The Odds

Formed in 1978 by bassist Bill McKeown and vocalist Sam Leyland, The Odds were a British punk-influenced rock band who combined the energy of the UK punk explosion with catchy pop hooks and a healthy dose of 1960s influences. Drummer Colin Brockwell and saxophonist Stuart Matthewman soon joined the original pair, helping shape the band's early sound as they began playing around the UK grassroots circuit. 

Guitarist Keiran Moses joined after the recording of 'Saturday Night', but before the front-cover photograph was taken, which explains why he appears in the picture without being credited on the record. As the group went through several line-up changes, Moses eventually took over vocals and guitar duties, alongside guitarist Jonathan “Twig” Leafe. The band built up a following through regular gigs at venues such as London's Marquee Club, Hull City Hall and Dudley JB's, as well as university dates. Their live appearances also brought them onto bills alongside The Damned, The Skids and The Selecter, placing them within the wider network of British punk and new wave acts touring the country at the time. 

The Odds split up in autumn 1981, after a few years of activity marked by singles, live performances and changes in personnel. Their recorded material later received a wider airing with the 2023 release of 'Foolish Men', issued on vinyl and digitally. The compilation brought together singles, B-sides, demos and live recordings, documenting the band's brief run between the late-1970s punk boom and the changing British independent scene of the early 1980s.

 

Nacht'Raum

Coming out of the Swiss underground electronic scene of the early 1980s, Nacht'Raum was a duo formed by M. Antener (Michael Antener) and Michael Stämpfli in 1983. Based near Bern, Switzerland, the project explored the darker side of minimal synth, industrial music and Neue Deutsche Welle, working with stripped-down electronic arrangements and German-language vocals. 

The duo's sound was built around sparse synthesizers, mechanical rhythms and the Roland TR-808 drum machine, combining cold electronic textures with the raw, experimental approach associated with the European underground cassette scene. Their music reflected the influence of industrial pioneers such as SPK and Nocturnal Emissions, while also sharing the atmosphere of contemporary Swiss acts like Grauzone and Mittageisen. 

Nacht'Raum self-released an untitled mini-LP in 1983, documenting their early experiments with minimal electronics and austere, unsettling soundscapes. Antener was also active under the name Bande Berne Crematoire, a solo project he had started in 1980 that mixed Neue Deutsche Welle with noise and experimental music. Both projects belonged to a small network of independent musicians distributing their recordings through limited releases and tape compilations. 

After Nacht'Raum, Antener went on to become better known internationally through Swamp Terrorists, the Swiss electro-industrial project he developed with Ane Hebeisen and other collaborators during the late 1980s. Nacht'Raum's early recordings were later collected alongside material by Bande Berne Crematoire on 'Expanded 1982–1984', an archival LP released by Mannequin Records in 2017. 

Machinations

Formed in Sydney in 1980, Machinations developed a polished synth-pop sound that combined electronic rhythms, prominent keyboards, melodic guitar and Fred Loneragan’s distinctive vocals. The group grew out of songwriting sessions between guitarist Tim Doyle and keyboard player Tony Starr, who had begun experimenting with electronic instruments in late 1979. Their school friend Loneragan joined on vocals, and bassist Nick “Nero” Swan completed the original line-up shortly afterwards.

 
The band played its first show at Garibaldi’s in Darlinghurst in early 1980. Their debut single, 'Average Inadequacy', appeared in 1981, followed by a self-titled EP. Working with producer Lobby Loyde, they began building a following on the Sydney scene before signing with Mushroom Records’ White Label. The release of their debut album, 'Esteem', in 1983 marked an important step forward, particularly with the single “Pressure Sway”, which became a major Australian hit and also attracted attention in the United States, where it reached the Billboard dance chart. 

