The Santa Rosa, CA, outfit Victims Family formed in 1984 (the original lineup consisted of guitarist/vocalist Ralph Spight, bassist Larry Boothroyd, and drummer Devon VrMeer), and since its inception, the trio has refused to be pigeonholed to any single musical style -incorporating elements of hardcore punk, jazz, funk, hard rock, and noise into its challenging sound. After signing to the independent Mordam Records in the mid-'80s (a label which included another hard-to-categorize act, Faith No More), the group issued three albums -the 1986 debut 'Voltage & Violets', 1989's 'Things I Hate to Admit', and 1990's 'White Bread Blues' (the latter produced by No Means No drummer John Wright). Soon after, they signed on to the Dead Kennedys' record company, Alternative Tentacles. 1992 saw the first release for their new label, 'The Germ', but just as underground and alternative rock were finally hitting the big time, Victims Family decided to go on hiatus.
The break proved to be a short one, as they returned in 1994 with 'Headache Remedy', following it up a year later with the live EP 'Four Great Thrash Songs'. But once again, the group decided to go their separate ways. Upon returning to California, Boothroyd formed a new group, Saturn's Flea Collar (which also included Spight), issuing a single and an album (1997's 'Monosyllabic'), before the band mutated into another group, Hellworms, which also issued a single and a full-length album, 1998's 'Crowd Repellent'. Soon after, Boothroyd and Spight decided to activate Victims Family once more, enlisting former My Name drummer David Gleza into their ranks, which resulted in the release of the group's first new release in six years, 'Apocalicious', in September of 2001. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The founding members of Les Thugs were two brothers, Eric and Christophe Sourice, from Angers, France. The Sourice brothers were teenagers in 1977 and were influenced by the English punk wave that was sweeping through France. Without knowing how to play any instruments, the band used the DIY ethic. Their first band was founded in 1979, a group called IVG. They then played in the groups Dazibao and Stress with Gérald Chabaud, Thierry Méanard and a fifth member (Philippe Brix) as singer.
In April 1983, following the departure of the lead singer, they officially became Les Thugs. The band's name refers to the historical brotherhood of the Thuggee, followers of the goddess Kali, and not directly to the English loan word thug. Eric became the lead singer and the band quickly created its own repertoire, performing its first concerts in bars in Angers and surrounding towns. In July 1984, during a concert in Juvisy, near Paris, Les Thugs met the very young independent label Gougnaf Mouvement with whom they decided to release a 45rpm single. 'Frenetic Dancing', the group's first record, was released in January 1985 by Gougnaf Mouvement. This single includes two tracks "Night Dance" and "Femme Fatale". Both were recorded in a basement in Juvisy with an 8 track tape recorder. The success of the record was well beyond the expectations of the group: the single, although limited, was internationally distributed and sold more than 3,000 copies. Response to the record in specialized fanzines was good; the group got reviews in maximumrocknroll in the United States and in Sounds in England. One hundred copies were sold in Vinyl Solution, a shop and a label in London run by two French expatriates in England. Greg Shaw, a protagonist in the Californian underground scene, put the track "Femme Fatale" on the Bomp! Records compilation 'Battle of Garage'.
Les Thugs then recorded their first mini-album, 'Radical Hystery'. They were approached by many labels such as New Rose records in France and Midnight in United States. Eventually the band chose Closer, a French independent label which was more established than Gougnaf Mouvement. The album was released in 1986 and sales were good, with 3,000 copies sold in France and 2,000 abroad.
In 1987 the band left Closer to join the English label Vinyl Solution. The seven tracks on the mini-album 'Electric Troubles' were recorded in London in July. On November 8, during their first tour of England, they participated in John Peel's Peel Sessions on BBC Radio 1.
The year 1988 was mostly occupied by touring throughout Europe. In June their bassist Gerald left the band. He was replaced by the group's roadie, Pierre-Yves Sourice, the younger brother of Eric and Christophe. At the start of the year they released the EP 'Dirty White Race' in Europe, and on 11 October the French quartet played in Berlin at Independence days festival. This performance brought them to the attention of the Seattle-based label Sub Pop, resulting in the signing of the group to Sub Pop, who
started to distribute the band's catalog in North America.
During the
summer of 1989 the group performed a two-month tour in North America in precarious conditions. They played in Seattle with PIL then toured with Blood Circus in the USA then with SNFU in Canada, and with Tad in Washington. It was during this time that they crossed paths with Jello Biafra.
