The Lurkers were the first ever band on Beggars Banquet, and the whole label history boils down to their existence. Formed in West London in 1976, they are one of the most notable bands of early UK punk and within eighteen months the band had 5 UK top 75 chart singles with appearances on Top of The Pops.

The Lurkers had no schtick, no frills. They were inspired by the Ramones and the New York Dolls, the British beat boom of the ‘60s and Glam Rock band like Slade and Sweet. While the other bands embracing punk at the time were flaunting their sound with typically “punk” safety pins and spiky hair, The Lurkers had unfashionably long hair and even, on occasion, wore white suits.

Now cult icons, their early singles have been noted over the years as being punk classics. Henry Rollins included their debut album “Fulham Fallout” as one of his 20 favourite punk albums in LA Weekly, and Mojo included their “Just Thirteen” single in their list of the best punk rock singles of all time.

The early line-up consisted of Pete Stride on Guitar, Pete “Manic Esso” Haynes on drums, Howard Wall on vocals and Arturo Bassick on Bass (replaced after the first two singles by Nigel Moore).

Press

• 

  Eternal Contenders