Ruefrex, originally called Roofwrecks, were a punk rock band from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, formed in 1977.

History

The band was formed in 1977 by Paul Burgess and Tom Coulter at the Boys Model School in Belfast, Coulter originally acting as vocalist but sticking to bass when Ivan Kelly joined.Ogg, Alex (2006) ''No More Heroes'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 474-477 Kelly left in 1979 to join London band

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...

, and was replaced by Allan Clarke. By the time of their first release, "One By One" on

Terri Hooley Terence Wilfred "Terri" Hooley (born 23 December 1948) is a prominent figure in the Belfast punk scene and founder of the Good Vibrations record shop and label, responsible for bands such as The Undertones, Rudi, Protex and The Outcasts making ...

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record ...

label, they had also been joined by guitarist Jackie Forgie.Gimarc, George (2005) ''Punk Diary'', Backbeat Books, , p. 281Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 193 They had two hits on the

UK Independent Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

, "Capital Letters", which reached number 31, and "Wild Colonial Boy" which reached number 46. They released their debut album, ''Flowers for all Occasions'', on Kasper Records in 1985.Holland, Roger (1985) "Rue Fuss", ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'', 14 December 1985, p. 30 It received a five-star review from ''

'', with Roger Holland describing it as a "positively heroic album". They were notable for their anti-sectarian stance at a time when

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

were at their height in

. A later line-up of the band featured Gordy Blair who also performed with Highway Star, the band that was to become

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...

. In 1976 he joined Belfast punk band

Rudi Rudi, born Albert Rudolph (January 24, 1928 – February 21, 1973), also known as Swami Rudrananda, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rudi was a spiritual teacher and an antiquities entrepreneur in New York City.Swami Rudrananda udi ''Spiri ...

. Forgie joined

Colenso Parade Colenso Parade were an alternative rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland formed in 1984. Taking their name from a street in the Stranmillis area of their native city, the original line-up was Oscar (Thomas) Askin (vocals), Linda Clendinning ( ...

and later formed the Black Taxi Ballads.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 275

Discography

''One By One'' (EP)

Recorded at Wizard Studio's, Belfast. Released: Good Vibrations OT 81979. Tracks: #One by One #Cross the Line #Don't Panic Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Tom Coulter - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Capital Letters/April Fool'' (7 inch)

Recorded at

Downtown Radio Downtown Radio is a Hot Adult Contemporary music radio station based in Newtownards, County Down, that serves all of Northern Ireland using a network of AM, FM and DAB transmitters. As of December 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 3 ...

Studio, Newtownards. (Taken from Downtown Radio session master March 1980) Released: Kabuki Records AR 71983. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Tom Coulter - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Paid In Kind/Perfect Crime'' (7 inch)

Released: One to One Records X11984. Produced, Engineered and Directed by Ruefrex and Keith McCormick. Recorded at Unknown. ('The Perfect Crime' from Downtown Radio session, March 1980) Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Tom Coulter - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Wild Colonial Boy (Parts 1 and 2)'' (7 inch)

Recorded at Unknown. Produced by Hugh Matier with Ruefrex. Released: Kasper AT 11985. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Tom Coulter - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Wild Colonial Boy/Even In The Dark Hours'' (7 inch)

Recorded at Unknown. Produced by

Mick Glossop Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music. Glossop was initially known for recording and producing for new wave and punk bands such as Magazine ...

. Released: Kasper AS 31986. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar * Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''In The Traps/Lenders Of The Last Resort'' (7 inch)

Recorded at Unknown. Produced by Mick Glossop. Released: Kasper AS 31986. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Wild Colonial Boy (Extended Version)/Even In The Dark Hours'' (12 inch)

Released: Kasper 2KAS 21985. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''In The Traps/Lenders Of The Last Resort'' (12 inch)

Recorded at Unknown. Produced by Mick Glossop. Released: Kasper Records 2KAS31986. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Flowers For All Occasions'' (LP)

Recorded at Music Works,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, N7. (16th - 29th Oct 1985) Mixed at Sarm West. (4th - 8th Nov 1985) Produced by Mick Glossop. Released: Kasper ATLP 11985. Tracks #The Wild Colonial Boy #In the Traps #The Ruah #Mr Renfield Reflects #Correct Your Fireside Manner #The Sources of the Energies #By the Shadowline #Paid in Kind #Even in the Dark Hours #One by One #Flowers for all Occasions. Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Flowers For All Occasions'' (LP)

Released: MCA Records

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Issue] 1985.

''Political Wings'' (LP)

Recorded live at The Chocolate Factory, South London. Produced by Paul Burgess. Released: Flicknife [BLUNT 041] 1987. Tracks: #Political Wings #On Kingsmill Road #Playing Cards with Dead Man #Days of Heaven #Playing Adult Games Line Up: *Alan Clarke - Vocals *Jackie Forgie - Guitar *Gary Ferris - Guitar *Gordy Blair - Bass *Paul Burgess - Drums

''Flowers For All Occasions'' (CD)

This CD was re-issued to celebrate the band's reunion in August 2003. Only 100 copies were made. Most were distributed among fans, the remainder were sold by mail order. The release was a replica of the original but with a lyric sheet. 'Capital Letters- The Best of Ruefrex' (CD) More recently, Cherry Red Records revealed that the official release date for the album 'Capital Letters.... the best of..' was October 17, 2006. This CD includes previously unreleased material. Tracks are - One by One/Don't Panic/Capital Letters/April Fool/Perfect Crime/The Wild Colonial Boy Pt 1/Correct Your Fireside Manner/Even In Ihe Dark Hours/Paid In Kind/By The Shadowline/The Wild Colonial Boy/In The Traps/Flowers For All Occasions/The Lenders Of The Last Resort/Days Of Heaven/Playing Adult Games/The Fightin' 36th/Between Having And Wanting/Playing Cards With Dead Men/Middle-Ground

References

External links

Official Ruefrex Site
{{authority control Pop punk groups from Northern Ireland Musical groups from Belfast New wave musical groups from Northern Ireland Punk rock groups from Northern Ireland