London SS
GenresPunk rock
Years active1975–1976, 2012-present
MembersEunan Brady
Jimi McDonald
Taj
Michael Kane
Andre Gomes.
Past membersGeir Wade
John Brown
Mick Jones
Kelvin Cyril Blacklock
Tony James
Brian James
Roland Hot
Websitethelondonss.com

London SS is a British rock group founded in March 1975 by drummer Geir Wade, bassist John Brown, guitarist Mick Jones, and guitarist Eunan Brady (formerly of the Hollywood Brats). They later became associated with the then new punk rock scene when the Sex Pistols broke in early 1976. In 2012 Brady put together a new lineup, featuring himself along with Jimi McDonald, Taj Sagoo, Michael Kane, and Andi Emm.[1]

History

The origin of the name "London SS" is disputable. Geir Wade claims to have been the first to propose it:

Andrew Matheson begs to differ, even though every other band member insists that it was immediately following Geir's arrival that the band's old name, 'The Delinquents', was dropped. Brady confirms it was Geir who came up with the replacement name, but John insists it was the result of a general brainstorming session with a dictionary and thesaurus. Obviously, the London prefix was a nod in the direction of The New York Dolls and The Hollywood Brats.[2]

The group's name caused disquiet in some quarters, because "SS" was generally understood to refer to the Schutzstaffel, the infamous paramilitary force of Nazi Germany which ran the Nazi concentration camps and perpetrated war crimes and atrocities all over Nazi-occupied Europe. This came to haunt Mick Jones (who is Jewish) when The Clash became Britain's premier left-wing political band. When questioned about the name, Tony James stated:

We hadn't thought at all about the Nazi implications. It just seemed like a very anarchic, stylish thing to do.[3]

The London SS recruited Kelvin Cyril Blacklock to front their band. Blacklock's arrival led to Geir Wade and Mick Jones's departures. The band then changed its name to Violent Luck.

Even while still with Overtown, Kelvin had kept his options open by attending auditions for several other bands. One of the Melody Maker ads he answered had been placed by bassist Tony James. Tony was reading mathematics at Brunel University in Uxbridge, on the western outskirts of London and living in Twickenham, a few miles to the south.[2]

The second lineup of The London SS started with Blacklock and James.[4] The band spent most of their short history auditioning potential members. Besides Blacklock and James, guitarist Brian James (no relation to Tony James) was the only other semi-permanent member at this time. Other musicians who played with them included Matt Dangerfield and Casino Steel, then members of The Hollywood Brats, who would later go on to play in The Boys. Future Clash bassist Paul Simonon also auditioned for the group, albeit unsuccessfully.[2]

Recordings

London SS's only recording was a demo featuring James, Jones, James, and Hot. Musically, they played straightforward rock 'n' roll and covered 1960s R&B. An example of this is their song "1–2 Crush on You", which was later recorded by The Clash. The reformed version did release a limited edition Demo CD, entitled "High Jinks On A Low Budget" which was sold at The Rebellion Festival in 2013, following their successful gig there.They also recorded an EP, whilst they were signed to the French label, Combat Rock Records. The E.P. is entitled "No Beards, No Beerguts, No Beginners"

Later bands featuring members of The London SS

Brian James and Rat Scabies joined Johnny Moped guitarist Ray Burns and backed up music journalist Nick Kent in the shortlived Subterraneans.[5] James and Scabies later formed The Damned. Tony James joined the band Chelsea with Billy Idol and the two later started Generation X. According to Chelsea drummer John Towe,

When Brian James played with London SS he wrote a song called 'Why Won't She Talk' [...] October kept the tune but put new words to the song and re-titled it 'Get Out and Walk'. When he discovered that the tune had been ripped off (early '77) he dropped it from Chelsea's set.[6]

Jones and Simonon teamed up with Joe Strummer and founded The Clash. Ultimately, The London SS members were more famous for what they did later than they were for anything that they accomplished during the band's existence. As described by music critic Dave Thompson, the band is "regarded as the testing ground-cum-meeting place for what became a who's-who of punk".[5]

References

  1. ↑ "We're not Nazis, says London SS, punk band barred from Upper Street venue". Islington Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Gray, Marcus (1995). Last Gang In Town: The Story and Myth Of The Clash. Fourth Estate Ltd. ISBN 9781857021462.
  3. ↑ Salewicz, Chris (15 May 2007). Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer (1st American ed.). New York: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-21178-4. OCLC 76794852.
  4. ↑ Deming, Mark. "allmusic ((( Carbon/Silicon > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  5. 1 2 Thompson, Dave (7 February 1992). "The Damned". Goldmine. Retrieved 19 June 2018 – via Rock's Backpages.
  6. ↑ John Towe's letter to the editor (Spiral Scratch magazine 1/1991, p.19)
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