 
After initially relying on a drum machine, the group added drummer Warren McLean in the mid-1980s, giving their live performances a more conventional rhythmic foundation. Their second album, 'Big Music', arrived in 1985, following the September 1984 release of “No Say In It”. The single became their highest-charting Australian hit, peaking at number 14, while “My Heart’s On Fire” reached number 27. “You Got Me Going Again” also entered the charts, helping establish the group as a regular presence on Australian radio and dance floors. Their sound retained its electronic edge while embracing the bigger production and melodic hooks associated with mid-1980s pop. 

 
On 13 July 1985, Machinations performed “Pressure Sway”, “My Heart’s On Fire” and “No Say In It” at the Oz for Africa benefit concert at Sydney Entertainment Centre. The event formed part of the international Live Aid campaign and was broadcast across Australia on the Seven and Nine networks, as well as on MTV in the United States. Sharing the bill with major Australian acts including INXS, Men At Work, Icehouse and Mental As Anything, the band took its best-known songs to a much wider television audience. 

 
In 1986, White Label released 'The Big Beat', a mini-album featuring dance remixes of tracks including “Pressure Sway”, “No Say In It”, “Execution of Love” and “You Got Me Going Again”. McLean left that year to join I’m Talking, and subsequent changes behind the drum kit saw Henry Downes and later John Mackay pass through the line-up. The band continued recording, releasing the single “Do To You” in 1987, which reached number 15 on the Australian chart.

 
Their third studio album, 'Uptown', followed in 1988, accompanied by singles including “Intimacy” and “Do It To Me”. By this stage, Machinations had built a catalogue that moved between dance-oriented synth-pop, new wave and accessible radio pop, with arrangements shaped by electronic textures and strong rhythmic patterns. The group split up around the end of the decade, with members going on to other projects. 

 
Machinations reunited for live appearances in 1997 and returned to performing again in 2012. The classic line-up centred on Loneragan, Doyle, Starr and Swan, with the band’s later history also marked by the deaths of Starr in 2022 and Swan in 2024. 

La Came Aux Damélias

Formed in 1975 by musicians from the Oise region of northern France, La Came Aux Damélias belonged to the early wave of French rock groups that began incorporating the raw energy of punk into the country's rock scene. The original line-up featured Jean-Pierre Lefèvre, Gilles Prigent and Denis Barry, with Alain Gilles joining on vocals. By 1977, Gilles was the only remaining member of the original formation, keeping the band's name and rebuilding the group around Alain Fournier on bass, Roland Leday on drums, Patrick Henri on lead guitar and Jean-Yves Brenaut on rhythm guitar. Rehearsals took place at Gilles' house in Beaumont-sur-Oise, with the musicians coming mainly from the surrounding area. 

The band's first record appeared in 1978, when they recorded three tracks at Studio Oxygène in Paris after responding to an advertisement in Best magazine. Two of the songs, “La 5ème Roue Du Système” and “Chopper,” were released on a 7-inch single through Oxygène Records, catalogued as OXY 014. Around 1,000 copies were pressed, although relatively few sold at the group's concerts. The third track was included on the label's 1979 compilation '125 Grammes De 33 1/3 Tours', alongside recordings by other French underground acts, including Strychnine, Le Fracas and Écoute Maman. Brenaut was away doing his military service when the recordings were made, so he did not play on the sessions.

 
Their music sat between the rough-edged French rock of the 1970s and the faster, more abrasive approach of punk. The single's guitar work provides the clearest link with the new sound developing in France at the time, while Alain Gilles handled the vocals and wrote the lyrics. The band also became part of the live circuit, playing at Paris' legendary Golf-Drouot venue, including an appearance on 8 July 1977, and performing at the 1978 Mantes-la-Jolie festival, which also featured Bernard Lavilliers, Catherine Ribeiro and Magma. They continued gigging into 1979, building a modest live presence despite the limited circulation of their record. 

Changes in the line-up marked the group's final years. Roland Leday died in 1980 and was replaced by a drummer known as Sammy, while Patrick Henri subsequently left. Gilles took over guitar duties as well as vocals, and the revised line-up recorded a demo at the Florida studios in Paris in August 1980. The results were considered unsatisfactory by the band, and the recordings remained unreleased. La Came Aux Damélias finally split in June 1981, leaving behind a small recorded legacy centred on their 1978 single and their contribution to the Oxygène compilation.

