The Bleach Boys

The Bleach Boys were formed in Hitchin in 1976 and originally called the Fur Coughs. Punk Rock hadn’t really hit small town England in 1976, but when it did, it hit like a neutron bomb. The Bleach Boys took their cue from the American punk scene; they blended fast guitars and relentless drums with their own unique brand of humour, creating a sound of their own.

In the following weeks after their first show in early `77, they were banned from many local venues as their notorious reputation spread. During this year, in order to get gigs in the thriving London punk scene, they recorded several demos; ‘Cardboard Cutouts’ and ‘Oral Sex.’ This secured them gigs at popular venues with bands such as Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Damned, Radio Birdman, ATV, UK Subs, Slaughter And The Dogs and The Vibrators.

Brilliant songs which the band say…

The best way to describe the BLEACH BOYS is very loud and very fast. If you want to put a musical style on them, forget it, music really doesn’t come into it. They really do play punk of a style which has gone out of fashion. It is not politically correct, there are no hidden meanings but the songs are memorable and there is a sense of humour in everything they do.

Speaking to the magazine Record Collector in 2015 about the first single:

I can only really speak for Chloroform, which was written in a car between Stevenage South and Stevenage North, followed by a mad dash to find a tape-recorder to document the rough track ideas. It was then knocked into shape by the whole band during the following weekend. You’ve Got Nothing came from our bassist, and I’ve no recollection of how or when it was written. The recording session took place one afternoon in Piper Studios. Luton. We subsequently used the same place to record our version of White Christmas which the engineer wanted to release. The record never appeared, though I’ve seen people on eBay claiming to have it.

Chloroform / You’ve Got Nothing (1978 Tramp Records) and the ten years later excellently (but distastefully) titled Stocking Clad Nazi Death Squad Bitches (1988?) Zombie International are the highlights. Unfortunately, their records are rare and cost an arm and a leg. Essential. The Bleach Boys are still around and occasionally gigging.

Interview with Thermo from the 30th December 1999

How did you come to start. What music did you listen to before?
Personally I listened to people like Slade, Iggy, Stooges, etc. Just noisy stuff. Mark (Rocket) pretty much the same with some dodgy old things thrown in, Simon (singer) – don’t know, Gez (drummer), Classical !!
What made you get into punk?

Mark lent me a record by the Ramones (their first) and it was love at first song. We then went to see the Vibrators and the Damned who were pissed and loving it. Simon went along the lines of ‘I like the Sex Pistols‘ and he dragged Gez in.

What was the punk scene like in Hitchin?
At the time crap – there were a few people who had played for years in other bands who suddenly became punk (or new wave – they felt better with that name). After us came Chron Gen who were ok and had success – we still managed to blow them off stage. Right now, there is a band called Flacid who are pretty good.

How did you end up on Tramp records with ‘Chloroform’
Tramp was not our label – it was owned by a guy called Terry Friend who was/is still a grave digger in Letchworth. He used to put out folk but saw us and decided it would be fun to do something else. Hmmm. ‘Bleach Boys as modern folk’ – no, let’s not go there !! He didn’t see the value of a picture sleeve and we were too dumb to insist after all he was paying. I don’t know how many were done maybe a couple of thousand. We sold many mail orders with an ad in NME and were pretty busy with sellotape for a while.

Is it true one of the bands’ parents destroyed some of the copies of Chloroform? What did they think of Nazi Death Squad?

Is it true one of the bands parents destroyed some of the copies of Chloroform? What did they think of Nazi Death Squad?
It was my mother – I had left home several years before and she decided to clear up !! 25 records at £20 (I am told). I could have been rich. Stocking clad – my Dad likes it cos it’s got guts – my mum has never heard it (cos she would chuck it out if she did!)

What’s the band up to now?
Still – playing but with no plans to become rich and famous. Too many people sink into sitting in front of the TV – us we still like making noise and pissing people off. In recent years we have blown a few one hit wonders away and finished a few bands who realised they were crap!

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