Violators (2) – Gangland... / The Fugitive

The Violators were the best & most original of the 'Second Wave' of British Punk that emerged in the early 1980's. Specializing in a new brand of very melodic 'Progressive Punk' which featured long songs tinged with studio effects but still containing the customary Punk menace & aggression. Their sound was taking Punk in a new-dynamic direction. But sadly the original five piece line-up of the band released just a handful of classic singles on the No Future label before splitting up. The cover photos used on their 'Gangland' single are heralded as the originators of the 'Droog' style.

The two pronged lead vocals of Cess & Helen Hill made them almost like two bands in one & on the tracks where the two sang together they formed a very formidable vocal duo. Guitarist Coley proves that he was one of the very best guitar players of the new Punk generation with his playing superbly underpinned by Ajax on drums & Matchi on bass.

Several months after forming the band ditched the customary Punk Rock & Skinhead 'look' that most bands in the genre had & came out with a very original & menacing 'Droog' image inspired in part by 'A Clockwork Orange' even though the band members admitted to never seeing the film (it was originally banned in the UK). The fact they hailed from the middle England countryside town of Chapel-En 'Le-Frith (just a couple of miles away from the home of fellow No Future band mates 'Blitz') gave them a certain air of mystique. Promotional photos of the band often showed them not in bombed out urban housing estates or abandoned factories but in countryside, wooded areas & backdrops of rolling hills & fields.

Everything about the band was original, the look, the sound, the lyrics etc. Heavily championed by Punk Rock & Oi! journalist Godfather Gary Bushell then of 'Sounds' music paper the band were on the cusp of great success & about to record their first album when out of the blue Coley & Helen left the band in late 1982 to form the short lived 'Taboo'. The remaining members regrouped with a new line-up but couldn't reproduce that magic spark of those early recordings & as the 1980's music scene progressed into synth pop & rave culture The Violators split up. Sadly just a few years later Anthony 'Ajax' Hall died of Leukemia aged just 25 years old.

The Violators name was resurrected in the 2010's, performed a few gigs & released a single. In 2018 founder member & vocalist Shaun 'Cess' Stiles & announced he is currently working on new material.

In October 2020 via The Violators facebook page Shaun has announced that Helen Hill has again joined the band but rehearsals were put on hold due to CV19 restrictions. The hope is they will be able to perform gigs in the summer of 2021.

The legacy of 'The Violators' remains as strong today as it did in the early 80s-if not stronger. Shrouded in myth & mystique their early recordings, imagery & newly discovered photographs of the band-both B/W & in colour-have stood the test of time & look and sound as original today in 2021 as they did 35 years ago...

Some copies came with a card insert which lists No Future releases and forthcoming releases on one side: Oi 10 CHANNEL 3 I've got a gun E.P. .. APRIL..Oi 11 INSANE El Salvador E.P. .. APRIL..Oi 12 PARTISANS (new single) MAY..Oi 13 CRASH ?..RED ALERT ?...TEST TUBES ? ...3rd BLITZ single, the debut BLITZ album and debut TEST TUBES album along with a lot of other heavy things.... On the other side is a list of No Future merchandise