Angelic Upstarts - Postponed

New Date: /!trash/angelic-upstarts-rescheduled/

Formed on a South Shields council estate in 1977, the Upstarts soon attracted notoriety due to their aggressive music and uncompromising attitude. Their debut single "The Murder Of Liddle Towers" was self-released in 1978 and then picked up by Rough Trade and went on to sell many thousands of copies. It told the story of a boxing coach who was killed while in police custody and is one of the most incendiary punk 45s ever released. Even today it sounds incredible, dripping with anger, and its less than polished production being perfect. The B-side "Police Oppression" was also a brilliant track and singer Thomas "Mensi" Mensforth still gets harrassed from the police who have never forgiven him for these tunes.

Critical acclaim led the band to sign a major label deal and the release of their second single "I'm An Upstart". Once again this was a blistering piece of UK punk that hasn't lost its intensity over thirty years later. The band eventually received mainstream success with their third effort "Teenage Warning", which got them on Top Of The Pops and was to be their biggest hit. Over thirty years after their greatest anthems were released, the songs of the Angelic Upstarts take on a new resonance in these times of global recession and rising unemployment, not to mention the UK continuing to be involved in imperial adventures overseas. These tunes are arguably far more relevant than anything The Clash or The Sex Pistols ever put out. The Upstarts might have lacked a certain level of finesse but their integrity was never in doubt.