The Reptiles | fr

The Reptiles

Inspired by the punk ethic that anyone can make music, The Reptiles formed in the spring of 1979 despite the fact that at that time only one member could actually play an instrument. Experience and ability to play were never at the top of the Reptiles' list of priorities and in the Punk/New Wave world of the late 1970s, attitude was generally considered at least as important as musical ability.

In true punk band style, the idea to form a band just happened one day in conversation between Steve and Paul. It was obvious that Rich would be the singer because he knew a lot about bands and stuff. After all, he bought several singles almost every week and was a real Punk/New Wave afficianado. So the Reptiles began - a bass player without a bass guitar and who'd never so much as picked one up, and a singer who'd never sung in a band before. At least Steve could play the guitar. Well, kind of... Finally, what about a drummer ? Someone mentioned the name of a guy in the year below them at school. Rich, Paul, and Steve approached him, he said yes, and that was that - Steve Burt was the drummer. The first step on the road to success was for Paul H-H (aka Pig) to buy a bass guitar. This was followed shortly after by an additional outlay on a plectrum.

There wasn't too much discussion about a name and although no one was wildly enthusiastic about 'The Reptiles', no one objected either. It seemed that most punk bands were 'The something-or-other'. The Flying Lizards had recently had a hit with "Money" and everyone seemed to think that that was a great name for a band - so The Reptiles seemed like a good second choice.

In fact the name had been used the previous year when Steve had briefly joined forces with Stu Sutherland and Phil Parker. It was Stu, arguably the consummate guitarist of the school year, who had inspired Steve to play the guitar and had taught him some of the basics. After a few practice sessions it was clear that there was a difference of musical tastes and the three agreed to disband.
Debut

A little over a month later The Reptiles played their debut gig at the school disco of 23 May 1979. The set list clearly indicates the band's influences - The Sex Pistols and the Lurkers. However, there were hints at other influences too. David Bowie's opening lines to Diamond Dogs, "This ain't rock'n'roll, this is genocide" were echoed in Paul's shout at the beginning of 'Holidays In The Sun' - "This ain't rock'n'roll, this ain't even music, ha! ha! ha!"

PA and backline equipment was generously loaned by The Assassins (the guys also ran Focus Records, the local record shop). In addition to the Reptiles, Alpine Orogeny and The Random Noise Makers also made their debuts.

The gig went well considering it was the band's first performance but it threatened to turn into farce a few times. As Steve struck the opening chord of 'Holidays In The Sun' his plectrum was fired off into the audience. Being inexperienced no one had thought about how critical a plectrum is to a live performance and how it might be a good idea to have a spare one. Fortunately, a very helpful Monty from the Random Noise Makers was quickly on his hands and knees searching in the dark amongst the audience's feet for the missing plectrum while Steve made do with his finger nails for the rest of the opening of the song.

The set list featured five songs but after the fourth one of the teachers keeping an eye on proceedings decided that the band had played enough and told them to stop. Steve went to remonstrate with him as it had been agreed that five songs would be played. It's difficult to argue with someone when there's a guitar strung around your neck, so Steve lifted his guitar over his head to take it off and the hapless teacher ducked thinking he was about to be beaten with it.

The gig was a good learning experience and the band realised that building up a set list longer than five songs was an urgent priority. Things went quiet on the gig front which allowed them to rehearse new material and to begin to think about writing some of their own. The set list still included Sex Pistols and Lurkers covers but a few less widely known songs began to appear, such as 'I wanna Be Me' (Sex Pistols) and 'Boredom' (Buzzcocks). There were also some ill advised choices such as the theme tune to Fireball XL5 and Elvis Presley's 'Houndog'.
Denmead Scout Hut

The band rehearsed new material over the summer. As well as Richarts rehearsal studios in Copnor, the band was able to use a small arts theatre in Havant and the Scout Hut in Denmead. By the beginning of September the band were desperate to play again and suggested to Denmead Scouts that they should play a free gig in the Scout Hut as a way of paying them back for using the hut

It was a woeful performance, all he more galling because the Random Noise Makers and their roadies had all turned up to see it. The climax came when the band reached the stop half way through 'I Wanna Be Me'. As Steve, Paul, and Rich waited for Steve (the drummer) to count them back in, as the band had rehearsed many times, the silence grew longer and longer. One by one, Steve, Paul, and Rich turned to see what the drummer was doing. Steve was just sitting there with a blank look on his face and obviously no intention of counting the band back in to launch into the remainder of the song. Rich hissed, "Hit it Steve!" Steve looked blankly at Rich. "Hit it!" Steve reached out one of his drum sticks and gently tapped one of the cymbals. The rest of the band gave up and launched back into the song to Rich's shouted "1 - 2 - 3 - 4".
Fareham Punk Festival

In October the heard about a Punk Festival being held at the end of the month in Fareham. It seemed that all a band had to do to take part was say that they'd be there, so they did. As did their school rivals The Random Noise Makers.

