Puncture (band)
Encyclopedia
Puncture was an early English
punk group. Founded in the summer of 1976, this Islington
, London
based, four-piece combo consisted of Paul McCallum (guitar/vocals), Steve Counsel (bass/vocals), Jak Stafford (guitar/vocals) and "The Fabulous" Marty Truss (drums). Their influences ranged from early The Who
, The Kinks
, Small Faces, through to Roxy Music
, David Bowie
, blues
, rhythm and blues
, and The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Their first major gig was in November 1976, at Fulham Town Hall in London
a week after an early gig by The Clash
. Various personnel changes ensued, with Jak Stafford leaving to join prominent punk band X-Ray Spex
, as Jak Airport. A brief tenure with guitarist Eric Electroid (aka Kenny) saw them move on to pastures new, with the recruitment of band member Anthony Keen on synthesizer
and keyboards.
In October 1977 they released a single
called "Mucky Pup" / "Can't Rock N Roll (in a Council Flat)", the first release (Small One) for the Small Wonder Records
label, based in Hoe Street, Walthamstow
, London. 2,000 copies of the single sold out, prompting Small Wonder Records to press another 1,000 singles. "Mucky Pup" gained lots of airplay at various punk gigs throughout 1977, and the B-side
, "Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flat)" was played on the BBC Radio 1
John Peel
Show. They continued to play various gigs around London, notably at the punk club "The Roxy" in Covent Garden, supporting The Wasps and "The Man In The Moon" in Kings Road, Chelsea, supporting The Fruit Eating Bears. They continued gigging until January 1978, culminating in their farewell gig on 20 January 1978 at the Basement Club in Covent Garden, London.
In the 1980s The Exploited
covered "Mucky Pup" on their album
Punk's Not Dead
.
Like so many other English punk singles of the time, original copies of the Puncture single now sell for up to £30.
"Mucky Pup" can now be found on the Small Wonder Vol. 1: Punk Singles Collection and "Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flat) is on Small Wonder Vol.2: Punk Singles Collection compilation album
s.
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...
punk group. Founded in the summer of 1976, this Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based, four-piece combo consisted of Paul McCallum (guitar/vocals), Steve Counsel (bass/vocals), Jak Stafford (guitar/vocals) and "The Fabulous" Marty Truss (drums). Their influences ranged from early The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, Small Faces, through to 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...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, and The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Their first major gig was in November 1976, at Fulham Town Hall in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
a week after an early gig by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. Various personnel changes ensued, with Jak Stafford leaving to join prominent punk band 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...
, as Jak Airport. A brief tenure with guitarist Eric Electroid (aka Kenny) saw them move on to pastures new, with the recruitment of band member Anthony Keen on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and keyboards.
In October 1977 they released a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
called "Mucky Pup" / "Can't Rock N Roll (in a Council Flat)", the first release (Small One) for the Small Wonder Records
Small Wonder Records
Small Wonder Records was a UK independent record label owned and managed by Pete Stennett, that specialised in releasing records by punk rock and post-punk bands. It operated out of a record shop of the same name at 162 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17, east London...
label, based in Hoe Street, Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, London. 2,000 copies of the single sold out, prompting Small Wonder Records to press another 1,000 singles. "Mucky Pup" gained lots of airplay at various punk gigs throughout 1977, and the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flat)" was played on the 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...
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...
Show. They continued to play various gigs around London, notably at the punk club "The Roxy" in Covent Garden, supporting The Wasps and "The Man In The Moon" in Kings Road, Chelsea, supporting The Fruit Eating Bears. They continued gigging until January 1978, culminating in their farewell gig on 20 January 1978 at the Basement Club in Covent Garden, London.
In the 1980s The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
covered "Mucky Pup" on their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Punk's Not Dead
Punk's Not Dead (The Exploited album)
Punk's Not Dead is the debut album by the punk band The Exploited. It was released in 1981 by Secret Records. The album became the #1 independent album of 1981 in the United Kingdom...
.
Like so many other English punk singles of the time, original copies of the Puncture single now sell for up to £30.
"Mucky Pup" can now be found on the Small Wonder Vol. 1: Punk Singles Collection and "Can't Rock N Roll (In A Council Flat) is on Small Wonder Vol.2: Punk Singles Collection compilation album
Compilation 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.
Further reading
- Punk Diary: Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970-1982, by George GimarcGeorge GimarcGeorge Gimarc is an American disc jockey, record and radio program producer and author based in Texas. He is known for his extensive and authoritative knowledge about the classic rock radio format, recorded music in general, and specifically the era of punk rock...
.