History
They were formed by Dave Floyd in August 1979. They went through many line-up changes in the first few years, something which contributed greatly to them being almost unheard of outside their native West London. Their first two cassette albums, Musical Destruction (1980) and Crime Pays (1981) were only ever released in very small quantities, and it was only when they finally got the money together to release an EP in April 1982 (There's No Government Like No Government) did they make the jump to a wider audience, the EP completely selling out within three weeks. A track from that EP, "Death to Humanity", was also included on the compilation album, Punk & Disorderly - Further Charges. All royalties from this release were donated to the ALF, and Riot/Clone had the record company state exactly that on the cover. Two more EPs followed. August 1982 saw the release of "Destroy the Myth of Musical Destruction" and after many unfortunate delays, their third EP, "Blood on Your Hands?", finally came out in January 1984, however the band's line-up had disintegrated a couple of months earlier.
In 1992, Dave Floyd put together a project named "Mad Dog" along with Pete Spence, also a former member of Riot/Clone. The band didn't last long, but due to feedback from the tape release, the Riot/Clone EPs were reissued along with a book detailing the band's history. This in turn led to the opportunity to record a new Riot/Clone album, and the band were reborn.
"Still No Government Like no Government" was released in the summer of 1995. It was a mixture of re-recorded material and some new songs. The CD contained forty tracks in all, and came bundled with a 142-page booklet. 1996 saw the release of this LP on double vinyl, with the original recordings of the EPs added on side four, but without the booklet.
In 1997 they released "To Find a Little Bluebird", clothed in a bizarre cover. The album's music was probably the closest to 'hardcore punk' Riot/Clone ever achieved. The album was loosely themed around a short story that came printed on the lyric sheet of the blue vinyl release, and as a spoken word track on the CD. More line-up changes ensued, delaying further releases, until "Do You Want Fries With That?", an explicit animal rights album with a cover picture of a dead cow's head was released in 2000. 2004 saw the release of the final Riot/Clone EP, "Mad Sheep Disease", on the Californian label Alternative Records.
Since reforming they initially played only a few UK shows, instead engaging in numerous tours of Europe and America. That changed when Gary joined in 2004, and the band were seen far more frequently in the UK over the next year or so. In May 2005, lead singer and founder member, Dave Floyd planned to move to America so the band had to call it a day. The final Riot/Clone show was held at The Robert Inn in Heston, West London on 1 May 2005.
The story was not over though, as they had recorded another album before their demise. "Success" finally saw the light of day in 2007, released through Dr Strange Records in San Francisco. The name of the album is taken from a quote by Winston Churchill, 'Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm'. As Dave Floyd stated in the booklet that accompanied both the CD and vinyl releases of the album, 'Somehow that seemed appropriate'.
All the band members carried on with new projects: Dave forming the band Wotnot! and all the remaining members of Riot/Clone forming a new band, Refuse/All.
An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain four to six tracks and have a playing time of 15 to 22 minutes. There is no strict definition of an "EP", but it is usually less cohesive than an album and more "non-committal".
Subhumans are an English punk rock band formed in the Warminster and Melksham areas of Wiltshire in 1980. Singer Dick Lucas had formerly been in another local band, the Mental, and other members had been in The Stupid Humans. The band's musical style is typically classified as hardcore punk or anarcho-punk.
Oi Polloi are a punk rock band from Scotland that formed around 1981. Starting as an Oi! band, they are now generally more associated with the anarcho-punk genre. The band has become notable for their contributions to the Scottish Gaelic punk subgenre. The name comes from the Greek expression "οἱ πολλοί", Anglicized hoi polloi, meaning "the masses" or "the common people".
Cultural Amnesia (CA) are an English post-punk music group, first active between 1979 and 1983 as participants in the so-called cassette culture of the late 1970s and early 1980s in the UK. During this first period the band released three cassette albums: Video Rideo (1981), The Uncle of the Boot (1983) and Sinclair's Luck (1983) on English and German record labels, and contributed to a number of compilation albums. Early on in his career, CA worked with the late Geff Rushton of Coil, who wrote a handful of songs for them and who was an important supporter and enabler due to his contacts as editor of Stabmental magazine, arranging most of their releases and providing constant encouragement. The band has become more widely known since 2000 following release of a number of compilations of their early '80s music in which the members of the group have been fully involved. Since the late '90s the band has also been occasionally active in the recording of new music and there have been a number of releases of new material since the early 2000s.
