The Fits
| The Fits | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Blackpool, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Years active | 1979–1985, 2011 |
| Labels | Rondelet, Corpus Christi, Trapper, Captain Oi! |
| Associated acts | Pure Pressure |
| Past members | Mick Crudge Andy Baron Kev Halliday "Big" Bill Hughes Steve Withers Tez McDonald Ricky McGuire Gaz Ivin Paul Bell Kerry Waite |
The Fits were a punk rock band from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, who were active between 1979 and 1985, having several hits on the UK Indie Chart. They reformed in 2011.
The Fits formed in Blackpool in October 1979, with an initial line-up of Mick Crudge (vocals), Andy Baron (bass guitar), Kev Halliday (drums), and "Big" Bill Hughes (guitar). They played their first gig only four days after forming, supporting Section 25 at Bispham Community Centre in Bispham. After four gigs, Big Bill was replaced by Steve Withers.The band's first release was a tape on "Beat The System" in 1980 called "You Named Us Tape" which was really a rehearsal recording with an interview with Bill Gumpy tagged on the end. The band's first single, "You Said We'd Never Make It" was recorded in June 1980. Local second-hand record shop owner Barry Lights sold it in his shop, and when the initial run of 1,500 had sold out, reissued it on his Beat The System label, the single eventually reaching number 2 in the Sounds Punk Chart. Increasing exposure saw the band supporting more established punk bands such as the UK Subs around the UK, and they were signed by the Rondelet label in November 1981. Rondelet issued their second single, "Think For Yourself" on New Year's Day 1982. In March 1982, the band entered the studio to record their album You're Nothing, You're Nowhere. The band were not happy with the album, and Halliday and Baron left the band shortly afterwards, to be replaced by Tez McDonald of One Way System and Ricky McGuire of Chaotic Youth. The new line-up had immediate success with the Last Laugh EP, which entered the UK Indie Chart in December 1982 and peaked at number 44.
McGuire left the band in February 1983 (he would later join UK Subs and The Men They Couldn't Hang), his eventual replacement being Gaz Ivin. The band struggled to capitalise on the success of their last EP, not helped by McDonald's drug problem, but their career was kickstarted when John Robb suggested that they might find a suitable home at Crass'/John Loder's Corpus Christi Records. After travelling to meet Crass, the label took them on and released the Tears of a Nation EP, which spent eight weeks in the indie chart, peaking at number 15. The success of the EP led Crudge and Withers to relocate to London. McDonald remained in Fleetwood with his family, and did not travel to all of the band's gigs, with Ogs from Peter and the Test Tube Babies standing in.
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