The Drones (British band)
Encyclopedia
The Drones were a punk rock
band from Manchester
, England
. For a period of time, the band were produced and managed by Paul Morley
.
One critic wrote: "Bonafide DIY three-chord wonders, the Drones were there at punk’s inception."
outfit called Rockslide and released a single called "Roller Coaster". When this failed to make an impact, they reinvented themselves as a punk rock
band. The band developed a local rivalry with the emerging band the Buzzcocks
, but failed to match the success of their rivals outside of their home town.
Most bands in the thriving Manchester punk scene stayed in the city, but The Drones relocated to London. They became one of the pioneering punk bands that performed in the first few months of the now-legendary Roxy Club
. They supported The Vibrators
in January 1977, headlined in February, and supported X-Ray Spex
and Chelsea
in March. Later that year they supported The Stranglers
on tour. The band appeared on two influential early punk compilation albums Streets
and Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus
.
The band's debut EP, Temptations Of A White Collar Worker (1977), was described by one reviewer as "classic dole-queue punk." In October 1977, the Drones’ second single, "Bone Idol", was released. In December 1977, they recorded a session at Maida Vale 4 studio for John Peel
at BBC Radio 1
. The tracklisting was "Be My Baby", "The Change", "Clique", and "Movement". That same month they released their debut album, Further Temptations
, which has come to be regarded as a punk classic.
Fans would have to wait until May 1999 for the follow-up album, Sorted. The band reformed and toured to promote the record; including concert dates in the United States.
In 2001 "Bone Idol" was included in Mojo
magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.
s mentioned in the text of the main article:
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...
band from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. For a period of time, the band were produced and managed by Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
.
One critic wrote: "Bonafide DIY three-chord wonders, the Drones were there at punk’s inception."
Career
Formed in Manchester in 1975, the band started out as a pub rockPub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
outfit called Rockslide and released a single called "Roller Coaster". When this failed to make an impact, they reinvented themselves as a punk rock
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...
band. The band developed a local rivalry with the emerging band the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, but failed to match the success of their rivals outside of their home town.
Most bands in the thriving Manchester punk scene stayed in the city, but The Drones relocated to London. They became one of the pioneering punk bands that performed in the first few months of the now-legendary Roxy Club
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
. They supported The Vibrators
The Vibrators
- Early career:The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his...
in January 1977, headlined in February, and supported X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles and one album...
and Chelsea
Chelsea (band)
Chelsea are an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976.Three of the four original band members went on to help found Generation X. More than two decades after its release, "Right to Work", Chelsea's debut single, was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all...
in March. Later that year they supported The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
on tour. The band appeared on two influential early punk compilation albums Streets
Streets (punk album)
Streets is a compilation album of early British punk rock bands from a variety of independent record labels . It was an attempt at an end of year ‘round up’ and, significantly, was the first album released on Beggars Banquet Records .The sleeve notes stated that: "1977 was the year that the music...
and Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus
Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus
Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus is a compilation album of songs recorded live at the Electric Circus, Manchester, on the 1st and 2 October 1977, two concerts marking the last nights of the venue before it closed...
.
The band's debut EP, Temptations Of A White Collar Worker (1977), was described by one reviewer as "classic dole-queue punk." In October 1977, the Drones’ second single, "Bone Idol", was released. In December 1977, they recorded a session at Maida Vale 4 studio for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
at BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The tracklisting was "Be My Baby", "The Change", "Clique", and "Movement". That same month they released their debut album, Further Temptations
Further Temptations
Further Temptations is the debut album by The Drones, originally released in 1977. The album included two re-recorded tracks from their debut 7", Temptations of a White Collar Worker...
, which has come to be regarded as a punk classic.
Fans would have to wait until May 1999 for the follow-up album, Sorted. The band reformed and toured to promote the record; including concert dates in the United States.
In 2001 "Bone Idol" 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.
Studio albums
- Further TemptationsFurther TemptationsFurther Temptations is the debut album by The Drones, originally released in 1977. The album included two re-recorded tracks from their debut 7", Temptations of a White Collar Worker...
(Valer, VLRP 1, December 1977) - SortedSorted (The Drones album)Sorted is the second album by The Drones, released in 1999, some 22 years after its predecessor Further Temptations.-Track listing:#"Sorted" – 3:21#"Johnny Go Home" – 3:20#"Dirty Bastards" – 2:23#"Nightman" – 2:33#"Psychotic Woman" – 2:57...
(Captain Oi, May 1999)
Compilation albums
- Expectations: Tapes From The Attic 1975 - 1982 (Overground, April 1997) - A collection of unreleased studio recordings, alternative versions and live tapes.
- Further Temptations (Get Back) - A Double album of material
- The Attic Tapes 1975-82 (Get Back) – LP
Appearances on various artist compilations (Selective)
Listing of those various artist compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s mentioned in the text of the main article:
- "Lookalikes" featured on the StreetsStreets (punk album)Streets is a compilation album of early British punk rock bands from a variety of independent record labels . It was an attempt at an end of year ‘round up’ and, significantly, was the first album released on Beggars Banquet Records .The sleeve notes stated that: "1977 was the year that the music...
compilation (Beggars Banquet Records, 1977) - "Persecution Complex" featured on Short Circuit: Live at the Electric CircusShort Circuit: Live at the Electric CircusShort Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus is a compilation album of songs recorded live at the Electric Circus, Manchester, on the 1st and 2 October 1977, two concerts marking the last nights of the venue before it closed...
(VCL, June 1978)
Singles
- Temptations of a White Collar Worker EP: "Lookalikes" / "Corgi Crap" / "Hard on Me" / "You’ll Lose" (O.H.M.S., May 1977)
- "Bone Idol" / "I Just Wanna Be Myself" (Valer, Oct. 1977)
- "Be My Baby" / "Lift Off the Bans" (Valer, Jan. 1978)
- "Can’t See" / "Fooled Today" (Fabulous, Mar. 1980)
See also
External links
- The Drones on www.punk77.co.uk
- The Drones on Punkmodpop