The Partisans

In late 1979 the U.K. gave rise to The Partisans, a band led by vocalist Rob Harrington and completed by drummer Mark Harris, bassist Louise Wright, and guitarist Andy Lealand. Their 1981 single “Police Story” created an instant stir inside the era’s active punk and Oi! community, prompting the quick release of the 7-inch “17 Years of Hell.” No Future subsequently signed the group, which delivered a self-titled 1983 LP intended to build on that momentum; the sessions proved rushed, however, and the record underperformed. Wright exited in 1983, her role taken by Dave Parsons for that year’s “Blind Ambition” single. Parsons soon departed, leaving the Partisans to continue as a trio. The 1984 album Time Was Right paired new studio punk tracks with live recordings captured at a Brixton show the year before. The LP fared poorly, and by 1985 the band had slipped into inactivity. Renewed fan attention prompted a 1999 reunion of original members Lealand and Harrington. Captain Oi! issued a best-of collection in 2000, followed a year later by the three-song militant EP Hysteria, which TKO released in the U.S. under the title So Neat. Subsequent live appearances sustained interest in the group.