Biography
Guitarist Alan Lee Shaw immersed himself in the music world from the early 1970s onward, catching rehearsals by Stars, the post-Pink Floyd project of fellow Cambridge native Syd Barrett. That encounter prompted Shaw and drummer Rod Latter to launch the Rings in 1975 alongside John "Twink" Alder, who had previously worked with Barrett. The trio cut a lone single and performed repeatedly on the cusp of punk before internal tensions dissolved the group.
Undeterred, Shaw and Latter next assembled the Maniacs by adding bassist Robert Crash, a German transplant drawn to London's punk milieu. The Maniacs delivered the enduring single "Chelsea '77," a sharp critique of the scene's growing fixation on fashion, and contributed two songs to the Live at the Vortex compilation before Shaw dissolved the band in January 1978.
Shaw then formed the Physicals, channeling glam and proto-punk influences into the All Sexed Up EP (1978) and the "Be Like Me"/"Pain in Love" single (1980). Former Sex Pistol Paul Cook supplied drumming and production on the latter release. All Sexed Up moved 5,000 copies while "Be Like Me" received radio exposure, yet Shaw observed, "but it didn't take off big-time. It's a case of having a hit." Overground later reissued the Maniacs' and Physicals' recordings on separate CDs.
Seeking fresh direction, Shaw joined Damned guitarist Brian James in the Brains, an outfit that issued one EP across its brief existence from March to June 1979. Shaw later noted that "lots of demos were made, but nothing was released." The duo's subsequent project, the Hellions, endured from July 1979 to September 1980 without producing records or gaining traction. Disillusioned, Shaw collaborated briefly with Kirsty MacColl before stepping away from music.
He returned in 1987 with Heaven & the Angels, which managed only a single EP. Shaw reunited with James for the Brian James Gang's 1990-1991 album and tour, plus a film soundtrack credited to the Dripping Lips. In 1993 he entered a reconstituted Damned alongside founders Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies, and Captain Sensible, contributing substantially as co-writer to the 1995 album I'm Alright (Jack & the Beanstalk).
Shaw stayed until 1995, when the Damned's persistent internal disputes sidelined him. He subsequently formed the power trio Mischief with bassist Paul Gray (Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods, UFO) and drummer Jim Simpson (UFO). The group never performed live, though its twelve-track album eventually appeared as Hubble Bubble (2003).
During summer 2003 Shaw prepared a new Maniacs album featuring Crash but not Latter. "I've also been in touch with Brian, and might do a project with him," Shaw remarked. "I might sit down and jam with him, and something might come out of that." Shaw accepted the pattern as inherent to his path.
Undeterred, Shaw and Latter next assembled the Maniacs by adding bassist Robert Crash, a German transplant drawn to London's punk milieu. The Maniacs delivered the enduring single "Chelsea '77," a sharp critique of the scene's growing fixation on fashion, and contributed two songs to the Live at the Vortex compilation before Shaw dissolved the band in January 1978.
Shaw then formed the Physicals, channeling glam and proto-punk influences into the All Sexed Up EP (1978) and the "Be Like Me"/"Pain in Love" single (1980). Former Sex Pistol Paul Cook supplied drumming and production on the latter release. All Sexed Up moved 5,000 copies while "Be Like Me" received radio exposure, yet Shaw observed, "but it didn't take off big-time. It's a case of having a hit." Overground later reissued the Maniacs' and Physicals' recordings on separate CDs.
Seeking fresh direction, Shaw joined Damned guitarist Brian James in the Brains, an outfit that issued one EP across its brief existence from March to June 1979. Shaw later noted that "lots of demos were made, but nothing was released." The duo's subsequent project, the Hellions, endured from July 1979 to September 1980 without producing records or gaining traction. Disillusioned, Shaw collaborated briefly with Kirsty MacColl before stepping away from music.
He returned in 1987 with Heaven & the Angels, which managed only a single EP. Shaw reunited with James for the Brian James Gang's 1990-1991 album and tour, plus a film soundtrack credited to the Dripping Lips. In 1993 he entered a reconstituted Damned alongside founders Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies, and Captain Sensible, contributing substantially as co-writer to the 1995 album I'm Alright (Jack & the Beanstalk).
Shaw stayed until 1995, when the Damned's persistent internal disputes sidelined him. He subsequently formed the power trio Mischief with bassist Paul Gray (Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods, UFO) and drummer Jim Simpson (UFO). The group never performed live, though its twelve-track album eventually appeared as Hubble Bubble (2003).
During summer 2003 Shaw prepared a new Maniacs album featuring Crash but not Latter. "I've also been in touch with Brian, and might do a project with him," Shaw remarked. "I might sit down and jam with him, and something might come out of that." Shaw accepted the pattern as inherent to his path.