In the autumn of 1989 they released their first full-length album 'Still Angry, Still Hungry' in Europe. This album was recorded in Wales during May by Iain Burgess (Big Black) and then mixed in Chicago. Les Thugs toured in England with Mega City Four, and performed many dates in France, including supporting Noir Désir at the Olympia in Paris. During 1993 'Still Hungry, Still Angry' was made available by Sub Pop in North America under the title of 'Still Angry'.
In 1991, in the midst of the Gulf War, the song "Stop the War" and the album 'IABF' were issued in the US by Alternative Tentacles, Jello Biafra’s label. Recorded in England, 'IABF (International Anti-Boredom Front)' contains one of the best known tunes of the group: "I Love You So". A European tour accompanied the album's release in spring 1991, followed by a US tour of 33 dates in autumn. During this period, for the 10th anniversary of Alternative Tentacles and the hundredth issue of the Californian label, Les Thugs were invited by Jello Biafra to contribute to a tribute album for the Dead Kennedys, 'Virus 100', alongside Faith No More, Sepultura and L7. The band recorded a cover of the Dead Kennedys’ track "Moon Over Marin" at Smart Studios in Madison with Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Garbage).
In 1993, they recorded the album 'As Happy As Possible' in Seattle with Kurt Bloch (Fastbacks, The Young Fresh Fellows). The album was their best commercial success with 40,000 copies sold worldwide, including 15,000 in both the US and France.
On February 19, 1994, they were the support for Nirvana during their concert in Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It was one of the last Nirvana concerts before the death of Kurt Cobain. In May, Les Thugs toured in major French theaters, such as Le Zenith de Paris, opening for The Breeders.
In 1996, Sub Pop produced the album 'Strike', recorded by Steve Albini. In May the group performed its last US tour, opening for Therapy? and Girls Against Boys. Despite a good critical reception, the commercial impact of 'Strike' was lower compared to the previous album and the band emerged disappointed by the collaboration with Steve Albini. After this, the group wanted to compose and record a new album as soon as possible.
In 1997 they changed label again producing 'Nineteen Something' themselves, which was licensed by Virgin in France and Sub Pop in the United States. The album was recorded in Angers with Kurt Bloch once again. The album showed the band moving towards a more melodic style of rock than the previous albums. For the first time, they sang in French on the track “Les Lendemains Qui Chantent”. A tour of 60 dates in France and Switzerland followed the release of the album. It launched with an unpaid gig at Vitrolles stadium with Noir Désir in support of the association “Le Sous-Marin”, stripped of grants by the National Front (far right political party in France) municipality. Despite again receiving a good critical response and a good start on the American College Radio Charts, sales of 'Nineteen Something' did not exceed 10,000 copies.
At this point Christophe Sourice decided to leave the band because of internal disagreements. Before ending this part of their career Les Thugs recorded their last album 'Tout Doit Disparaître', produced by Christophe Sourice himself. This album was only released on the French market, in 1999. They performed their last tour with 20 dates in France. The band, who had played more than 700 concerts, performed their farewell show at La Roche-sur-Yon in December 1999. In 2008, they played a show in Seattle for the 20th anniversary of the Sub Pop label, and for some dates in France. This small tour was ironically called the No-Reform Tour. In 2018, two members (Eric and Pierre-Yves Sourice) launched a new band called LANE (Love And Noise Experiment) with Pierre-Yves' son, Félix, and two members of another similar band, Daria, the brothers Etienne and Camille Belin. One album was issued in 2019 which gained critical acclaim, 'A Shiny Day'. 'Pictures of A Century' followed in June 2020. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Enigmatic noise rock trio Steel Pole Bath Tub crafted a grungy, droning, offbeat sound from a palette of fuzzed-out bass riffs, blasts of guitar feedback, and tape loops, plus a raft of alternately kitschy and disturbing dialogue samples from vintage TV shows and movies. Additionally, the band had a penchant for deconstructive covers of rock classics, some of which appeared only on 7" singles. Critics were split on the effectiveness of their often repetitive compositions, with some praising their originality and others bemoaning a lack of consistent songwriting polish. A highly unlikely bet for commercial success, Steel Pole Bath Tub nonetheless managed to score a major-label contract (albeit briefly) during the alternative rock feeding frenzy of the mid-'90s.
Steel Pole Bath Tub was founded in Bozeman, MT, in 1986 by guitarist/vocalist Mike Morasky and bassist/vocalist Dale Flattum. After moving to Seattle, they joined up with drummer Darren Mor-X (born Darren Morey), a veteran of the local early-'80s hardcore band Mr. Epp (which featured future members of Green River and Mudhoney). Taking their name from a feature in a true-crime magazine (a Clue-type combination of murder weapon and location), the trio relocated once again, this time to San Francisco.
