The Drive

Gus McKenzie – Vocals. Ron Neish – Lead Guitar. Bob Phillips – Slide Guitar. Roger Patterson – Bass and Ron Jack – Drums.

Formed in Dundee in the early days of 1977 The Drive were one of the first Scottish punk bands and the first to release a single. Debatable whether punk is the right word with lead & slide guitar featured and not exactly punky tunes. The single Jerkin’ / Push & Shove (NRG Records 1977) joins the list of bawdy sexual punk tunes, though not as gross or rough as The Pork Dukes, and set to more glammy, Dollsey, stonesy kinda riffs.

No picture sleeve which was a testament to the financial strictures at work. Jerkin’ also featured on the Streets compilation released on Beggars Banquet. Interestingly the next proposed single by The Drive as to be Blow Job / Gonorrhoea Go-Go – continuing the sexual theme but was never released.

From Hanging Around fanzine September 1977

The Drive were the first Scottish now wave band to issue a single. And they were the first Dundee new wave band to play a new wave gig in Dundee… Gus is the spokesman.

The backlash to the group’s first single ‘Jerkin’ wasn’t all it was made out to be. Gus was carpeted by his boss over it and Bob had parental troubles and that was about it. They issued the single because they wanted to and nobody was going to stop them. They’ll play anywhere they can get on the terms they want… The next single’s are to be Blow Job with Gonorrhoea Go-Go

They have ambitious attitudes, they believe in free speech, free action, free everything and anybody. People may object but The Drive intend to hit them hard and where it hurts. Anybody who’s weak kneed can go, they are a band for open-minded people with open-minded attitudes and that’s as far as it goes. Just watch out for them.

John Bastard, 1977.



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