The Mutants
The Mutants were formed straight from school in the summer of 1976 by Keith Wilson and Paul Codman. Their unpredictable go-for-throat approach was evident from day one, fired by an uncontrollable Stooges and MC5 fetish. After burning out several early line-ups, the odd amplifier and on one occasion the mains supply to the rehearsal rooms, the ‘classic’ ensemble had stumbled into place before the end of the year.
With Billy’s guttural growl, Keith and Roddie’s stinging full-on two guitar sensory assault, Al’s crazed bass lines and Paul’s interpretation of ‘Ringo’s white noise,’ the Mutants played their first ever gig at Mr.Digby’s in Birkenhead (with Slaughter and the Dogs) and quickly established themselves as one of the hardest working bands on the circuit. They showed scant regard for initial ‘identity crisis’ criticism (the music press suggesting they were too spikey, fast and ‘punky’ for a rock audience and too ‘rocky’ for a punk audience) preferring to throw flour bags at each other on stage and develop a beverage craze.
In their hometown of Liverpool, they secured monthly residencies at the Metro Club and the (extremely hip) Havanna, but were curiously banned from the premier new wave venue Eric’s due to their ‘unsuitability’. They responded by covering the entire club exterior, doors and all, with hundreds of posters for their upcoming gigs at the Havanna. (Later, Eric’s would attempt to book the band at double their usual fee but were politely refused by their management).
In between support tours and their own headlining gigs, Keith and Roddie supplied the band with a steady flow of toe-tappers . Tales of lust, loss, schoolgirls and swines began to appear on fag packets and beer mats and tea bag consumption soared..
In June ‘77, the band made their first advance on London at the invitation of the American music businessman Miles Copeland. They announced their arrival in the metropolis with a spot of guerrilla fly-posting, gate-crashing a Vogue Magazine fashion shoot and hurling flyers like confetti from the back of a van around the centre of town. Their London debut was at the Roxy Club in Covent Garden, supporting The Police, and their formidable stage presence and on-stage antics more than ruffled a few feathers. As a live act, the band were now really on fire, and their festival appearances that summer resulted in several low-lying, slow-moving clouds being badly singed. Indeed, Joe Strummer suggested that ‘the Mutants may well be the next new wavers to enjoy mass-market breakthrough’ in an interview in NME.
The debut record, ‘Boss Man/Backyard Boys’ was hurriedly recorded at Russ Abbott’s studio (no, really!) in Chester, and released on the Merseyside indie ROX label to favourable reviews. The band, however, were hugely disappointed, as the record failed to capture the raw energy and excitement of their live sound. However, the record-buying public were more than happy to part with their hard-earned and the single sold out of its initial pressing, peaking at number six in the ‘Sounds’ new wave chart in October ’77. Meanwhile the band continued to work the road as hard as ever, and pulled the curtain down on a frantic year with home town gigs at Liverpool University and the Havanna.
The new year got off to a flyer, with most of them being illegally slapped on a wall near you by the Mutants, as they announced the latest leg of their ‘world tour of the UK’. Taking a short break from the motorway and service station pasties, the band went back into the studio but by now, the lack of commitment from a major label and an inability to realise that ‘mass-market break’ was taking its toll.
Keith, the youngest and most outspoken, was in continual dispute with the band’s management and wasn’t afraid to fire the collective bullets. He’d left the band on several occasions, only to be coaxed back into the fold before the next gig. On at least two occasions he’d jumped from the van and ran off only to rejoin at the next set of lights after realising he had no money! He finally left for good just before ‘Hard Times/ Schoolteacher’ was released, and although the band continued for several months, the original fire and enthusiasm was haemorrhaging, and The Mutants split in late summer ’78.
Although many lay claim, this band really didn’t give a shit, and consistently sailed under an unfurled skull and crossbones emblem. Whether you ran for cover with your fingers in your ears or got pummelled into submission, there is no doubt that The Mutants had a natural ability to generate an electrical surge far too big for your average three-pin plug. Often over-looked by the history books in favour of their more trendy or perhaps brown-nosed contemporaries, this unique slab of Scouse swagger always managed to put snouts out of joint without compromise or remorse – and they absolutely loved it. And for that alone, God bless ‘em.
TalkPunk
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