The Sussed
Although originally formed in 1977, early appearances (under the name of The Worms) soon followed, but the first performance of The Sussed was at The Stone House (Birmingham) in January 1978. The original lineup consisted of Kevin Law (guitar), Dave Bass (bass), Roger Boden (drums) and Kevin Singer (real name – Kevin Inman) (vocals). Kevin Singer was later replaced by the singularly named Oscar early in 1978, and Mal R Joey (real name – Malcolm Ball) later joined the band as rhythm guitarist.
Gigging in Birmingham a strong “cult” following emerged, and among the many guest bands who supported them there were The Killjoys (later Dexy’s Midnight Runners), Mis-Spent Youth and a very early incarnation of Duran Duran.
But, Birmingham Barbarellas was THE place to be at the time, and The Sussed became regulars. They hosted both headline nights and regularly played on the same bill as The Clash, The Damned, Generation X and many more.
They joined Shoestring Records in the summer of 1978, and the release of their debut single I Like You / Tango / The Perv (a “triple” A side) soon followed.
With the poor success of the single, they became unhappy with their management company and “split” (only to reform as two separate bands) in 1979. For a short time, the two new bands were both using the name “Sussed”.
The “new” Sussed featured the original lineup (minus Oscar and Mal R Joey) with the addition of Nigel Dolman as frontman. They took an entirely different musical approach and enjoyed relative success playing at universities and colleges both regionally and nationally. They also entered into (and made the national final) of the Melody Maker “Battle of the Bands ’79” competition. However, after a name change to “Pop Art” and a classic case of “musical differences”, the band finally split in 1980.
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