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Fact #158176

When:

Short story:

UK punk band The Boys release their fourth and last album, Boys Only.

Full article:

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE BOYS?

(interviews by Johnny Black, April 2002)

Matt Dangerfield (guitar/vocals) : We were the first British punk band to get an album deal, and we were managed by NEMS, which had been The Beatles’ company in the 60s. We were signed to a major label, RCA, which was set to give us the big push, so we should have really taken off. Our first album got delayed so long by NEMS that a couple of other punk bands got their albums out first, so that stole out thunder.

That didn’t seem so bad when our second single, First Time, got Single Of The Week in Sounds and John Peel started playing it, but then Elvis Presley died and RCA immediately switched all its efforts to manufacturing and re-promoting all of his stuff. We got ignored.

Our second album was timed to coincide with a major tour, but NEMS didn’t get it released in time, so fans saw us, but there was nothing they could buy. NEMS wasn’t paying its bills, so we couldn’t even get into studios, except by booking them as The Yobs, pretending we were a different band. By the third album, we’d had enough, and we actually went on strike until NEMS let us out of the contract. We did get an indie deal, and re-recorded the album in Norway, but we’d lost our momentum and neither it nor the fourth one sold very well.

Because it was so chaotic, we were all working on other projects as well, John and Jack were with The Lurkers, for example, so by the time of what’s sometimes called our final gig, Ibiza in 1981, we didn’t really exist. We’d just come together if someone made us an offer that was worth the trouble.

I made an album as The Single Mirrors in 1982, then opened a studio, The Wall, in Smithfield, where PIL and Asia recorded. In the 90s, I became a journalist, and started a London-based lifestyle and entertainment magazine, Footloose, in 1996, which I still own and edit.

There was resurgence of interest in The Boys when Die Toten Hosen covered my song Brickfield Nights which earned me my first platinum disc, and more money than I ever saw in the band. Then, two years ago, the Japanese band Michelle Gun Elephant had a hit over there with our song Soda Pressing, which led to us briefly re-forming and playing two sold-out nights at The Loft in Tokyo.

Duncan 'Kid' Reid (bass/vocals) : After the fourth album, we were touring in Holland, but I felt I’d had enough, so I went to Imperial College and did an engineering degree, then trained as a chartered accountant, specialising in the entertainment side. I joined Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Company in 1990 as business development manager, and toured the world putting his shows on until 1997 when I became Finance Director for Notts Forest. Now, I run my own company, Ingenious, which invests in and advises entertainment and media companies. I’m married, and my daughter Lauren Reid is an actress and dancer.

Stein Groven aka Casino Steel (keyboards/vocals) : After the fourth album, Cas went back to Norway and became a huge star there with Gary Holton of the Heavy Metal Kids as Holton And Steel. They had several hit albums and a No1 single with a cover of Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town which I produced. He’s been married, had two kids, got divorced and is still releasing albums to this day.”

John Splain aka Honest John Plain (guitar/vocals) : I played in various bands in the 80s, memorably the Mannish Boys who were signed to Motown. We recorded an album in Boston with the Stones’ producer Jimmy Miller, then we went into the Motown offices one day and everybody did a double-take. They’d thought we were a black rock band, and our manager hadn’t told them otherwise, so we got dumped. I’ve stayed in music the whole time, working with Ian Hunter and others. Over the years I’ve played on over 40 albums. My next solo album is an acoustic thing, and in July I’m off to Argentina to produce a punk band out there.

Jack Lempicki aka Jack Black (drums) : Jack was always a bit of a wastrel. He went into inventing games, and had some success with a fishing game called Tight Line in the 80s. He lives in Mansfield in the Midlands, and he’s always dreaming up new ideas, but unfortunately he can’t play with us because of a back injury.