Society were 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 formed in 1980 by Cyfarthfa High School

Cyfarthfa High School

Cyfarthfa High School is a comprehensive school, based in the town and borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, that was established in 1970. Cyfarthfa means "Place of the barking " in Welsh and the school crest reflects this.- Origins :...

 students Ian Gravell and Steve Hammett in Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

, 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...

. The lineup included vocalist Marcus Howells who later formed Foreign Legion (band)

Foreign Legion (band)

Foreign Legion was a punk band from South Wales, often referred to as the longest running punk group in Wales.-1984–1991:Foreign Legion formed in 1984 from the ashes of a band called Society . The band released their first EP on their own label 'Rent a Racket'. Their first full-length album...

.

Society's very first gig was in Tiffany's nightclub, Merthyr Tydfil on 10 March 1981. Next they played in The Jubilee Club, Merthyr Tydfil F.C.

Merthyr Tydfil F.C.

Merthyr Tydfil Football Club was a Welsh football club based at the Penydarren Park ground in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2010 the club was liquidated and reformed under the name Merthyr Town, which was accepted into Division One of the Western League.-History:...

 for Eddie Thomas

Eddie Thomas

Eddie Thomas MBE , was a Welsh boxing champion and boxing manager.Thomas was born in Merthyr Tydfil. After a highly successful amateur boxing career, he turned professional in 1946. He won the Welsh welterweight title in 1948, the British welterweight title in 1949, and the European welterweight...

 on 26 March 1981 before a return gig and part time residency in Tiffany's 12 April 1981.

Grav left the band in the summer of 1981 to pursue a solo career and, since then, has played with a number of bands, become a published songwriter with Welsh label Sain

Sain

Sain , in full – Recordiau Sain Cyf is a Welsh record label, which was in the Welsh folk revival....

, appeared on the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 (The Mal Pope

Mal Pope

Mal Pope , is a Welsh musician and composer, who is especially notable for his contribution to music theatre portraying Welsh national identities and themes...

 Show) and at St David's Hall

St David's Hall

St David's Hall is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff city centre, the capital of Wales...

 in Cardiff on a number of occasions, and also set up his own recording studio and Merthyr Tydfil's first record label, G21 Records.

Society fragmented shortly after and spawned a number of offshoots including Foreign Legion, The Presidents, Dead On Arrival and The Original Mind Band making Society notable as the granddaddy of the South Wales Valleys

South Wales Valleys

The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...

punk rock scene of the 80's and 90's.