Steel Pole Bath Tub landed a deal with the Bay Area indie label Boner, which was also home to the Melvins in their pre-Atlantic days. The band's debut album, 'Butterfly Love', appeared in 1989, and was followed in 1990 by the 'Lurch' EP (both were later combined on a CD issue). These early releases established the band's fascination with pop-culture references and TV dialogue snippets, and led to several Bay Area side projects: Morasky teamed with Boner label head Tom Flynn in Duh (aka Death's Ugly Head), and the whole group worked with Jello Biafra under the name Tumor Circus.
Fans and critics tended to agree that Steel Pole Bath Tub really began to hit their stride on 1991's 'Tulip' and its follow-up, 1993's 'The Miracle of Sound in Motion'. During the same period, Morasky and Flattum teamed up (under the aliases C.C. Nova and Bumblebee) in an electronics-oriented side project called Milk Cult, which gave their interest in sampling a whole new outlet. 1994 brought a new Steel Pole Bath Tub EP, 'Some Cocktail Suggestions', which would prove to be their final work for Boner. Slash Records -at the time a subsidiary of Warner, though they would shortly switch affiliations to London- offered the band a major-label contract, perhaps swayed by similar jumps from Steel Pole influences the Butthole Surfers and labelmates the Melvins.
Steel Pole Bath Tub's major-label debut, 'Scars From Falling Down', was released in 1995. Due to copyright concerns, their trademark dialogue samples had to be held in check, which placed more focus on the band's music itself. In 1996, they set about recording a follow-up, initially hoping to cover The Cars' debut album in its entirety. Slash, unimpressed with the postmodern prank and the demos of new material that accompanied three Cars covers, promptly dropped the band from its roster. Caught in limbo, Steel Pole Bath Tub gradually drifted into oblivion. The bandmembers remained active, though -in 1997, Milk Cult received a grant from the French government to join an artists' collective in Marseilles, where they recorded an album that would be released in 2000 as 'Project M-13'. Morasky subsequently went to New Zealand as a special effects technician on Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, while Flattum retired to North Carolina to pursue the visual arts while working for a software company. Morasky (now calling himself Agent Nova) and Mor-X reunited as Novex in 2002, pursuing a style similar to Milk Cult on their debut, 'Kleptophonica'. Meanwhile, Steel Pole Bath Tub finally recovered the rights to their lost major-label follow-up, and issued the material in 2002 on the 0 to 1 label as 'Unlistenable' (the title a quote from Slash executives' response to the tapes). The group briefly reunited that year to perform at the Beyond the Pale festival. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Evan Johns (July 12, 1956 – March 11, 2017) was an American guitarist specializing in a variety of music, including rockabilly.
Johns was born in Washington, DC and raised in McLean, Virginia. His mother worked for the National Symphony Orchestra. Johns dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and eventually graduated from Emerson Preparatory School. He later began hitchhiking and train-hopping around the country.
Johns began his musical career in the Washington, D.C. area. There, Johns met and played with guitarist Danny Gatton, writing three songs (including the title track) for Gatton’s 1978 album, 'Redneck Jazz'. After his stint with Gatton, Johns founded his own band, called The H-Bombs, which became popular playing regular gigs in the D.C. area. Among the group's fans was Jello Biafra, founder of the Dead Kennedys, who in liner notes to an H-Bombs EP, described the H-Bombs' music as "a little Tex-Mex here, garage power there, all whipped into a witch's brew of spitfire guitar and Evan's trademark vocal growl. This is the real stuff."
In 1984, Johns relocated to Austin, Texas, to join The LeRoi Brothers. In Austin, Johns performed on the 1985 compilation album, 'Trash, Twang and Thunder' by several Austin guitarists who styled themselves as Big Guitars From Texas; the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for rock-instrumental music.
In 1985, Johns re-formed The H-Bombs in Austin and continued as its leader. Johns and the H-Bombs played together for several years thereafter, becoming known for their eclectic repertoire, summarized by one reviewer as "cajun, rockabilly, punk, surf, blues, country – even spaghetti Western soundtrack music."
