The Boys

Considered one of punk's most unfortunate losses, the Boys held every prospect of achieving widespread fame. Their reputation as an outstanding live act stood beyond dispute, yet they remained largely unknown, their acclaim across Europe apparently counting against them in the process. Adding insult to injury, a later CD edition of their first album carried a front sticker falsely crediting 1980s AOR figure John Waite, an assertion wholly without basis. Later pressings removed this error, and periodic reunions enabled the group to introduce their classic material to fresh listeners. Even so, their history comprises strong material, abundant catchy refrains, and an abundance of squandered prospects.

Matt Dangerfield and Norwegian pianist Casino Steel, both former members of the London SS, joined forces with Kid Reid, Jack Black, and John Plain during June 1976. Their aim centered on delivering sharp-edged pop that satisfied emerging punk expectations without sacrificing melodic appeal. Their vision proved so effective that, inside two years, the power pop surge had largely formed around the Boys' high-energy style.

A full year passed before they secured a recording contract, during which their standing rose sharply and audiences responded with growing enthusiasm. NEMS signed them in spring 1977, issuing the debut single "I Don't Care" that April. This upbeat declaration of disaffection topped the independent chart at once, though national success continued to elude them. Consequently "First Time," released in July, failed to register, and the self-titled debut album, cut in two days that November, spent just one week at number 50.

The holiday season brought their annual shift into the Yobs and the single "Run Rudolph Run." They then returned to club dates and, the following spring, the studio. Alternative Chartbusters followed, heralded by "Brickfield Nights," their first new single in half a year. By this point their standing on the Continent had expanded dramatically, with northern European audiences embracing them warmly. Holland experienced Boysmania, and walls in Norway displayed their name in graffiti. Still largely ignored at home, they entered 1979 poised for major European success until an early split with NEMS disrupted recording of their third album.

Eighteen months passed before they resurfaced, marked only by Casino Steel and John Plain's collaboration on Scandinavian performer Christine X's self-titled album and John Plain's brief stint with the Lurkers. The band eventually joined Safari, abandoned the earlier tapes (later issued in 1990 as The Original to Hell with the Boys), and relocated to Trondheim, Norway, to work with producer Bjorn Nesside. To Hell with the Boys appeared in October 1979, after which they supported the Ramones on a British tour; one show from that run surfaced on the 2006 DVD Sick on You.

Their subsequent European dates yielded the misleadingly titled Live at the Roxy Club, actually recorded in France in 1980. Domestic recognition still failed to match their Continental profile. Fresh singles "Kamikaze" and "Terminal Love," along with another irreverent Yobs Christmas album, made little impact, and by year's end the group appeared to be losing momentum. Casino Steel followed the counsel of their cover of Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On" and departed.

Former X-Ray Spex saxophonist Rudi took his place, yet neither the resulting album Boys Only nor the singles "Weekend" and "Let It Rain" fared well. Kid Reid exited in March 1981; Lurkers vocalist Howard Wall filled the role for a sold-out Italian tour. The band managed one last single, "Woch Woch Woch," before disbanding late that year. Matt Dangerfield moved into production and later formed the Mirrors. Casino Steel returned to Norway and later joined John Plain in Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry in 1996, with John Plain and Jack Black also appearing in the New Guitars alongside ex-Lurker Pete Stride.

Like many contemporaries, the Boys regained attention after Die Toten Hosen recorded "First Time" for Learning English. In 1996 Casino Steel, John Plain, Kid Reid, and Matt Dangerfield collaborated with the German band's vocalist Campino on the acoustic collection Power Cut. Two years afterward, Japanese group Michelle Gun Elephant achieved domestic success with versions of "Soda Pressing" and "Sick on You," prompting a reunion. In July 1998 the original quartet, augmented by drummer Steve "Vom" Ritchie in place of Jack Black, performed two sold-out concerts in Tokyo.

They reconvened two years later at a punk festival in Bergara, Spain, and in July 2001 headlined the Holidays in the Sun festival for their first U.K. show in two decades. Later that year they shared a bill in Dusseldorf with former Adverts singer TV Smith; footage from their set appears on the Sick on You DVD. This lineup remained intact long enough to record "Svengerland," a single dedicated to England soccer manager Sven Goran Eriksson, issued by Captain Oi! amid its series of reissues and compilations. All four original albums received expanded editions with bonus material, alongside the reappearance of The Original to Hell with the Boys, BBC session collections, and various best-of anthologies.

A September 2006 reunion featured a London concert marking the 30th anniversary of their debut at Islington's Hope and Anchor, after which they toured intermittently across the U.K. and Europe, including a 2011 festival appearance in Canada. In 2012 a core lineup of Matt Dangerfield, Casino Steel, and John Plain began recording in France; the resulting album Punk Rock Menopause arrived in July 2014, three months after they topped the bill at Chicago's Hozac Blackout Fest, only their fourth U.S. performance.

Much has shifted since their initial outing, yet the Boys' sound retains the same vitality it possessed from the start.