The Drones

Originally a pub rock called Rockslide (minus Gus Callendar) who released a single called Jump Bump Boogaloo on Reward Records in the autumn of 1975 which got nowhere.  Playing together for around 16 months, MJ described them as

We just used to play r&b with a street image – you’ve got to start somewhere. Record Mirror, November 1977

Sniffing the punk wind of change in 1976 however, they emerged as one of the most exciting bands from Manchester’s punk scene.  While Slaughter & The Dogs erred on the Glam side and Buzzcocks delivered pop with a buzzsaw, The Drones, who could obviously play, took the energy of punk to heart and delivered it on vinyl in a series of taut, amphetamine driven toons. 

With a mixture of originals like Persecution Complex, Lookalikes and  Corgi Crap and covers such as Search & Destroy & My Generation they blitzed venues like Pips, Rafters and The Electric Circus oop North and the Roxy Club dahn sarf!.

The Drones played twice at The Roxy Club; once under Andrew Czezowski and once under the new owners. The second was with XTC and is recounted in their book XTC – Chalkhills & Children

Steve Shy of the Manchester fanzine Shytalk, who was last down for the Buzzcocks ‘Live at the Roxy recordings’, was also present at the gig and the scene had changed already and more violent.

It was a few months later and The Drones weren’t top of the bill. A lot of new people had found Punk and it just seemed to be a bit heavier that night. Some of the people had the wrong sort of attitude and I’m talking about the Drones as well. The Drones had a bouncer cum roadie with them called Sarge who was an ex Hells Angels Chapter leader. He used to be the head doorman at the Apollo in Manchester and I think he knocked a few heads about.

In the crowd were a couple of kids who people then would have classed as weekend Punks; the sort who had arrived on the scene a bit too late and were acting as they were supposed to act according to the Sun and Mirror. It wasn’t that enjoyable.

Their first single Temptations Of A White Collar Worker was classic self-produced and released punk containing the excellent Lookalikes. The single sold over 12,000 copies on their own label OHM’s records. It also appeared on the classic punk compilation Streets.

Though the scene seemed all friendly bands were already starting to form into camps with a mutual slagging fest between the band and The Worst.

Evidently there are two types of bands in Manchester, losely defined by myself as Punks and Posers. On the former side so I can gather, are bands such as  the Drones, Slaughter & The Dogs, V2 and several other unknown outfits….In the ranks of the latter, so we are assured, are bands such as the Buzzcocks, Fall, Magazine….and The Worst.” Drones Interview, Terminally Blitzed Fanzine, November 1977

A John Peel session in December 1977 showed them able to mix it with the big boys and this was confirmed as they were one of the few punk bands to make it to an album in November 1977 releasing Further Temptations with its famous punkette sleeve.

That said, an album was perhaps a step too far with the band not having strong enough material. Valer certainly got behind it promotion wise, though the concept of massage parlours and prostitutes as ‘temptations’ was a little tacky. The album at the press launch was given out with free dog collars, though less salubrious tales of the event tell of the band going thru the model featured on the cover as it were!

Then Valer went bust almost immediately after the album’s release and like for so many 1977 bands time caught up with The Drones. Trying to move on they drafted in a keyboards player and sexy dancing girls. The result was described in a Sounds review of 25.2.78 as “The whole thing was a pathetic failure…Back to rock cabaret… a subtle change in the musical policy would have been far better than a change in stage act…It breaks my heart to write all this.” Without the anger and energy of punk as an impetus they settled into inertia.

In Mid 1978 Short Circuit: Live at The Electric Circus was released to commemorate the famous venue’s closure with The Drones doing Persecution Complex. Peter Howells joined JJ Burnel’s band as drummer for a short tour promoting Euroman Cometh.

Somewhere In December 1978 along the line they lost Gus and Steve who for a brief moment appeared in a short lived band 2.8 featuring Martin Jackson, who had left Magazine, and Glenn Jones ex Skrewdriver. Apparently got as far as demos etc before breaking up.

The end of 1979 saw them still playing places like The Marquee, minus the keyboards and girls, and but unable to move forward. Signed to Fabulous (an Island subsidiary) and managed by NME writer Paul Morley, they released one more single but their moment had gone. They even had John Ellis playing guitar on the single and production by Steve Lillywhite. They had lost the spark but managed to limp on past 1982 before eventually calling it a day.

I think we’ve got a lot to offer the people, I really do. I mean we never give up…I’ll never give up till we make it – if we make it.” MJ, Summer Salt #3 (Fanzine), 1977

They never did make it but they had a f***king good go and left some classic tunes that were as good as anyone else’s.

Temptations Of A White Collar Worker Lookalikes / Corgi Crap / Hard On Me / You’ll Lose (OHMS July 1977)

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Bone Idol / Just Wanna Be Myself (Valer Oct 1977)

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One John Peel session in December 1977

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Can’t See / Fooled Today (Fabulous Records 1980)

The Drones – Further Temptations
(Valer November 1977)

Steve Cundall Summer 1977. Four weeks in Soho in CBS Studios recording The Drones studio album Further Temptations. Simon Humphrey [engineer on the first Clash album] was producer and Steve Levine [who later produced Culture Club, Westworld and The Creatures] was sound engineer. Downstairs, The Clash were working on their second album album, ‘Give ‘em Enough Rope’.

Long summer nights recording till dawn. Oh wonderful days and nights! Facebook

Now I have to agree here with the Sounds review below from 3.12.1977. ‘Further Temptations‘ is a pretty good album; not great, but not terrible either. IMHO its better than say albums by The Depressions or Suburban Studs. It has its moments …Sad So Sad, Be My Baby and the superb almost Stranglers bass driven Persecution Complex and the more forward thinking/sounding City Drones & Underdogs ( a cross between Bob Calvert led Hawkwind and The Stranglers In The Shadows!). 

As we’ve said elsewhere Valer went all out on their massage parlour, seedy sex, further tempataions concept.

Nice touch marketing the album with small ads like prostitutes ad cards but might have worked even better if they mentioned the bands name!

While they were in the studio though they also did some other legendary recordings that have never seen the light of the day but hopefully will.

Steve Cundall The story behind it was, we were mixing the album down boring boring boring  and Steve Levine(Sound Engineer) on the session played us a recording of The Troggs recording “Wild Thing”, it was so funny, they were verbally laying into each other with their Cornish accents, sounded like The Wurzels, anyway it got really heated and they started battling in the studio, drums kicked over, guitars n amps smashed, absolute Carlos!!!! Anyway it gave us the idea to do a piss take of the Clash. Think we did London Burning and White Riot and 1977, it was hilarious. Played it to Joe Strummer and he loved it. Facebook