The Partisans are a Welsh

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band formed in

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South Wales, in early 1978, when all four members were in their early teens. They continued until 1984, having several hits on the

UK Indie 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 ...

. The band re-formed in the late 1990s.

History

The band formed in early 1978, with an original line-up of Phil Stanton (vocals), Rob "Spike" Harrington (guitar and vocals), Andy Lealand (guitar), Mark "Shark" Harris (drums), and Mark "Savage" Parsons (bass guitar). Parsons and Stanton left in 1979, with Harrington moving to lead vocals, and Lealand's girlfriend Louise Wright joining on bass. Influenced by

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

, the band started off covering punk rock hits and soon started to compose their own material. They were the second band signed to Chris Berry's No Future Records label, and their debut release, the double A-sided "Police Story" / "Killing Machine" was released on 28 September 1981. It reached No. 5 on the

, on the back of a tour with label-mates Blitz, and with strong support from '' Sounds'' writer Garry Bushell. Following the success of this single, The Partisans were included on the third volume of Bushell's Oi! compilation series ''Carry On Oi!'', which reached No. 60 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and won the band gig slots with Blitz, Peter and the Test Tube Babies and The Ejected, as well as a 'No Future' night at

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's Zig Zag Club with Red Alert, The Lombardos, and Peter and the Test Tube Babies. The band released its second single, "17 Years of Hell", on 27 May 1982, peaking at No. 2 on the Indie Chart. This was followed by their self-titled debut LP, released in February 1983. It hit No. 5 in the Indie Chart and No. 1 in the Punk Chart, amid considerable critical acclaim from the national press and the underground fanzine culture. After the departure of Louise Wright, the remaining members relocated to Bayswater in west

, with new bassist Dave Parsons to relaunch the band. Their next release was the three-track ''Blind Ambition'' EP on Cloak & Dagger Records, which peaked at No. 23 on the Indie Chart, and got played on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. The LP, ''Time Was Right'', followed in 1984, described as " The Professionals meets

," and reaching No. 20 in the Indie Chart. The album featured live recordings from a gig at the Brixton Ace, at which The Partisans supported

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

, Lost Cherrees, Conflict and others. The band split up in 1984. Dave Parsons later found chart success with Transvision Vamp and, even later, having global success with Bush. Lealand moved to

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. He and Harrington recorded one more session in late 1989 for Link Records under the name Agent Orange including Lealand's then partner Iggi. In the late 1990s, Lealand and Harrington reformed the band along with two of Lealand's Swedish friends, Magnus Neundorff and Mikael "Gustav" Gustavsson. The band signed to American label TKO who issued the "So Neat" single in 2001, followed by a new album in 2004, ''Idiot Nation'' on Dr. Strange. In 2006, the band toured the UK with fellow Welsh hardcore punk band Picture Frame Seduction and played the Berlin festival Punk n' Disorderly in 2007. No further plans are being made to play live, although on 27 November 2015 they opened for Italian glam rock band, Giuda, at Orion, a rock venue in Ciampino, a small town near

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In 2024, the band opened for American experimental rock band The Garden at Heaven (nightclub) on June 25th and 26th for their European tour.

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

, unless otherwise stated.

Albums

*''The Partisans'' (1983), No Future - No. 5, UK Albums No. 94 *''Time Was Right'' (1984), Link/Cloak and Dagger - No. 20 *''The Best of the Partisans'' (1999), Captain Oi! *''Idiot Nation'' (2004), Dr. Strange

Singles

*"Police Story" (1981), No Future - No. 5 *"17 Years of Hell" (1982), No Future - No. 2 *"Blind Ambition" (1983), Link Records/Cloak and Dagger - No. 23 *"So Neat" (2001), TKO

References

External links

*
The Partisans biography
by Mark Brennan {{DEFAULTSORT:Partisans, The Welsh punk rock groups British hardcore punk groups Street punk groups Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 1978 People from Bridgend