 

K.G.B.

Formed in Tübingen, southwestern Germany, in 1980, K.G.B. took their name from “Kein Grund zur Beruhigung”, roughly translated as “no reason to calm down.” Led by vocalist and guitarist Hannes Koerber, the group became part of the German punk scene with a fast, direct sound and German-language lyrics that mixed social criticism, political cynicism and irreverent humour. The original line-up featured Koerber alongside guitarist Mick, bassist Lampe and drummer Ede, although personnel changes became a recurring feature throughout the band's history. 

The first release was the picture-disc EP 'Schneller Lauter Besser' in 1982, followed by 'Party Sahne' in 1985. Their debut album, 'Letzte Bestellung', appeared in 1986 on the American label Hardway Records, helping introduce the band to listeners outside Germany. That year, K.G.B. toured the United States alongside fellow American punk bands, including Toxic Reasons, and shared stages with acts such as Circle Jerks, Zero Boys, Rhythm Pigs, Goo Goo Dolls and Bad Brains. Their energetic live performances also brought them into contact with a wider European network of punk bands. 

In 1987, the band released 'Kein Grund Zur Beruhigung', often referred to as the “Red Album.” Recorded and produced independently, the LP featured artwork by comic artist Peter Puck, who contributed a drawing for each song. The same period saw further international activity, including another American tour and the release of English-language material intended to reach audiences beyond Germany. The album 'Got Your #', recorded in 1988, was originally conceived as a promotional release for the band's second US tour but appeared only on cassette after problems with the record company. 

After several years of touring and recording, the group released 'Einmal Rund Um Die Sonne' in 1990, with Koerber, guitarist Uli Gross, Lampe and drummer Ralf Wettemann forming the established line-up. The album was followed by a brief stylistic detour in 1992, when 'Deutschland Einig Flaschenpfand' incorporated crossover and funk elements into their punk-rock approach. Personnel changes continued during the following years, and 'Restmüll', released in 1995, combined newer material with reworked versions of earlier songs and English-language adaptations. 

The 1997 album 'Kraut Gringo Blitzkrieg' brought K.G.B. together with musicians from American punk bands Toxic Reasons, Zero Boys and Sloppy Seconds for recordings made in Indianapolis. In 1999, Koerber joined forces with Pedder from Daily Terror and Tek from The Herbärds under the name Die Drei Röhren, recording German new wave and punk covers that appeared on the album 'Wir Leben Immer Noch'. K.G.B. marked its 25th anniversary with 'Fiesta Fiasko' in 2005, accompanied by a concert featuring former members and musicians from the band's extended circle. 

 

Jackdaw With Crowbar

Formed in Leamington Spa, England, in 1985, Jackdaw With Crowbar developed around musician Timothy Ellis and vocalist Fergus Durrant, with the project initially taking shape under the name Small Town Thunderers. Ellis had been working on instrumental recordings before bringing Durrant in to add vocals, and the line-up gradually expanded as other musicians and visual artists became involved. By 1986, the group had adopted the name Jackdaw With Crowbar, combining music with film projections and a broader multimedia approach to live performance. 

 
The original line-up included Ellis, Durrant, David Tibbatts and Dan Morrison, while Adam Sindall, Steve Law and Fran Juckes worked on the Super 8 films that accompanied their concerts. Rather than treating visuals as a separate stage decoration, the group incorporated them into the performance, giving their shows a distinctive audiovisual character. The music mixed angular guitar playing, blues influences, punk energy, dub rhythms and unconventional arrangements, with Ellis making use of homemade slide guitars fashioned from found materials. 

