The Scabs

ames Young-Vocals, John Salmons-Guitar/Organ, Patrick Cunningham-Drums, Steve Pardoe-Bass, Simon Grant-Saxophone

The Scabs were Exeter university students and their sole EP (Amory Building/Leave Me Alone/Don’t Just Sit There/ U.R.E) from 1979 containing all the ingredients needed to make a minor punk classic; tinny guitars, cheap keyboards and over the top sneering vocals. The songs are fast and fun and have been constantly bootlegged over the years on various Killed By Death style punk compilations. Two pressings of a thousand each. The first in a blue sleeve, the second in red.  

James Young There were some independent records around, and that’s what ours was. It was Patrick’s (the drummer’s) doing. He actually financed it and did the whole thing. I simply wouldn’t have had the money. We all went up to London and there was a cheap recording studios somewhere right out in North London. A really nice guy called Marcus who was a bit of a Hunt Saboteur and general Anarchist guested on saxophone, and the whole recording was done in 2 hours…I think I just had 2 takes.

Patrick then got 1000 pressed and set himself up in the Student Coffee Bar selling the singles. And we sold well and got more pressings. Because there just weren’t any singles around by punk bands in any number, we were reviewed by all the music papers. In those days the music papers ruled….you just went and bought what the music papers liked…there was no way of previewing what they’d sound like, you just had to go and buy. “Sounds” gave us an amazing review, Melody Maker good I think and the others said we were “amateurish” I expect.

But the reviews helped Patrick to organize a tour. The Scabs played 6 or 7 dates in a week in some pretty weird places from Bradford to Cornwall but always to “a crowd” and it was never a disaster. But I don’t think the single got any airplay at all….. there just wasn’t that kind of opportunity…. only Radio One and I’m not even sure if John Peel had got his show going in those days and that was only 2 hours a day. But you would never get played on Radio One during the day….it was all Agadoo.

….. we recorded another 2 tracks about a year or two later….it wasn’t bad at all and John was hoping to get a record deal. Apparently we almost did but punk was losing ground to the Mod and Ska bands already…..if we’d have recorded something about Popping Blues on my Lambretta we’d have got a deal no problem. Just Some Punk Songs Blog Spot

After The Scabs split, a couple of members moved onto the more new wave orientated M5s. Drummer Patrick Cunningham remained active on the Exeter punk scene, promoting shows throughout the 80’s before becoming a partner in Exeter live venue The Cavern Club.  



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