Target On My Back \/ What Have You Got To Smile About?<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i192.photobucket.com\/albums\/z149\/pengy1966\/mich26.jpg\")
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When Flux Of Pink Indians released the ‘Neu Smell’ 7″ single on Crass Records, there was a certain interest in the previous band that Flux had transformed from in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire called The Licks (the name of the band if you check their only 7″ single released in the bands lifetime on Harlow’s Stortbeat Records in 1979).<\/p>\n
The Licks was a label friendly name used purely for non shock value. The band had been called The Epileptics,\u00a0but the record label deemed this moniker too offensive to put on a cover of a punk record. The Epileptics performed rudimentary punk rock, a lot of the time at The Triad venue in the town, and generally supported by The Eratics from Waltham Cross, U Samples from Bishops Stortford and\u00a0Urban Decay from Harlow.<\/p>\n
Members of\u00a0The Epileptics\u00a0included at one time or another Steve Drewitt from Newtown Neurotics, Stan Stammers later on of The\u00a0Pack \/ Theatre Of Hate, Sid from Rubella Ballet and most surprisingly Annie Anxiety. The Epileptics played with Crass at The Triad at least twice, but both bands performed together elsewhere in London several other\u00a0times.<\/p>\n
Crass would eventually support the\u00a0soon to be\u00a0named Flux Of Pink Indians through shared gigs and tours,\u00a0releasing the first Flux single on the Crass record label.\u00a0Crass and John Loder of Southern Studios\u00a0also went on to give advice and help to start up Flux’s own label, Spiderleg Records.<\/p>\n
The original Stortbeat copy of the first Licks 7″ single \u00a0‘1970’s Are Made In Hong Kong’ was (and still is) a rarity. Stortbeat records either lost or refused to supply the master tapes for the tracks so Flux (as they band were now called) went into the studio\u00a0with Penny Rimbaud of Crass sorting out the drumming duties, and recorded both the tracks that were available\u00a0on that\u00a01979 single again.<\/p>\n
This rerecorded version of ‘1970’s’ was released as the debut release on Spiderleg Records at the beginning of 1981.<\/p>\n
One other interesting fact was that The Epileptics performed at Stonehenge in June 1980, but the bikers would not appreciate the punk vibe on that day so started causing trouble, stopping Crass and Poison Girls from performing thier sets later on that night.\u00a0 The Mob and The Snipers got away with\u00a0performing\u00a0sets earlier in the day though. A fair amount of people following the punk band’s that afternoon and night were badly hurt by the much older biker fraternity. This is ironic as both Crass and Poison Girls performed at Stonehenge \u00a0in June\u00a01979 without any problems. From what I am led to believe, members of Epileptics had insulted some bikers from the stage which may have helped to ignite some of the trouble which was already brewing up.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i192.photobucket.com\/albums\/z149\/pengy1966\/mich29.jpg\")
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The Epileptics (Colin Latter – vocals, Clive Griffiths – guitar, Derek Birkett – bass and Richard Coveney – drums) were originally going to be called The Epileptic Fits, a name suggested by Colin\u2019s mum, but the band decided that The Epileptics sounded better. Early in 1978, the fledgling band practised in Clive\u2019s bedroom. Self-penned songs such as \u201cDear Deirdre\u201d, \u201cI Wanna Give You A \u201869\u201d and \u201cWho\u2019s Chasing Who\u201d were soon put together, and the foursome announced their presence in their home town of Bishop\u2019s Stortford, Hertfordshire that summer with spray-painted graffiti.<\/em><\/p>\nTogether with their name, they had a logo and a slogan – \u2018Smash Guitar Solos\u2018 – which attracted my interest in a big way. I\u2019d previously been guitarist with the band The Darlex, but as soon as I saw the Epileptics\u2019 DIY publicity campaign I was impressed and wanted a part of their action. First, I had to find out who they were\u2026<\/em><\/p>\nThe Triad Centre was a great place to see bands and just hang around with other punks from Harlow, including members of the Sods and Newtown Neurotics, and surrounding areas. I asked around and was pointed in Col and Rich\u2019s direction; I went over and said \u201cIf you ever need a guitarist, let me know.\u201d Coincidentally, Clive was about to leave and go to college, so they told me to come along the following Saturday to one of their rehearsals. I did, and I was in!<\/em><\/p>\nThey had already played two gigs – one at Triad in August, and one at London\u2019s Covent Garden with Crass – but needed new material. Col and I reworked some of the older songs and changed the lyrics and titles, and collaborated on some new material too, such as \u201cTube Disaster\u201d, and our first gig together was at the beginning of November 1978.<\/em><\/p>\nIn January 1979 we got the chance to support Crass and the Poison Girls in Bradford, but the van we\u2019d hired broke down on the way, and we reached the gig just as Crass were finishing their set. In March we recorded our first demo tape and started to attract a small following; thereafter we regularly played at Triad, as well as doing gigs in London\u2019s Conway Hall with Crass.<\/em><\/p>\nFor a while we changed our name to Epi-X, but then reverted to the Epileptics; our line-up also changed briefly in summer, when Stan Stammers replaced Derek on bass. (Stan would later go on to Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny.) After playing one gig under the pseudonym Acid Experience, with Derek back in, the Epileptics decided to take a break as personality clashes had been surfacing. In August, we were approached by Stortbeat Records to record a single, and – with a dubious change of name to The Licks – did just that in September.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nHaving played just one gig as The Licks, the name reverted to the Epileptics again, but by November differences in how we thought the band should go led to Richard deciding to leave; Col and Derek decided to get Sid (from Rubella Ballet) to replace him, and within a week of their decision, I made up my mind to leave too. Two guitarists were brought in, Andy Smith and Neil Puncher (previously of the U. Samples), and the band continued to play local, London and other gigs – including Stonehenge Festival where they were bottled offstage.<\/em><\/p>\nDuring the middle of 1980 the band changed their name to Flux Of Pink Indians.<\/em><\/p>\nKev Hunter<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i192.photobucket.com\/albums\/z149\/pengy1966\/mich28.jpg\")
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Colour memories above, courtesy of Michael Mitchell.<\/p>\n
Written memories above, courtesy of Kev Hunter from The Epileptics, ripped off for all the right reasons from punk77.co.uk site<\/p>\n
Black and white memories below, courtesy of Tinsel and the Bowes Lyon House Stevenage.<\/p>\n
Verbal memories below, courtesy of Sean ex Eat Shit and God Told Me To Do It. Many thanks to him for the text.<\/p>\n
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