Rudi And The Russians

Jenny Darren, BBC TV
With the embers of South Wales’s first punk band Silent Types still smouldering, necromancy was brought into play transforming the ashes into a mean, multi-faceted machine that went on to play with many of the emerging punk bands of ’76 and ‘77. Formed 23 September 1977 (backstage at Sex Pistols Stowaway, Newport gig)
Introducing saxophone and keyboard into the mix, Rudi and the Russians had a sharp, nasty, melodic edge, tinged with a sense of theatre. The band was one of only a handful of punk bands across the land with a culturally-diverse line-up.
Cardiff is a massive melting pot, and has been for hundreds of years. Sailors would jump ship; shack up in Tiger Bay until their ship sailed and then start a new life. The city has an amazing culturally-diverse community. It had and has its challenges, but as kids we never had any issues whatever our thing was.
In the early 70s the only clubs that would let us in were the few gay bars we found such as the Showbiz, or otherwise it was the clubs down the docks such as The Casablanca. Jinx and Mark Taylor would promote at the Casablanca. The band never talked about racism unless we were fighting against it at the Rock Against Racism gigs. We were just out there playing music; having a few beers and making friends. When Lambert and Poly Styrene were talking they discussed their cultural heritage, it was always about the music.

Musical influences as eclectic as Coltrane, Bolan, The Modern Lovers, The Stooges, Stravinsky, Steve Hillage and Nico, Rudi and the Russians’ mad hat performances, memorable songs and regular presence at South Wales’ punk establishments, saw them establish a large, loyal following. They soon became South Wales’ most popular punk band, which in turn saw them invited by local ‘punk promoter’ Andy Walton to play regularly at Top Rank Cardiff’s Tuesday ‘Punk Nights’. Andy said of the band, ‘I’ve seen and heard a lot of local bands over the last 18 months, and by far the most exciting musically, and in performance is this band! Steve and Dave have put together something I think could go far.’


Jenny Darren, BBC TV Wales said of the band – ‘… Rudi and the Russians are the hottest thing to come out of Cardiff since Budgie’.
At the X Ray Spex gig the Russians were filmed by a Japanese TV crew. No one has seen the footage!
Set: Western Girl, Panic Button, Holding On, Reasons, 9 till Five, In the Heat of the Night, Walk through Hell, America – written by Jenkins & Williams.
I Wanna be your Dog, The Stooges. All Day and All of the Night – Kinks.


The most popular songs were Japanese-influenced Western Girl (all 59 seconds of it), followed by Walk thru Hell (a nod to the Velvet’s Heroin); In the Heat of the Night saw the band offering up edgy reggae, with 9 till Five, Reasons and Holding On being pure punk.
Why weren’t there more Welsh punk singles? It’s our one regret. There just wasn’t the right, welcoming studio or that one person to get the bands in to record. But unlike the other UK cities, it never happened for the early South Wales early punk bands. What we did do, and of course we’d say this, is open it up for a shitload of South Wales to follow; Freur, Catatonia and Young Marble Giants to name but a few.
The closest we came to signing was at one gig we had these people from the NME and a label came down to Cardiff. There was lots of talk, but that’s all, just talk. We didn’t do any demos either just rehearsal stuff… rough rough!
Members:
Mark McCarthy – drums (Merthyr Tydfil):
Graham Williams – Guitar and Bass (Bridgend):
Steve Jenkins – Guitar (Bettws, Bridgend)
Nigel Sutton – Bass (Bridgend):
David Lambert – Vocals: (Cardiff);
Johnny Hooper – Saxophone (Newport): Dai Jandrell (Cwmcarn) – Guitar and Keyboards;
Jan Rabaiotti – drums.
Gigs:
Top Rank, Cardiff
08/11/77 – The Adverts
04/04/78- Heavy Metal Kids
11/04/78 – Wilco Johnson Band 18/04/78 – X Ray Spex
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
20/06/78 – Subway Sect
Club Mont Merence (Monties) with The Straights
They were the last band to play ‘Grannies’ (Prince of Wales, Wood St, Cardiff) with John Cooper Clarke.

In the end after 2 years Lambert moved to Los Angeles. Jinx to London to make his fortune in a parallel world. McCarthy went off to London and played with Blue Rondo Ala Turk with fellow Merthyr man and lead singer, Chris Sullivan before entering into management with Pretty Vicious. Spot kept writing those fine tunes for lots of South Wales bands and became a sort after bass player.
Worst time was the disappointment of not signing that time, followed by never getting the set recorded.

Best times was every time we did the whole process of writing, rehearsing, finding the gigs, setting up, sound checking… meeting the other bands… having a few beers…. and then getting out there and doing it… and 40 odd years later reading that people remembered those Top Rank gigs and thought we were half good.. that warms the cockles of our hearts… lol..
Oh yeah, and hanging out with Wilko Johnson after the gig… what a wonderfully generous, talented human being.
TalkPunk
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