD's ferocious cover of We Gotta Know.
Not long after this, Lewis left the band to concentrate on Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
. Although he was replaced by Neil Smith (former guitarist of Disco Assassins), Public Disturbance eventually disbanded in late 2000.
Life after PD and reunion shows
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
. However, despite the fact they have achieved a great deal of mainstream exposure, including dropping a lot of their hardcore-rooted sound, the band have stayed true to their small town origins and are still signed to independent label Visible Noise
Visible Noise
Visible Noise is a British independent record label that focuses solely on British bands.-History:Founded in 1998 by ex-Cacophonous Records manager Julie Weir, the label was created with the goal of fostering and breaking new UK rock music...
(part of major label Columbia) in the UK.
McKee was later instrumental in the foundation of Twist the Knife, a band put together by three schoolfriends, and helped them recruit Speedo as their lead guitarist. Although McKee later left the band, the band have continued gigging around South Wales and London, as well as supporting bands such as Most Precious Blood
Most Precious Blood
Most Precious Blood is a metalcore band from New York City, formed from the ashes of the band Indecision. They blend the song structures of hardcore with heavy metal, and the band cites Sick of it All, Aphex Twin, The Sisters Of Mercy, and The Obsessed as influences, among others. They were signed...
, Knuckledust
Knuckledust
Knuckledust are a London-based hardcore band. The band was formed in 1996 when Nic, Ray and Wema contacted Pelbu to start a band. As the groups popularity grew, the band played with Agnostic Front, Warzone, Madball, The Misfits among others....
, Ringworm and Rise and Fall
Rise and Fall (band)
Rise and Fall is a Belgian hardcore band. Formed 2002 in the aftermath of Belgian bands The Deal and Kingpin, Rise and Fall have become one of the most successful Belgian hardcore bands ever, among the few signed onto American labels such as Deathwish Inc...
. The band have become a big part of the South Wales hardcore and UKHC scenes and in 2007 they recorded their first full length CD, Down For The Count.
It was through Twist the Knife that two Public Disturbance reunion shows came about - with Butcher joining the band on stage at a gig at Henry Africa's Hot House in Cardiff for a cover of Break Your Face in late 2006. The success of this performance led to a surprise reunion at a Twist The Knife gig in January 2007 at the Barfly
Barfly (club)
Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...
venue, also in Cardiff. Here Lewis and Butcher joined Twist the Knife on stage to cover several PD songs with McKee and Watkins also in attendance at the venue.
Compilations
- UKHC Compilation (contributing Agony and Fake as Fuck) (1997)
- Ushering In A New Age Of Quarrel - A UKHC Tribute to the Cro-Mags (contributing We Gotta Know) (1999)