In the mid-1990s, Johns began to suffer alcohol-related and other health problems and stopped playing regularly in 1998, but continued to write and record music until his death. Johns died on March 11, 2017, from complications following surgery, in Austin, Texas. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Modernettes were a popular punk band that formed in Vancouver around 1980. Members of the trio were guitarist John "Buck Cherry" Armstrong, bassist Mary Jo Kopechne, and drummer John "Jughead" McAdams. All of the members added vocals to the performances. Many music critics described the group's songs as somewhat of a mixture of the Velvets and the Ramones.
In 1980, the Modernettes recorded the EP 'Teen City'. It was released under the Quintessence Records label. The sophomore carries six tunes, including "Suicide Club," "Little Girls," "Celebrity Crackup," and the band's strongest and probably most popular song, "Barbra." Though the group pulled together a strong following, true success seemed to stay at least two steps ahead of the members. The Modernettes only completed one album, 'Gone ... But No Forgiven'. John Armstrong went on to perform with other groups, and to put together his own home studio. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Young Canadians (originally The K-Tels) were a Canadian punk rock band formed in Vancouver in 1978 and active for just under two years. The Young Canadians were influenced not only by the other punk bands in town at that time such as D.O.A. and The Pointed Sticks, but also by The New York Dolls, The Stooges, and 1960s garage rock. Although the band only released a small amount of material before breaking up, their single "Hawaii" is one of the classic Canadian punk anthems.
The band's leader, songwriter and guitarist was Art Bergmann, who went on to become one of the key figures in Canadian alternative rock in the 1980s and 1990s. The other band members were bassist Jim Bescott and drummer Barry Taylor.
Their first-ever recording was the song "I Hate Music", for the 'Vancouver Complication' punk compilation album. Just before the release of "Hawaii", they were forced to change their name when threatened with legal action by the K-Tel corporation. The K-Tels supported The Boomtown Rats on a tour across Canada.
Following their breakup, their two EPs and single, plus unreleased live tracks, were re-released in 1995 on the album 'No Escape', with liner notes written by Buck Cherry. 'Joyride on the Western Front', a live album documenting a 1980 concert at Mabuhay Gardens, was released in 2001. Founding member and bassist Jim Bescott died in an accident in Vancouver on August 31, 2005 at the age of 52. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Rude Norton was a punk "joke" band from Vancouver, active in 1980 and 1981. Featured a constantly revolving lineup of Canadian punk scenesters, including members of The Subhumans, The Pointed Sticks, and D.O.A.: Mr. Ed Norton [aka Dimwit] (guitar, vocals), Mr. Rory Washtok [Brian Roy Goble] (bass, vocals) and Mr. Steve Roughhouser [Nick Jones] (drums). They only released the 7" single 'Sea Cruise' in 1980 on the Rogelletti Records label.
(E) -or (e), lower case!- was an experimental and new wave project that grew out of the burgeoning Vancouver punk scene around 1980. The project was the brainchild of Gary Middleclass (aka Gary Bourgeois) who also recorded with underground punk band The Generators, as well as the more famous Payola$. Bassist Michael Wonderful, also of The Generators, Brock Rock (Brock Smith), and Aleh (aka Nathan Holiday) formed the core of the initial band. Along with producer Bob Rock, (e) recorded two bleepy and punked out synth tracks for the project's debut 7", 'Reaction / Coincidence'.
Middleclass then took (e) towards a more minimal approach with its second 7", 'Prime Cuts', which was released as the original soundtrack to the Paul Wong videotape of the same name. The 7" was the first to feature a new line-up: Young Canadians' drummer Barry Taylor, and keyboardist-vocalist Gina Daniels joined Middleclass in what would become the core of (e) for the next two years. Middleclass, Daniels, and Taylor are joined on these tracks by Glen Nelson of Images In Vogue and Mobile Clones fame.
The project's only 12" (and final release) was 'The Levitation Syndrome', a joyful burst of youthful energy and minimal synth that is as fresh today as it was when it was released by the cult label Rogelletti Records in 1981. Everything on these tracks comes together brilliantly; the melodies, the shy and fragile vocals, the subtle and excellent drumming, and the splendour of a short-lived minimal synth scene with all the energy of punk rock, west-coast style. [SOURCE: BANDCAMP]
Tim Ray was among the first wave of "new music" pioneers in Vancouver, releasing his first single 'Time Waves' in 1977. Ray’s music always had more in common with the experimentation of the Velvet Underground or Television than the punk of the Ramones or Sex Pistols.
