The Newtown Neurotics (later just The Neurotics) are an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

punk rock group formed in

Harlow Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upp ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England, in 1979. They are noted for their openly

political music The connection between music and politics, particularly political expression in song, has been seen in many cultures. Music can express anti-establishment or protest themes, including anti-war songs, but pro-establishment ideas are also represent ...

History

As The Newtown Neurotics, the band began their career playing punk heavily indebted stylistically to

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

. They released a series of

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

from 1979 – later collected on the album ''45 Revolutions per Minute'' – and debut album ''Beggars Can Be Choosers'' in 1983. Over the course of the 1980s, the band dropped the "Newtown" from its name and became simply The Neurotics; along with the name change came a stylistic broadening, including slower tempos and horn arrangements. They released several albums on noted UK postpunk label

Jungle Records Jungle Records is a British independent record label formed in 1982, specialising in punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternative releases. From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were associate members of the C ...

including ''Repercussions'' in 1986 and ''Is Your Washroom Breeding Bolsheviks'' in 1988. Lead singer and guitarist Steve Drewett took openly

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

stances in his lyrics throughout the course of the band's career, and currently displays an

anarcho-syndicalist Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence i ...

sticker on his guitar. From 1986, the Neurotics became one of the first

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

bands to play behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

, with successive tours of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

alongside artists like

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

and

Attila the Stockbroker John Baine (born 21 October 1957), better known by his stage name Attila the Stockbroker,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 208 is an English punk poet, multi instrumentalist musician and songwriter. He pe ...

. When bassist Colin Dredd contracted

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

, he left the band; Mac (Travis Cut /The Pharaohs /The Skabilly Rebels) was brought in to play bass for some farewell shows (at which the band's entire catalogue was played), and the band called it quits in October 1988.

Post break-up

Drewett went on to form "Afropunk" band The Indestructible Beat, which disbanded in 1995. Drewett also played sporadic solo gigs, including visits to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He released his debut solo album ''KuJenga Society'' in 2015.

Reformation

The band reformed as The Newtown Neurotics for reunion shows in London and Brighton leading up to Blackpool's 2006 Wasted and 2008 Rebellion punk festivals, their biggest British audiences to date. A new rhythm section of David Walsh (Drums) and Adam Smith (Bass) (Both from Harlow Newtown) backed Steve Drewett from 2007, including an appearance in the Empress Ballroom,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

for the 2009 Rebellion Festival. In 2010 Steve Drewett made his first US appearance, playing at

The Big Takeover ''The Big Takeover'' is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since May 1980 by critic Jack Rabid. History Establishment Jack Rabid and Dave Stein began publishing ''The Big Takeover'' in May 1980 as a fanzine dedicated to N ...

magazine's 30th Anniversary festival. In 2015, Simon Lomond rejoined the band for a string of dates including a return to the Rebellion Festival. Original bassist, Colin Dredd (Masters), died on 19 May 2015. In 2018, funds for a full-length documentary on the band's history were successfully raised through

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. ''Kick Out!: The Newtown Neurotics Story'' is directed by Luke J. Baker and is set for completion in 2021.

Album discography

Newtown Neurotics

*''Beggars Can Be Choosers'' (Razor Records) 1983 *''45 Revolutions per Minute: Singles 1979–1984'' (Jungle) 1994 *''Punk Singles Collection'' (

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

) 2000 *''Punk Collection'' (Captain Oi!) 2001 *''Triumph Over Adversity (Live in 1987)'' (Cruel Binary) 2015 *''The Elephant Demos (1980)'' (No Plan Records) 2018

Neurotics

*''Repercussions'' (

) 1986 *''Kickstarting a Backfiring Nation'' (Jungle) 1987 *''Is Your Washroom Breeding Bolsheviks'' (Jungle) 1988 *''Never Thought'' EP (Jungle) 1988 *''His Masters Voice – The Very Best Of'' 1992

Compilations featuring Neurotics' tracks

*''Punk & Disorderly III – The Final Solution'' (Anagram Records) 1983 – Track "Kick Out The Tories" *''They Shall Not Pass'' (CNT Records) 1985 – Track "Mindless Violence" *''Wake UP'' (Womble Records) 1986 – Track "This Fragile Life" (live) *''Not Just Mandela'' (Davy Lamp Records) 1986 – Track "Africa" (with

) *''The Shit Factory'' (Warner) 1998 – Track "Living With Unemployment"

Uses in popular culture

*Stand-up comedian Tom Mayhew's

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

series - ''Tom Mayhew is Benefit Scum'' - used "Living With Unemployment" as its theme music.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newtown Neurotics, The English punk rock groups Political music groups