 
Their association with the independent label Ron Johnson Records began in 1986, with the band consolidating its line-up and recording activity around this period. The first releases included the 12-inch 'Monarchy, Mayhem And Fishpaste' and 'Sink, Sank, Sunk', followed by the album 'Hot Air' in 1988. They appeared on the 'First After Epiphany' compilation in 1989, adding to a catalogue that sat comfortably within the more experimental and offbeat side of the British independent scene. The group also recorded two sessions for BBC Radio 1's John Peel programme in 1987, on 19 May and 4 October. 

 
Ron Johnson was an important outlet for unconventional British independent music during the 1980s, releasing records by artists who often operated outside the mainstream indie sound. Its collapse brought an end to Jackdaw With Crowbar's initial period with the label, although the group continued touring across Britain and mainland Europe. The line-up expanded for 'Hanging In The Balance', issued through the Italian label HAX Records in the early 1990s, with Tris King, Andy Guthrie, Alan McCulloch, Andy Grimmer, Wilf Plum and Charley 'H' Bembridge among the musicians associated with this phase. 

 
Touring wound down around 1991–1992, and the project subsequently continued in a reduced form, with Ellis and King working under the name Jackdaw. Ellis and Sindall revived the group in 2007, bringing back the combination of music and moving images, although the original Super 8 film equipment was replaced by digital projections. New material followed, including the 'EP200' release in 2010 and the 'Barking' 12-inch EP in 2014. Later performances continued to explore the relationship between experimental music, visual art and theatrical presentation, with the project also known as "Jackdaw With Crowbar: Because You're Worth It". 

 

Ian Elms

British electronic musician Ian Elms is best known for 'Good Night', a privately released 1982 album that sits somewhere between minimal synth, experimental electronics and the more atmospheric side of early-80s DIY music. Based in Stowmarket, Suffolk, Elms developed a sound built around synthesizers, sparse rhythms and understated vocals, creating short pieces that often feel like fragments of private thoughts set against cold, shifting electronic textures.

 
Recorded with producer David Hoser at Octopus Studios, 'Good Night' contains fifteen tracks combining instrumental passages with songs featuring Elms's oblique, sometimes cryptic lyrics. The sessions made use of a Polymoog Keyboard 280a, sampled drum tracks and Elms's own synthesizer work. Rather than following the more polished production and catchy arrangements associated with mainstream synth-pop, the music draws on repetitive patterns, unusual tonal shifts and a restrained, almost homemade approach to electronic composition. 

Tracks such as “The Street Enters The House” and “A Light Moves Across Curtains” pair skeletal rhythms with minimal vocal lines, while “Surrounded By Trees,” “A Tunnel With Curves” and “Goodnight” explore looping synthesizer figures and slowly shifting atmospheres. The album moves between these vocal pieces and instrumental sketches, with titles suggesting fleeting scenes, isolated spaces and moments of introspection. 

Originally issued in 1982, 'Good Night' remained an obscure release for decades, circulating among collectors of minimal synth and privately produced electronic music. Its rarity eventually attracted renewed interest, and the American label Dark Entries reissued the album on vinyl in 2023, bringing Elms's recordings to a wider audience.

 

The Hands Of Cain

Formed in Athens in 1983, The Hands Of Cain grew out of the breakup of Ausschwitss, one of the early groups in the Greek punk scene. Keeping the same four members, Dimitris Chorianopoulos (vocals and bass), Dimitris Stamatiou (guitar), Costas Papakitsos (synthesizers) and Spyros “S. Adam” Floros (drums), the group moved away from their earlier punk sound towards darker, more atmospheric territory. The change also brought a shift to exclusively English-language lyrics, placing them within the developing darkwave and post-punk scene of mid-1980s Athens.

 
Their sound combined shadowy guitar lines, synthesizers and brooding vocals, with songs built around themes of isolation, despair and emotional tension. Although their public appearances were relatively limited, they played at Athens clubs such as Pegasus and Skylab, becoming part of the city's underground darkwave circuit. They recorded three demo tapes between 1983 and 1985, documenting different stages in their musical development, but a disagreement with Creep Records prevented the material from being released on vinyl while the band was active.

