Reputedly Birmingham’s earliest punk outfit, the Prefects evolved into the far more durable Nightingales well before issuing their first official recording in 1980. Inspired by the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, they also drew from earlier proto-punk sources such as Captain Beefheart and the New York Dolls, forging a singular sound during their brief existence. Their recorded output is limited to two Peel Sessions, later augmented by various live tracks and most comprehensively assembled on Amateur Wankers (Acute, 2004) and Going Through the Motions (Call of the Void, 2019).
Guitarist Alan Apperley and drummer Paul Apperley placed a notice in a local paper that drew vocalist Robert Lloyd and drummer Graham Blunt into the fold. From March 1977 onward they performed regularly in their Birmingham base and, within weeks, supported the Clash on the White Riot tour. Their sole studio work took place at BBC’s Maida Vale facility during August 1978 and January 1979, each visit yielding four songs for John Peel’s program. Only Alan Apperley and Lloyd appeared on both dates; the 1978 ensemble included Joe Crow, Ted Ward, and Adrian Moran, who were succeeded five months later by David Twist on drums and Eamonn Duffy on bass, with Andy Burchell and Dave Whitton adding clarinet and saxophone respectively. By late 1979 the group had transformed into the Nightingales, a considerably calmer proposition.
Consequently every Prefects release appeared after the band’s dissolution. At Rough Trade’s urging, the Vindaloo label issued a 1980 single pairing “Going Through the Motions” and “Things in General,” both taken from the Maida Vale tapes. Seven years afterward Strange Fruit released the second session complete as part of its Peel Sessions series. Amateur Wankers gathered the eight BBC tracks plus a modest selection of live material, a format repeated fifteen years later on Going Through the Motions. In the interim Caroline True made available a 1978 concert from their hometown. Although the Prefects reconvened for a stage appearance in 2001, Lloyd has continued to focus his main efforts on the Nightingales.