Picture Frame Seduction (PFS) is a hardcore punk band originally from Haverfordwest, Wales, but later jointly based in Cadiz and Málaga in Spain and London and Bristol in the UK. In their formative years in Wales the band was considered too aggressive in their musical style and attitude to book and were continually ignored by established Welsh venues. The band's influences included their peers of the day, Charged GBH and Discharge. With many other bands of the time, such as The Varukers and Chaos UK, they helped develop the hardcore punk scene in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, recording from 1979 to 1987 on numerous labels.
Datblygu were a Welsh experimental rock group formed in 1982. They are regarded as a catalyst of the new wave of Welsh rock in the early 1980s.
The Varukers are a British punk rock band formed in 1979 by vocalist Anthony "Rat" Martin. They produced their most influential recordings in the early 1980s. The band play in D-beat, the musical style of Discharge. Also like Discharge, the Varukers' lyrics carry an anarchist political ideology.
Naked Raygun is an American punk rock band that formed in Chicago in 1980. The band was active from 1980 to 1992, along with reunion shows in 1997, and since 2006.
Thousand Yard Stare are an English band from Slough, Berkshire, England, active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, the band also released several EPs. Reformed in 2015, the band played a sold-out show at London's Borderline on 6 June, at the Nottingham Rock City Wake-Up Indie Alldayer on 17 October 2015, and at the Shiiine On Weekender festival at Butlins Minehead on 6 November 2015. More dates were scheduled for 2016 and they released full-length record in 2020 and 2022.
Hellbastard is an English crust punk/thrash metal band formed in 1984 in Newcastle.
The Bus Station Loonies are a British cabaret punk band from Plymouth, England. They have been described as a cross between Splodgenessabounds and Crass. Original Loonies Tony Popkids (drums) and Chris "Felcher" Wheelchair, sharing a mutual love of such U.S. punk outfits such as The Dickies, still continue with the band today, having recruited approximately 30 other band members over 18 years.
Bobby Steele is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, songwriter, and sole original member of the punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple other bands, most notably, as the second guitarist of The Misfits. He was replaced by Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. He married Diana Viar who joined The Undead in November 2014.
Lost Cherrees is an anarcho-punk band from London, UK, originally active from 1979 to 1986 and reformed in 2003.
Lynn Perko-Truell is an American musician, best known as the drummer, bass guitarist, and co-singer for the San Francisco indie rock band Imperial Teen. She is also known as the drummer for the San Francisco-based blues grunge band Sister Double Happiness, and the San Francisco version of the hardcore punk band The Dicks. Perko-Truell was an iconic figure and a pioneering female in the American hardcore punk and alternative rock movements of the 1980s and 1990s and remains active.
Disorder are an English street punk band that formed in the Bristol area of England in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups. They are aligned with politically charged punk bands.
Chaotic Dischord are a punk rock band from Bristol, England, allegedly formed by members of Vice Squad and their road crew in 1981, although this still remains unconfirmed by members of the band. The band also recorded a one-off EP under the name Sex Aids.
One Way System are an English punk rock band formed in the Fleetwood area of Lancashire in 1979.
Paranoid Visions are a punk rock band from Dublin, Ireland who formed in 1982. They broke up in 1992, had reunion shows and eventually decided to reunite. The band ran their own label, F.O.A.D., during the 1980s and 1990s. The label was based in Dublin and run by guitarist, P.A. as is the bulk of their current administration to date.
You Kill Me is an EP by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Recorded in 1985, it is the first Nomeansno record to feature the band's three-piece lineup, with guitarist Andy Kerr joining founding members Rob Wright and John Wright. Originally issued on the Undergrowth label, it was later re-released on CD with the Sex Mad album on the Sex Mad/You Kill Me compilation CD and cassette released by Alternative Tentacles.
Red Alert are аn English punk/oi!-band, formed in Sunderland, England, in May 1979. The group released five EPs and a studio album, and appeared on numerous compilations, including Punk And Disorderly and Carry On Oi!. Three of the band's releases reached the Top 30 in the UK Indie Chart. Red Alert broke up in 1984, reformed five years later and continued touring and recording.