After seeing The Furies at Japanese Hall, Tim Ray and Bill Napier-Hemy set about forming a band in early 1978. They added drummer Brock Smith and bassist Randy Wright. They called the band AV. Colin Griffiths replaced Brock Smith, and in May they opened for The Patti Smith Group at the Commodore Ballroom. In August 1978, Tim, Bill and Colin recorded the four-song 7-inch 'AV EP', the inaugural release on the Quintessence Records label. Then Bill and Colin left to concentrate on their new band, The Pointed Sticks. By the time the 'AV EP' was released that fall, Tim Ray had formed a new version of AV, with Martin Brown (bass) and Ronnie Cargill (drums).
In April 1981, Ray recorded "Seen A Fight" with Payola$ bassist Marty Higgs, Ronnie Cargill, and keyboardists Bill Barclay and Peter Helliwell. ("Seen A Fight" surfaced on the Zulu Records compilation CD 'Last Call: Vancouver Independent Music 1977-1988'.) In June, Ray (whose band now included Alex Varty of AKA, and Danice MacLeod of UJ3RK5) was the opening act for John Cale on the west coast leg of his tour. In the mid-to-late ‘80s, Tim Ray moved to New York and pursued a visual-arts career. He also was an important figure in the underground “Anti-Folk” movement. [SOURCE: PUNK MOVIE AND NEW WAVE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY - BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED]
The Dishrags, or Dee Dee and the Dishrags (named after their favourite Ramone) as they were originally known, were one of the first punk bands to come out of Vancouver, and might just be the first all-female punk band in North America. Made up of three High School students, Jade Blade, Carmen Michaud and Dale Powers, who started playing together in 1977, and unable to find gigs in their native Victoria, the band relocated to the more metropolitan Vancouver, where there was already a vibrant music scene. Singer guitarist Jade Blade was only 15 years old when The Dishrags played their first show on July 30th 1977 at the Japanese Hall supporting her cousin’s band, The Furies, in what is now considered to be the city’s first punk show.
The Clash invited them to be the opening act for their 1979 Vancouver Show, a show which also included a set from Bo Diddley, and as way of thanks, The Dishrags even finished their set with a rendition of “London’s Burning”. With a line up change, in 1980 the band recorded their final 'Death In The Family' EP with producer Chris Spedding, but the band petered out soon after. [SOURCE: PUNKGIRLDIARIES]
No Fun is a band from Surrey, British Columbia (Canada) led by David M. Originally a punk band, evolved into a satirical folk-rock duo. After a series of cassetes and 7" singles releases, most of their output were originally only available in limited quantities. In 2022, Atomic Werewolf began a series of No Fun reissues, mostly on CD and cassette, but some new limited vinyl records as well.
Private School was formed in the summer of 1978, and was on fixture on the Vancouver scene until their demise in late 1979. Private School was often pegged as an “art school” band, but their musical repertoire was eclectic, and also featured some harder punk tunes. They played with every sort of local band, from D.O.A. to UJ3RK5, and bridged the gap between the art-school and hardcore-punk scenes; they opened shows for The Police at the Commodore, and the Dead Kennedys at the Smilin’ Buddha. "Rock And Roll Radio" appeared on the 'Vancouver Complication' LP; and from the same sessions, they released four more songs on the 'Lost In Action' 7-inch EP, so-named because by the time it was released in December 1979 the band had already split-up. [SOURCE: PUNK MOVIE AND NEW WAVE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY - BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED]
UJ3RK5 (pronounced "you jerk," -the five is silent) was a Vancouver-based band from the late 1970s. Their style was post punk/new wave, but was more art rock than synth pop. UJ3RK5's short-lived local success was influenced by the music industry's infatuation with Martha and the Muffins-styled male-female bands. The band included local artist celebrities Ian Wallace, Jeff Wall and Rodney Graham, as well as Kitty Byrne, Colin Griffiths, Danice McLeod, Frank Ramirez and CBC Radio host David Wisdom. Their eponymous debut album, portraying the pioneers of Vancouver's school of so-called 'photoconceptualism' or 'post-conceptual photography' in a rare moment of unison, sported an unlikely hit single titled "Eisenhower and the Hippies" -a song inspired by a work of American conceptual art proponent Dan Graham.
The band was a rather short-lived affair, allowing the members to concentrate on their art careers instead.
