For fans of the legendary 1976 punks the Vibrators, it was a mournful month.
Founded by Ian ‘Knox’ Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John ‘Eddie’ Edwards, the Vibrators first attracted attention at the 100 Club when they supported Chris Spedding in 1976. Following Spedding’s endorsement, Mickie Most signed them to RAK Records, where he also produced their debut single, “We Vibrate.” Additionally, the band accompanied Spedding on his single, “Pogo Dancing.”
In October 1976, June 1977, and February 1978, the Vibrators recorded sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1. As pioneering punk bands, they performed at London’s Roxy Club, headlining in January 1977 with The Drones as support, and returning twice in February. March of that year saw them backing Iggy Pop on his UK tour, and later, they supported Ian Hunter, the former frontman of Mott the Hoople.
In early 1977, the band signed with Epic Records. Co-produced with Robin Mayhew, who worked as the sound engineer for David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust live shows, their debut album, Pure Mania, reached the Top 50 of the UK Albums Chart. This album is well-regarded by music critics, and years later, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music listed Pure Mania as one of the 50 best punk albums of all time.
Their subsequent album, V2, narrowly missed the UK Top 30. The only single released from that album, “Automatic Lover,” became the Vibrators’ sole single to reach the UK Top 40, peaking at number 35. This success landed the band a spot on the popular television show Top of the Pops. Their final single on Epic, “Judy Says (Knock You In The Head),” dropped in June 1978 and peaked at number 70 on the UK singles chart. Years later, it found a place on Mojo magazine’s list of the greatest punk rock singles of all time.
Although The Damned may have released the first punk album, it was the Vibrators who put out the very first punk single. Forget about the Ramones and other American acts; they never truly understood what punk was all about. They labeled themselves punk simply because they wore leather jackets, but true punk was about individuality, about sporting what one could afford.
The average punk was irate with the establishment due to a bleak future. Perhaps that explains the lack of a genuine punk movement in certain areas, as many opted to surf, watch football, and drink beer instead.
However, the situation was quite different in the Motherland.
Strikes and riots were commonplace everywhere… not much seems to have changed… just the music.
Now, back to the Vibrators.
At London’s Dome, singer/guitarist Knox, or ‘Knoxy,’ performed his final show with the band. Currently, Knox is working on a solo album, collaborating with various notable figures from the UK music scene, and he will also be performing with his country project, Knox and the Trailer Trash Orchestra.
A significant documentary featuring Knox alongside UK Subs frontman Charlie Harper is also in the works.
The last time I witnessed their performance together was at The Castle in Tooting about five or six years ago (Pat Collier operates a recording studio in Tooting, and some of my friends have recorded with him… a highly regarded producer, by all accounts). That night in Tooting was fantastic. Recent performances hadn’t been their best, but this one truly stood out as a classic punk gig.go.
At the end, there was Knoxy, Charlie…and even Keith White from The Transistors…another incredible punk band that fans from that era would love to see again. Who can forget the punk anthem Riot Squad…and the subsequent single Mothers Pride…true classics. Not to mention the unreleased material, which I’m certain would still resonate today.
While I listened to the conversations among the old punks, I caught wind of Keith ‘The Bastard’ White and Charlie discussing a potential South American tour together…though it never came to fruition.
When I last had a chat with ‘The Bastard’, he mentioned he had just wrapped up recording some tracks with a band called Shambler…we’ll see if any of that materializes…it would be great to hear…for all fans of punk.
Anyway, best of luck to you, Knoxy…we’ve cherished every moment of it…what am I saying…I’m sure he’ll stage a comeback gig with the Vibrators next year…why?
Because that’s what punk bands do!
by Wallace McTavish
