Rock 'N' Roll Discharge / Miami Connection

Catalogue Number - LMP 1

Label - Limp Records

Year Of Release - 1978

Quantity Pressed - ????

*After Vernon Fuller left, he was replaced by 'Solid Waste's' drummer 'Peter Leek'.

A rare UK Punk Rock release on the 'Limp' label from 1978. No sleeve was ever issued.

This was the first release on the short lived "Limp" label. The second and last release was by ex Chelmsford Punks The Lepers after a name change to "Modern English" who went onto have several other releases on the "4AD" label in the early 80s. The actually label was owned 'Mike Marsh'.

Not much is known about this band apart from they were apparently from the Chelmsford, Essex area.

In Chelmsford towards the end 1977 Ken “Buster” Wigley said to Kev Wright “do you want to form a band”.  They both loved punk music and it seemed the right thing to do.   Buster heard rumours of a drummer called Vernon Fuller, who though only 15 years old was already a legend at Westlands secondary school.  Buster found out where he lived, knocked on his door and asked him if he wanted to be a rock and roll star, Vernon said yes please.   On joining the band he was re-named “Rat Fagin”.  Separately, Kev heard about a guitarist from Maldon who also loved punk music, soon after Paul Mardon joined the band.  In need of a bass player, Paul asked his mate Dave Lloyd if he fancied it, Dave said yes although he couldn’t play.  After a crash course in how to play bass, Dave also became part of the band.  So the journey began.

 The band rehearsed intensively, usually 3 times a week at the Galleywood Youth Centre, so it was fitting that their first gig was there in February 1978.  They were an immediate hit with the locals and were picked up by a local music impresario, Mike Marsh, who promoted gigs at Chelmsford’s Chancellor Hall.  This gave the band a support gig with the Adverts.

 The band’s final set song was Riot Gang, which usually involved the whole crowd jumping on stage to sing along with the band.  At one time all the youth centre members went to Chelmsford’s Bollingbroke and Wenley to have t-shirts made up with “Deep Throats” on the front and their favourite band members name on the back.  The band called them the “Galleywood Riot Gang”.

 Kev Wright hung up his guitar and became the band’s road manager, acquiring some thigh length leather boots to wear when introducing the band on stage.

 In June 1978 the band went into the studio for the first time, they chose Spaceward in Cambridge, a common venue for punk bands at the time, Toyah Wilcox had recently recorded there.  That session produced Rock and Roll Discharge, We’re the Force, Modern Thrills and Miami Connection.

 The band continued to perform regularly playing many gigs in and around Essex building their reputation culminating in playing at the Marquee Club supporting Radio Stars on an Old Grey Whistle Test special night, hosted by Annie Nightingale and Pete Drummond.

 In November 1978 the band added a second guitarist to the line-up, Andy “Crazz” Cross to play lead guitar.

 Rock and Roll Discharge was released as a single in early 1979 and was picked up by radio and media at the time.   It was banned from Tony Blackburn’s radio show because he didn’t like the name of the band or the name of the single, it was the number one seller in Chelmsford’s record shops keeping at ABBA at number 2, it was favourably reviewed in Melody Maker and NME, being described as having “melodic guts” and also was regularly played by John Peel and Mike Reid.  On Mike Reid’s show on the 25^th September 1979 the single was played between, I Don’t Like Mondays by Boomtown Rats, Living in the Real World by Blondie and On the Radio by Joe Jackson.

 Further high-profile gigs came their way, including supporting the Undertones at the Chancellor Hall.  Before the gig Fergal Sharkey and Buster shared a few beers at the Lion and Lamb (subsequently Dukes) just up the road from the gig, 10 minutes before the Deep Throats were due on stage, they realised the time and ran from the pub to the gig, through the crowd and jumped on the stage.  The Undertones stood at the front of the crowd for the whole gig.

 Later in 1979 the band went back to Spaceward and recorded Never Talk to Strangers, Born to Rock and Roll and Bustin’ Out.  Subsequently the band were signed to Noel Gay Publishing who put the band back in the studio in London, recording Excitement, Where Do We Go, and Coming Back for You.

 In September 1979 the band were booked to play at the Music Machine in Camden.  Buster went into the green room before the gig and shared some Jack Daniels’ with Lemmy, Speedy Keen and Girls School.  Lemmy’s advice to Buster for the gig was “just go fucking rock it!”.  So, he did.

 The band drifted apart in early 1980 but got back together in 1986 for a while and in 1989 recorded Only Love Will Do.  Buster and Paul are currently working on a new Deep Throats single.

 This album is dedicated to the Galleywood “Riot Gang”, Kevin Wright, Kenny Rackham and our families that supported us over the years.

Ken "Buster" Wigley & Paul Mardon  

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