Punishment of Luxury, also known as Punilux, 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 ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band, formed in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

in 1976. They disbanded in 1984, but reunited briefly in the late 1980s, and again in 2007, and have been active since.

History

From a background working in English fringe theatre groups, Punishment Of Luxury formed in December of 1976, in Newcastle. Taking their name from an 1891 painting by

Giovanni Segantini Giovanni Segantini (15 January 1858 – 28 September 1899) was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century, and his paintings were collected by ...

in the

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, Liverpool, the band consisted initially of Brian Bond (born Brian Rapkin - vocals), Neville Luxury (born Neville Atkinson - guitar, vocals), Red Helmet (guitar, vocals), Jimi Giro (bass guitar, vocals), and "Liquid" Les Denham (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 122-3 They released a single, "Puppet Life" on the

Small Wonder Small Wonder or variants may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Small Wonder'' (TV series), a 1985–1989 American sitcom * '' A Small Wonder'', a 1966 Australian television film * '' Small Wonders'', a 1995 documentary film * ''Small Wond ...

label in July 1978. In 1979 they signed to

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

and released the singles "Engine Of Excess" with Mick Avery on drums, then with new drummer Steve Sekrit (born Steven Robson), made "Secrets", and the album '' Laughing Academy''. In the summer of 1979 they played at the Reading Rock Festival after

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

and before

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and

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. 1980 saw the release of the single "Laughing Academy". An extensive European tour followed and United Artists sent the band into the studio to record another album, a concept album to be called ''Gigantic Days''. However while the recording was still going on, United Artists were taken over by

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, who dropped the band. A final European tour was followed by Bond's departure. Neville, Sekrit and Giro recruited guitarist Tim Magenta to a new lineup, now going by the name Punilux. They released a further album on the

Red Rhino Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

label, ''7'' in 1983, with Magenta replaced by Rab Aitch, before Neville Luxury went solo, releasing the

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

''Feels Like Dancing Wartime'' in 1984. The album ''Gigantic Days'' was finally released, on CD, in 1998 by Overground Records.

Reunion

In 2007, they reunited and played a few songs for the bassist Jimi Giro's 50th birthday party. A little more than a year later they landed a gig at a small pub in Gateshead, in the north-east of England called The Three Tuns. The gig was considered a success and was written about in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

newspaper. On 12 June 2009, they played at the Luminaire in Kilburn, North London. They have performed intermittently since. The band released a CD of new material, titled ''5'', in March/April 2012. A definitive, career-spanning, five-CD box set was released on 8 November 2019, called ''Puppet Life (The Complete Recordings)''.

Discography

Albums

*'' Laughing Academy'' (1979),

*''7'' (1984),

- as Punilux, UK Indie No. 12Lazell, Barry (1998), ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 180 *''Gigantic Days (the shelved LP)'' (1998), Overground *''5'' (2012, EP/CD mini-album)

Compilation albums

*''Revolution by Numbers'' (1997), Overground *''Puppet Life (The Complete Recordings)'' (2019)

Neville Luxury

*''Feels Like Dancing Wartime'' (1984), Red Rhino

Singles

*"Puppet Life" (1978),

*"Engine of Excess" (1979), United Artists *"Secrets" (1979), United Artists *"Laughing Academy" (1980),

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

*"Hold Me (Never Mould Me)" (1983), Red Rhino - as Punilux, UK Indie No. 36 *"Alien Contact" (1989), P.U.K.

References

External links

Punishment of Luxury home pageJohn Peel Sessions tracklist and lineup from 1978 / 1979 Punishment of Luxury Myspace pagePunishment of Luxury Facebook page
{{Authority control English punk rock groups English pop punk groups English post-punk music groups Political music groups