The Pop Group

The Pop Group
The Pop Group in 1979
Background information
Origin	Bristol, England, UK
Genres	Post-punk, avant-funk, experimental rock
Years active	1977–81, 2010–present
Labels	Rough Trade, Radar Records
Associated acts	The Slits, Dennis Bovell, New Age Steppers, Maximum Joy, Rip Rig + Panic, Pigbag, Mark Stewart + the Maffia
Website	thepopgroup.net
Members	Dan Catsis Gareth Sager Bruce Smith Mark Stewart
Past members	Simon Underwood John Waddington

The Pop Group are an English band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their output in the late 1970s drew on an idiosyncratic range of sources across music, avant-garde art, and radical politics, helping to pioneer post-punk music.

The group released two albums, Y (1979) and For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (1980), and the acclaimed singles "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" (1979) and "We Are All Prostitutes" (1979), before breaking up in 1981. Its members would go on to work on a variety of subsequent projects, including New Age Steppers and Rip Rig + Panic. In 2010, the band reunited, touring and releasing new material.

The Pop Group was formed in 1977 in Bristol, when teenager Mark Stewart set out to start a funk group with schoolmates John Waddington and Simon Underwood. Inspired by the energy of punk rock but feeling the music to be too conservative, the group drew influence from the avant-garde, black music styles such as free jazz and dub, and radical political traditions. Guitarist Gareth Sager and drummer Bruce Smith were eventually added to the group. Soon after forming, they began to gain notoriety for their live performances and were subsequently signed to Radar Records. They appeared on the cover of the NME. They issued their debut single, "She Is Beyond Good and Evil," in March 1979 and their debut album, Y, in April of that year, both to acclaim but relatively low sales figures. Regardless, their moderate success was sufficient to convince Rough Trade to sign the band. During this period, Dan Catsis replaced Underwood on bass.