The Straps 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 ...

streetpunk band, formed in 1977 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 ...

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

by vocalist Howard Jackson and guitarists Dave Reeves & Steve MacIntosh & Brad Day on drums The Straps
Punk77.co.uk The band played their first gig at the Park Tavern in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

on 28 September 1978 with

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 ...

, the Tickets and Security Risk & then went on to play more gigs around South London with the UK Subs & The Pack. Vocalist Howard Jackson was replaced by John Grant after Jackson failed to turn up to a band rehearsal at a squat in Battersea. John Grant was there along with Andi Sex Gang, and offered to help. Their original bassist, Green, died of a heroin overdose and was temporarily replaced by

Andi Sex Gang Andi Sex Gang (born Andreas McElligott) is the founder, vocalist and main songwriter of the band Sex Gang Children who were a prominent act in the gothic rock movement of the 1980s. His band played at the infamous Batcave club in 1982.Strong, Mar ...

for a show at the Latchmere Pub in Battersea. Stan Stammers, a former Epileptics bassist, joined in 1979, and guitarist Steve MacIntosh was replaced by Andy "Heed" Forbes. Drummers in this period included Luke Rendal (previously of

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

) and Cliff Warby. Stammers and Rendal left to form Theatre Of Hate in 1980 with Kirk Brandon, while Forbes left to join

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 ...

. Reeves & Grant then recruited Jim Walker, Simon & John Werner from The Pack to play a gig supporting the UK Subs at the Music Machine in Camden with just 48 hours notice. The band line up for the recording of the Straps' debut single in 1980 for "Just Can't Take Anymore" (Donut Records) was Grant, Reeves and former members of the Pack: Jim Walker (also original drummer of

Public Image Ltd. Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

) and brothers Jonathan and Simon Werner. The same lineup recorded their second single, "Brixton," likewise released in 1982 on Walker's Donut label. The band's debut album was issued in 1982 on Simon Werners Cyclops label. The album featured UK Subs drummer Pete Davies (Walker only played on one track, departing for the Human Condition) and guest appearances by Andi Sex Gang, Captain Scarlet and the Damned's

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

. The Straps enjoyed a cult following around London, selling out venues and also had monthly residencies at the 100 Club & Music Machine. The band also performed alongside the Damned on their 1980 '' Black Album'' tour, as well as

Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...

and

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 ...

, before splitting in 1983. Frontman Grant and Simon Werner later formed Bartok with

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

& Rat Scabies recording a 12" single, "Insanity" (1983). Grant went on to form Freakshow 1984, performing around the UK without any record releases. The Straps reformed in 1991 for a one-off gig at the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

with other original punk bands including Sham 69, UK Subs and

the Lurkers The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They are notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five si ...

. for the 'Fuck Reading' gig The Straps reformed in December 2004 after being asked to play at The Astoria 2 with The Rezillos & The Priscillas. In 2005,

Captain Oi! Records Captain Oi! Records is a punk rock and Oi! record label based in High Wycombe, England. The company has released over 300 albums by many notable punk and Oi! bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. The label was set up by Mark Brennan, former bas ...

) issued a Straps compilation, ''The Punk Collection'', and the reunited band (including Grant, Reeves, Stuart Phillips on guitar, Mark Hobbs on bass and Lloyd Dudley on drums) in 2007 they released the limited-edition album ''In Love With the New World Order'' to coincide with that year's

Rebellion Festival The Rebellion Festival, formerly Holidays in the Sun and the Wasted Festival is a British punk rock festival first held in 1996. The festival has attracted mainstream press coverage from such sources as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily ...

performance. The Straps played the Rebellion Festival three years running in 2005, 2006, 2007 until Grant suffered an accidental knee injury, and they separated again in 2008. The band returned to the UK gig scene in 2012 for the ill-fated Last Jubilee and Punk by the Sea festivals, with a new lineup of Grant, Reeves, Pete Davies (UK Subs) and two new members: ex-Concrete Gods guitarist Phil McDermott and Morgellons & 16 Guns bassist Mark Geraghty. As well as playing a show in Southsea (Punk By The Sea) with Sham 69, UK Subs,

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

and

the Defects The Defects are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 1978 History The band formed in 1978 with a lineup of Ian "Buck" Murdock (vocals), Marcus "Dukie" Duke (guitar), Greg Fenton(bass) and Glenn Kingsmore (drums).Glasper, Ia ...

, this line up played the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

with

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and sold out a headline show at Camden's Barfly. In August 2013, the band released their third studio album, ''Brave New Anger'', recorded at Pat Collier's Perry Vale Studios. The band are still gigging occasionally and playing at "Rebellion Festival" on a regular basis. Current line up is: John Grant, Dave Reeves, Pete Davies, John Woodward (

Angelic Upstarts Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock / Oi! band formed in South Shields in 1977. AllMusic calls them "one of the period's most politically charged and thought-provoking groups". Angelic Upstarts Biography AllMusic. accessed 3 July 2006 Th ...

) Phil McDermott (The Gonads), Bill Gaynor (The Glorias)

Discography

Studio albums

*''The Straps'' (1982, Cyclops) * ''In Love With the New World Order'' (2005, Strapped for Cash Records) * ''Brave New Anger'' (2013, Flicknife Records)

Singles

*"Just Can't Take Anymore" / "New Age" (1980, Donut Records) *"Brixton" / "No Liquor" (1982, Donut Records)

Compilation albums

*''The Punk Collection'' (2005,

)

References

External links

Official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Straps, The English punk rock groups Street punk groups