The Pigs (from the UK, not the Australian country-folk music band) are a Bristol-based punk rock band formed in 1977. They recorded an EP, ''Youthanasia'', for independent label New Bristol Records in August of that year. Following renewed interest in the band after their original recordings were re-released by Bristol Archive Records in 2009, the Pigs reformed and are currently recording again.

Biography

The band first got together at

Henbury School Blaise High School (formerly Henbury School) is an 11–18 mixed, secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Henbury, Bristol, England. It was formerly a community school that was established in 1956 and converted to an academy ...

. They launched themselves as a punk band after seeing

the Cortinas The Cortinas were a Bristol-based punk rock band, originally active between 1976 and 1978. Guitarist Nick Sheppard went on to play with the Clash. In 2001, the band's debut single, "Fascist Dictator" (originally released in June 1977), was ...

, the Damned,

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

and other early punk gigs in Bristol. After just a few gigs these ‘aggressive, confrontational upstarts’ were spotted by punk impresario Miles Copeland who ran Step Forward Records with

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. Copeland saw the Pigs supporting

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...

at Chutes on Bristol’s Park Street and arranged for them to record at Sound Conception studios. Four tracks were released as an EP on a new label, New Bristol Records. The record was a success in Bristol and received repeated plays (at various speeds; the label misstated 33rpm) from

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, foremost champion of new music on UK radio at that time. The Pigs featured on bills with bands like

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

and their high-energy live shows generated positive reviews in the UK's influential weekly music press with Simon Kinnersley in the

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

citing the 'verve and aggression of

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

in their heyday' while jazz authority Ian Carr emphasised their 'wired momentum'. Unfortunately the chance to open for the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

went up in smoke when the venue mysteriously burned down the night before the gig. Nevertheless, the EP enabled the Pigs to play further afield, at

the Marquee The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

in London and at the famous Roxy Club. They supported the Cortinas on a number of dates. However disillusionment set in at the increasingly mainstream direction of the punk movement and early in 1978 they split up. With the release of numerous Pigs recordings that hadn’t previously seen the light of day by Bristol Archive Records in 2009, tracks which ‘totally capture the essence of a time now gone’ according to ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'', the band was offered the chance to play gigs again, in Bristol and elsewhere. In 2010 they played the Rebellion festival in Blackpool, and again in 2012. In 2012 they also played the Nel Nome del Rock festival in Italy and other gigs on the continent and in the UK. A CD has been released, called ''Put It Down'', which features newly recorded versions of their original material as well as new songs. In 2020, after all previous vinyl copies had sold out following live shows the band had played in the country, Italian labels Rave Up Records and Breakout Records collaborated to release the original Pigs recordings in a limited edition on 12 inch vinyl.Breakout Records BRO12 on bandcamp
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Discography

EP

"Youthanasia/They Say/Psychopath/National Front" (New Bristol, NBR 01, August 1977)

Albums

"1977" (Bristol Archive, ARC090V, August 2010) "Put It Down" (self released, February 2011) "Youthanasia" (Rave Up, EPS 18 / Breakout Records, BRO12, November 2020)

Compilations

"England Belongs To Me - Volume 3" (Various artists, 77 Records, unofficial vinyl, 1997; features "Psychopath") "Screaming Fists - Volume 2" (Various artists, LAMF 7735, unofficial vinyl, France, 1998; features "They Say" and "National Front"), "The Morning After - Volume 3" (Various artists, unofficial CD, 2001; features "Psychopath") "Bristol - the Punk Explosion" (Various artists, Bristol Archive, ARC154CD, June 2010; features "National Front" and "Youthanasia") "Action Time Vision: A Story of UK Independent Punk 1976-1979" {Various artists, Cherry Red, CRCDBOX27, November 2016; features "Youthanasia")

References

External links

The Pigs on www.punk77.co.uk

The Pigs on myspace

The Pigs on youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigs English punk rock groups Musical groups from Bristol Musical groups established in 1977 Culture in Bristol