| En route to becoming the
Buzzards in 1979 before finally mutating into Modern Romance,
which is something best forgotten, this band from the East End of London
(Leyton is an area in the East of London) formed in 1976 from a pub
r&b band and made a couple of
good singles. Like The Cortinas, their set comprised punky originals
with r&b standards such as Smokey Robinson's Can't Get Used To Losing
You. Their debut single was the
excellent 3 tracker 19 & Mad / Villain / Youthanasia ((1978 Small Wonder).
Taking on new guitarist
Vernon Austin in place of Monk
the band
ditched their punky look/sound and pseudonyms as they entered and won the thoroughly unpunk
Sun Newspaper & Radio 1 Band of Hope & Glory Contest in
1979. It gained them a contract with record major Chrysalis and
Saturday Night
Beneath the Plastic Palm Trees, their first single after
this win, secured them a hit at No 53 in the charts and a spot on Top Of The Pops.
Suprisingly it was also Tony Parsons single of the week in the NME
3/3/79. However hear it and I guarantee you'll think it dire.
However... the B side of Saturday Night is the excellent
Through With You - 24 carat punk and essential (1979
Chrysalis). From there on it was downhill till they split in 1980.
A compilation, Jellied Eels To Records
Deals,is knocking around that captures their
singles and sessions. They recorded four sessions for John Peel.
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