The Gizmos

Formed during 1976 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, the Gizmos drew their core personnel from contributors to the alternative broadsheet fanzine Gulcher. Vocalist ‘Krazy’ Ken Highland initially fronted the band, yet departed soon afterward to fulfill a stint in the US Marines. Four EPs appeared in quick succession: The Gizmos in 1976, Amerika First in 1977, and both Gizmos World Tour and Never Mind The Sex Pistols Here’s The Gizmos in 1978. Their sound fused 70s-styled rock with smirking, locker-room humour, evident in song titles such as ‘Pumping To Playboy’ and ‘Gimme Back My Foreskin’. The results proved largely non-entertaining, and the thin premise exhausted itself almost immediately. The group dissolved in 1980 after supplying tracks to the split release Hoosier Hysteria alongside fellow Bloomington act Dow Jones And The Industrials. Dale Lawrence, the vocalist and guitarist responsible for much of the Gizmos’ later material, subsequently launched Crawlspace, while Eddie Flowers moved on to the Vulgar Boatmen. Highland resumed recording in 1987 by assembling the Kenne Highland Clan And The Exploding Pidgins, a 60s-influenced garage band that issued its self-titled debut on the Stanton Park label that same year.