 
The Hands Of Cain split up in November 1985, leaving their recordings unreleased for more than two decades. Interest in their music eventually led to the release of 'The Only Sound' in 2009 through the German label Anna Logue Records. The album collected songs from their original recordings alongside live material, with an accompanying 7-inch featuring alternative versions and mixes. The release brought together tracks such as “In A Dark Cell,” “Deadlips,” “Pristine Passion” and “The Dagger In Me,” preserving the group's brief but distinctive contribution to the Greek darkwave underground.

 

Gabi Delgado

Born in Córdoba, Spain, on 18 April 1958, Gabi Delgado moved to Germany with his family in 1966 and grew up around the Rhine and Ruhr region, where he became involved in the country’s developing punk scene. He was among the people helping to establish the local underground network and contributed to the early German punk fanzine "The Ostrich", founded by Franz Bielmeier. He also spent time with Düsseldorf punk band Mittagspause, mainly as a dancer, before joining Deutschland Terzett. His brother was Eduardo Delgado-Lopez, who would also become involved in German underground music.

 
In 1978, Delgado teamed up with Robert Görl to form Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, better known as DAF. Initially connected to the German punk and experimental underground, the group developed a stripped-down electronic sound built around synthesizers, drum machines and forceful vocals. After moving to London in 1980, DAF became part of the wider European electronic music movement, combining industrial textures, minimal rhythms and provocative lyrics. The group split shortly before the release of 'Für Immer' in 1982, leaving Delgado to pursue his own projects. 

His first solo album, 'Mistress', appeared in 1983, marking the beginning of a parallel career outside DAF. The group reunited in 1986 for '1st Step to Heaven', while Delgado relocated to Berlin and became involved in the city’s early house and techno scene. Working alongside WestBam, he helped organise what is widely described as Germany’s first house music party, connecting his background in electronic experimentation with the new club culture developing around the genre. 

Delgado subsequently joined forces with Saba Komossa to form Delkom, a sexually provocative dance project that explored the club-oriented side of electronic music. The pair also established several labels, including Delkom Club Control, BMWW – The Delkom Corporation and Sunday Morning – Berlin, through which they released music connected to the evolving dance underground. In 1996, Delgado and Wotan Wilke launched DAF/DOS, a project that revisited the musical foundations of DAF while incorporating contemporary dance rhythms and production techniques. 

In 2003, Delgado reunited with Robert Görl for 'Fünfzehn Neue DAF Lieder', returning to the name that had defined much of his early career. Alongside his work with DAF and his various electronic projects, he continued releasing solo material, with the albums '1' and '2' appearing in 2013 and 2015, respectively. His career spanned German punk, experimental electronics, industrial-influenced music, house and techno, with his activities as a musician, lyricist, producer and label founder connecting several generations of the underground scene. Gabi Delgado died on 22 March 2020, aged 61. 

Faith. No Man.

San Francisco's early underground scene provided the setting for Faith. No Man., a short-lived punk band formed in late 1982 by Mike “The Man” Morris, Billy Gould, Wade Worthington and Mike Bordin. The group had already been playing together for nearly a year under the name Sharp Young Men, recording a demo tape before adopting their new identity. The name Faith. No Man. was a shortened, punctuated version of “Faith In No Man,” reflecting the band's irreverent approach. 

The group recorded a two-song 7-inch single that appeared in the spring of 1983. By the time the record was released, keyboardist Wade Worthington had left and been replaced by Roddy Bottum. The single documented this early line-up and captured a brief stage in the development of a group whose members were still finding their direction within the local punk scene. 

Tensions between Morris and the other members eventually brought the band to an abrupt end. In September 1983, Billy Gould, Mike Bordin and Roddy Bottum decided to leave as a way of breaking away from Morris, who, as the founding member, could not simply be dismissed. Faith. No Man. played its final show on September 8, 1983. The three departing musicians subsequently formed Faith. No More., with their first performance taking place on October 7. The revised name made the split explicit: the “Man” in the original band's name was no more, referring directly to Morris's absence from the new line-up.