The Killjoys (UK band)
| The Killjoys | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1976–1978 |
| Labels | Raw Records |
| Associated acts | Dexys Midnight Runners |
| Past members |
Kevin Rowland Ghislaine "Gil" Weston Mark Philips Heather Tonge Lee Burton Bob Peach Keith Rimell Kevin Archer |
Not to be confused with the American punk-rock band My Chemical Romance or Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.
The Killjoys were a punk band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1976, with members including Kevin Rowland and Kevin "Al" Archer, who would later form Dexys Midnight Runners, and Ghislaine "Gil" Weston, who would later join Girlschool. Although their releases while still together were limited to one single, subsequent interest has seen an album of their recordings released.
Kevin Rowland (vocals, a trained hairdresser), Ghislaine "Gil" Weston (a.k.a. "Gem", bass guitar), and Mark Philips (guitar) had been members of the mid-1970s Roxy Music-inspired band Lucy & the Lovers. With the advent of punk rock, Rowland wrote new songs and started The Killjoys, adding Heather Tonge (backing vocals) and Joe 45 (Lee Burton, drums). The band relocated to London and took up lodgings in a disused branch of Barclays Bank. The band came to the attention of Raw Records boss Lee Wood, who signed the band for the single "Johnny Won't Get to Heaven"/"Naïve", which went on to sell 18,000 copies. This was the largest-selling single that Raw Records ever had. At the time, the band contained two couples: Philips and Weston, and Rowland and Tonge. This line-up lasted for eighteen months, and several recording sessions took place for a debut album. The Killjoys recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show: the first in October 1977, the second in February 1978, by which time Keith Rimell (guitar) and Bob Peach (drums) had been recruited, replacing Philips and Burton; Rowland used his hairdressing talents to give the new members short haircuts. Tonge also left the group; according to Wood, the rumor was that Rowland had returned home early and found her in bed with someone else.
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