On the day, the prima donna attitudes of the other bands playing made it almost impossible to do a sound check, no one wanted to open the gig, and everyone wanted to play last. Although the band were true amateurs, it seemed to them that this was all very un-punk. They volunteered to go on first. As much as anything else it meant that they could watch the rest of the bands without worrying about when they were due to go on. It also offered a simple solution to the sound check problem - they'd sound check last and then after a short break would go on.

The gig went well and it was evident that the band were relaxed and confident in their playing even if it was still a bit rough in places. The band played ten songs (i.e. they'd doubled their repertoire) and played their first self-written song - Action Replay.

The Randoms went on next followed by XYY, a Fareham-based band whose singer sported dyed green hair that had resulted in his expulsion from school and therefore added a much envied element of notoriety to the band. The headlining act, Contax Abroad, caused a small sensation when it quickly became apparent that they could actually play their instruments rather well.

Increasingly, Steve Burt was finding it difficult to commit to the time need for practices and this led to a parting of the ways. By now The Reptiles considered themselves to be seasoned performers and approached the Random's female drummer, Claire, thinking that she'd jump at the chance to be in a real band rather than playing with the dilettantes in the Randoms. It was a shock when she turned them down although it was undoubtedly for the best. Claire's style was rudimentary and so well suited to the Random's music. She didn't have the energy and power to be the driving force in The Reptiles. Fortunately, Trev was available and even more fortunately he agreed to join the band.
Sixth Form Common Room Gig

Trev's debut with the band came on Friday 29th February 1980 when they played a a short but very tight set during a lunchtime session in the 6th Form Common Room.

It's only when a number of separate elements come together that a band can be said to have played a great gig. For the first time the Reptiles saw an example of this. Up to this point a good, never mind great, gig was almost impossible because they hadn't been playing well enough. But this time they played the best they'd ever played - the songs were tight, there were no bum notes, Trev's drumming made a big difference, and Rich's performance was spot on. Yet the audience was unmoved and What should have been a great gig was merely an average one.

After the gig the band talked to people who'd seen it and the consensus was that the band had played very well but had not played to the crowd. It was a useful lesson and one that wasn't lost on them.
Hambledon Youth Centre

The next gig was less than a week later - Wednesday 5 March. The Randoms had arranged a gig at the Hambledon Youth Centre and asked The Reptiles to play the support slot. The audience was composed entirely of people from the same year at school as The Reptiles and the Randoms. Looking after the sound system was Dave Seall, singer of the newly formed Stikkee Hamsterz. The gig went well but the set list was too long and the audience were bored by the end of it. Periodically a chant of "Randoms, Randoms" went up but The Reptiles were bloody minded and played their set list to the bitter end. 'Dragging Me Down' was played for the first time but was a disaster with Rich singing lines from the chorus while the band launched into the next verse and vice versa. The end of the song, apocalyptic on 'Keep The Bastards Happy', was simply chaotic. This was a puzzle as the gig the week before had been so good but it was timely reminder that the band needed to rehearse for the next gig - the biggest of their short career.

Keen to get some momentum going, the band followed up a lead about playing at Southdowns College. They knew that several bands had played lunchtime gigs there and made some inquiries to see if the student union was interested in The Reptiles playing. They were and it was agreed that the gig would be on 26 March. The band made arrangements for the gig and a notice appeared in the Portsmouth Evening News's music section. Unfortunately the paper's music correspondent had assumed that the gig would be in the evening and when the band contacted the college to confirm that the gig was at lunchtime, it transpired that the student union had not made any arrangements for the gig. It was agreed that a second date would be arranged in the near future.
The School Gig

The Reptiles, inspired by the Random's approach of arranging their own gig and getting The Reptiles to support them, had decided that it was time to arrange their own gig. Thinking big, they asked the school authorities if it would be possible to use the assembly hall for an evening. There was a surprising amount of support from the teachers and the headmaster agreed, although with a caveat about the band arranging for the required number of teachers to be present to supervise.

