The Outsiders were an English punk rock group, formed in 1975 in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

, England and consisting of singer-guitarist

Adrian Borland Adrian Kelvin Borland (6 December 1957 – 26 April 1999) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, best known as the frontman of post-punk band the Sound. Following a substantial musical career spanning numerous group ...

, bass guitarist Bob Lawrence and drummer Adrian "Jan" Janes. In 1978 Graham "Green" Bailey replaced Lawrence at the bass and then he and Borland would go on to form the critically successful

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 the Sound.

History

The Outsiders formed in

Wimbledon, London Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes ...

, England in 1975 . They were originally called "Syndrome" but changed their name to the Outsiders in 1976, inspired by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

' novel '' The Outsider''. Their debut studio album, ''Calling on Youth'', was self-released on their Raw Edge label in May 1977, and won them unfavourable reviews: "Apple-cheeked Ade has a complexion that would turn a Devon milkmaid green with envy", reported Julie Burchill of the ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. It was the first self-released punk album in the UK. The band released an EP in November 1977, ''

One to Infinity ''One to Infinity'' (stylised as ''1 → ∞'') is an EP and the second release by English punk rock band the Outsiders, released in 1977. Reception ''One to Infinity'' received mixed-to-favourable reviews from critics. Tony Parsons, wr ...

''. ''NME'' writer Tony Parsons commented: "tuneless, gormless, gutless... I like them a lot". The EP was praised in a less contradictory manner by other critics, including

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Bichael Bercer, 2 June 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth, punk and indie music scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the gothic scene and its mus ...

. A second album, ''Close Up'', was released in 1979. This received better, but still cautious, reviews from the press. A ''NME'' review concluded that it was a patchy album, but from "a band with a future". After this album, Lawrence and Janes left, and Borland went on to front the critically successful post-punk group the Sound. Borland died 26 April 1999. In 1993, Three Lines Records issued the ''Vital Years'' compilation.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Calling on Youth ''Calling on Youth'' is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Outsiders, led by vocalist/guitarist Adrian Borland, who would go on to form the Sound. It was released in May 1977 by record label Raw Edge. History In 1973, Borl ...

'' (1977, Raw Edge Records) * ''

Close Up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...

'' (1978, Raw Edge Records)

EPs

* ''

'' (1977, Raw Edge Records)

Compilation albums

* ''Vital Years'' (1993, Three Lines Records)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Outsiders, The (British band) Outsiders, The (British band) Musical groups from the London Borough of Merton