The Plague are an
English
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* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
punk rock band. Formed in South East
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 ...
during 1976, the band were initially in existence until 1981.
They re-formed in 2005.
/ref> Their original line-up was:
* Marc Jefferies - Vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
* Gareth Martin - Vocals, rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
* Graham Robinson - Bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
- Neil Hiller being the new bassist.
* Greg Horton - Drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, vocals
The Plague are notable as a band who played 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 ...
venue The Roxy
Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to:
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* Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
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many times, as well as many more shows all over the country. They also scored a minor hit with their 1978 single "In Love", which received Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to:
*BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC
** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music
*CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
airplay and became a favourite of the late 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 ...
, a long-time champion of underground music.
Origins
After meeting at college Gareth, Graham and Marc noted a shared interest in bands such as The Damned, 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 ...
and The Sex Pistols
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, and formed The Plague in the autumn of 1976. Drummer Greg Horton completed the line-up, and the band began playing together at a rehearsal space attached to a church in Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
.
By early 1977 The Plague were playing locally, soon securing a regular slot at the Battersea Arts Centre
The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a Grade ...
- initially as support to musical-play "The Food Show". They were the first punk rock band to play at the venue, playing a twenty-minute set to open the show as well as providing a contemporary soundtrack to The Food Show in return for rehearsal space. As The Food Show was put on by the Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corpor ...
(ILEA), the unlikely pairing played other ILEA venues together. However this was a short-lived arrangement after the band played soon-to-be fan-favourite "1, 2, Fuck You!" one night at a school. Despite requesting a punk show, school staff in the audience went berserk, almost leading to a fight between the school's PE teacher and the band/manager. The headmaster demanded an apology from The Plague, which was unforthcoming, so from that point onward they were banned from all ILEA venues - rather a fitting and appropriate state of affairs for a hungry teenage punk band in 1977.
Having recorded their first demo (containing such embryonic examples of their sound as: "Again and Again", "On The Dole", and "Nightmares") The Plague began their long-standing relationship with The Roxy
Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to:
People
* Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Places in the United States
* Roxie, Mississippi, a town
* Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Music
* Roxy ...
club, playing shows with such punk luminaries as the UK Subs
U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...
and Slaughter and the Dogs
Slaughter and the Dogs are an English punk rock band formed in 1975 in Wythenshawe, Manchester. Their original line-up consisted of singer Wayne Barrett McGrath, rhythm guitar Mick Rossi, drummer Brian "Mad Muffet" Grantham, lead guitarist M ...
. Eventually the club manager Kevin St John would phone the band up when others had cancelled gigs at the last minute.
As well as regulars to the club the band brought with them their "Battersea Mob", a group of punks based at The Old Swan pub in Battersea
Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park.
History
Batter ...
. The Battersea Mob proved to be the most loyal of fans, some even trekking as far afield as Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
and Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
to see the band. It was during this time that the band wrote many songs including "Spies", "Personality Clash", "No Strings Attached", "End of the World", "Politician" and "Nuffin' Doing".
After The Roxy
Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to:
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* Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Places in the United States
* Roxie, Mississippi, a town
* Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Music
* Roxy ...
closed The Plague remained active, playing at the Institute of Psychiatry, Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
, and Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
's club night "Mayhem". One outstanding gig at the Institute resulted in interest from CBS records.
Early singles
"In Love" (backed with "Wimpy Bar Song") was released on two independent labels in 1978: Psycho Records and Evolution Records. Despite Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to:
*BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC
** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music
*CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
airplay for "In Love" and its backing by 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 ...
, The Plague's second single "Out With Me All Night" (backed with "Er!" and "I Don't Wanna Be Like Jimmy") was released in 1979 to little success.
Disbanding
Sadly, around this time problems started to emerge within the band. Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Gareth Martin left in 1980. After that the remaining members tried to keep The Plague going, trying out vocalist Sue Slack for a while and eventually re-inventing themselves as Indoor Games with vocalist David Hood, who is still performing and now living back home in Scotland. Knowing that their initial chemistry was broken and feeling unable to continue, the band finally disbanded in 1981.
''The X Tapes''
Following a resurgence of interest in original punk rock, Detour Records contacted the band in 2004 regarding the compilation of all The Plague's various demos and singles onto one vinyl/CD album. The result was ''The X Tapes'' ((p) and (c) 2005 Bin Liner Records), containing the following tracks:
# " Come Together" ( Lennon–McCartney)
# "Lay Me in the Moonlight"
# "In Love"
# "Wimpy Bar Song" (B-side of "In Love" single)
# "Nuffin' Doing"
# "I Don't Wanna Be Like Jimmy" (B-side of "Out With Me All Night" single)
# "Dog Days"
# "The End of the World"
# "Er!" (B-side of "Out With Me All Night" single)
# "Out with Me All Night"
# "Stop" (vocals by Sue Slack)
# "On the Dole" (from the original Plague demo tape)
# "Again and Again" (from the original Plague demo tape)
# "Nightmares" (from the original Plague demo tape)
Reunion
The Plague got back together in 2005 when Gareth and Greg, who had remained in-touch, contacted Marc. Graham Robinson declined to rejoin, possibly because he is now living in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, making rehearsals a difficult matter. They employed Chris Gambold as their replacement bassist and he was with the band until 2016. Since their reactivation, The Plague have played gigs in 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 ...
and are working towards recording and releasing an album of brand new recordings, containing both new and old material.
The Plague released their latest album ''What Do You Expect'' in 2015. The album includes some originals such as "End of the World" and "On the Dole" as well as some new songs. All of which are available on their BandCamp page. In 2016, they have played numerous gigs in and around London playing old and new songs such as "In Love", their most popular song, and "Whammy Bar," their latest song. A couple of venues they have played being the Tottenham Chances Club and The Gunners. They have been promoting ''What Do You Expect'' as well as ''The X Tapes'' albums.
References
External links
The Plague on Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plague, The
Musical groups established in 1976
Musical groups disestablished in 1981
Musical groups reestablished in 2005
Musical quartets
English punk rock groups