Unlike any of their Vancouver contemporaries, Wasted Lives’ music had an urgency about it -a vigorous hardcore edge meeting the progressive quirks of post-punk. The result was angular, poetic, wild and perfectly short lived. Featuring an all-star debut of musicians who made their mark in the Vancouver scene: Mary Armstrong (Modernettes), Colin Griffiths (U-J3RK5), Andy Graffiti (D.O.A., Private School, Modernettes, AKA, I Braineater), and mighty frontman Phil Smith (Corsage). [SOURCE: SORRY STATE RECORDS]
Active Dog were formed in 1978 when members of The Monitors -Bill Scherk, John Armstrong and Gord Nicholl– moved from Surrey/White Rock to Vancouver and formed a partnership with East Van musicicans Ross Carpenter, Robert Bruce and Terry Bowes. Active Dog quickly established themselves as a presence in the young Vancouver scene, thanks to a strong cache of original songs, solid musicianship, and an engaging front man in Bill Scherk (renamed Bill Shirt). Active Dog had two songs on the 'Vancouver Complication' LP, "Fun While It Lasts" and "Nothing Holding You". They also recorded a 7-inch single, 'Rat Race b/w Good Filthy Fun'; but by the time it was released the band had split up. after Gord Nicholl and Robert Bruce defected to The Pointed Sticks. John Armstrong, Bill Scherk, and Art Bergmann would reunite in Los Popularos. Armstrong would also form The Modernettes. [SOURCE: PUNK MOVIE AND NEW WAVE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY - BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED]
One of the key bands on the Canadian punk/new wave scene in the late '70s, The Pointed Sticks played sharp, uptempo pop music with guitars and drums that added real rock & roll muscle, and lyrics that offered a witty and cynical view of the world. The Pointed Sticks were formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1977 by vocalist Nick Jones, a music fan who had spent some time in England and had been turned on by the excitement of the U.K. punk scene. When Jones returned to Vancouver, he was eager to start a band, and recruited guitarist Bill Napier-Hemy and bassist Tony Bardach (the latter had previously worked in the memorably named combo Victorian Pork). After several drummers failed to make the grade, Ian Tiles (another Victorian Pork veteran) came on board as drummer, and after a few months of gigging, the band expanded with the addition of Gord Nicholl on keyboards; some time later, Johnny Ferreira joined the band on sax. Taking their name from a Monty Python sketch, in 1978 The Pointed Sticks cut their first single, "What Do You Want Me to Do," for a Canadian independent label, Quintessence Records, while two more followed in 1979, "The Real Thing" and "Lies."
The Pointed Sticks' live show made them a popular attraction on the West Coast underground music scene, and the group's clever, tuneful, and energetic songs earned them a deal with the fabled U.K. independent label Stiff Records, who released a single, "Out of Luck," in 1979. The group recorded an album for Stiff, produced by Nigel Gray, but the label was going through one of their occasional financial crises and opted not to release it (though the material was later bootlegged and earned an official release in Japan in 2008). With Bob Rock at the controls, The Pointed Sticks cut a second debut album, 'Perfect Youth', which was released by Quintessence in 1980, the same year the band appeared as themselves in the film "Out of the Blue", directed by Dennis Hopper. While 'Perfect Youth' was well received, Quintessence was having cash flow problems, and half of the initial pressing of 10,000 LPs was destroyed when the label didn't have the money on hand to pay the pressing plant. The lineup began to splinter, as bassist Tony Bardach left the band and was replaced by Scott Watson, while drummer Ian Tiles bowed out to be replaced first by Robert Bruce, formerly of Active Dog, and later by Ken "Dimwit" Montgomery, and in 1981, The Pointed Sticks broke up.
While The Pointed Sticks' initial run only lasted three years, they made enough of an impact that bootleg compilations appeared collecting the band's out of print recordings, and in 1995 Zulu Records released an authorized anthology, 'Part of the Noise'. In 2006, Sudden Death Records, the punk-leaning label run by Joe Keithley (aka Joey Shithead) of D.O.A. released another Pointed Sticks collection, 'Waiting for the Real Thing'; the label also put 'Perfect Youth' back into print. The Pointed Sticks had earned a cult following in Japan through their recordings, and in 2006 the band staged a short reunion tour, playing a handful of dates in Japan as well as Canada with the original lineup of Nick Jones, Bill Napier-Hemy, Gord Nicholl, Tony Bardach, and Ian Tiles. The band continued to play occasional concerts, and in 2009 they recorded a second album, 'Three Lefts Make a Right'. The group returned to Japan in 2010, and after a massive earthquake hit Japan in 2011, The Pointed Sticks played a benefit show in Vancouver to raise money for those hit by the disaster. In 2015, The Pointed Sticks unveiled another album of new material, this time simply titled 'The Pointed Sticks'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