It was already agreed, quid pro quo, that the Randoms would be the support act. However, as word spread a huge list of support bands began to build. First, the Stikkee Hamsterz asked if they could make their debut as a support act to the Randoms. Then Echofax volunteered, quickly followed by Abject Euphoria. These were very positive developments as far as The Reptiles were concerned as they intended to charge an entrance fee of 30p and the more bands that played, the more value the audience would get for their money. Somewhere along the line Steve and Paul realised that there was actually a good chance of making money on the gig. There were overheads such as hiring a PA and paying petrol expenses to the other bands but the school was not charging for the hall and this made a modest profit feasible. With this in mind, Steve and Paul investigated local recording studio rates to see if the profit from the gig, assuming there was some, could be invested in a recording session.

As the day of the gig loomed closer and arrangements for the sound system were made, the band contacted Southdowns College again. The student union was still interested in putting on the gig and the band agreed to play the college the same day as the big school gig, allowing them to use the hired PA for both gigs.

It seemed like a good idea but on the day it soon became apparent that it wasn't. The 1000 watt PA was ideal for a large auditorium but totally unsuited to the small student's common room at the college. A few brave souls lasted the aural onslaught of the opening song but The Reptiles had pretty much cleared the room by the end of the second song. At least there was enough interest among the members of the audience that they lined up in the corridor outside to hear the rest of the gig.

The evening gig opened at 7:20pm with Echofax playing their brand of MOR rock including songs such as the Climax Blues Band's 'Middle of the Night' and Dire Strait's 'Sultans of Swing', and a couple of their own songs. There was grudging praise from the other bands - as much as the music was all that the punk movement was against, Echofax played superbly.

Abject Euporia played next. Their four songs, including 'Hitler is still Alive', 'The Red and Black', and 'Backstreet', were well received.

The Stikkee Hamsterz followed at 8:15pm. Both the Stikkees and Abject Euporia were making their debut and like Abject Euphoria, the Stikkees played a very short, if entertaining, set. Their three songs, all self-penned, were Smello, Book Early, and Duracell Brain.

The Randoms played a solid set of around seven songs including classics such as 'Emergency Plan B' but they seemed to have lost the whole-hearted support of the Random Army with some of their new songs such as 'Hail' and 'Do The Huddle'.

The Reptiles might have worried that the Randoms would steal the show but the imminent prospect going on stage to play their biggest gig had the adrenaline flowing. When the time came, 9:20pm, the band walked on stage confidently, plugged in, and blasted out their signature song, 'Action Replay'. They carried straight on into Tearthreat but proceedings were halted when one of the teachers took exception to the good-natured jumping around that barely counted as pogo-ing. Having warned the audience that anyone behaving as though 'in a rugby scrum' would be thrown out, the band continued. Sure enough, the pogo-ing continued and a number of the audience were removed.

The band played well and carried the audience with them through the 30 minute set. The set list had been paired down to just the band's own songs plus a cover of The Sex Pistols' 'Submission'. The Randoms took this song as their queue to invade the stage and sang along with the band. At the end of the set the audience shouted for an encore and the Reptiles came back to play 'Anarchy In The UK'.
Keep The Bastards Happy

A few days later, Saturday 1st May, the band drove to Southampton and spent the day in Dodekorian Studios committing their seven self-penned songs to tape. The session went well except for the guitar and bass opening to 'One' which took 23 takes. This seemingly straightforward opening is complicated by the fact that the guitar and bass are playing the same line but half a bar apart. It was confusing enough when sober but the band recorded it after a lunch break in the local pub - hence the 23 takes.

At the end of the day the band had the seven songs recorded and mixed. The end result is both a success and a disappointment. It's clear that the band were on top form and Trev's drumming and Paul's bass playing in particular stand out. However, Steve couldn't get a decent recorded sound from his guitar and amp and used the studio's amp. While this sounded OK while the band were playing, the miked sound that was recorded was truly awful. This might have been mitigated by a good mix but instead it was emphasised and Paul's excellent bass playing is barely audible much of the time.

The total cost was around eighty pounds and the band dug into their pockets to pool together what they had. Paul and Steve hadn't told Rich and Trev about the profit from the school gig. They were concerned that Rich's ideas about punk would have him insisting that the money was shared equally amongst all the bands that had played. For each pound that Rich pulled out of his pockets, Paul and Steve would produce a handful of notes. The full fifty pounds made on the gig went into the pool and Rich was obviously slightly confused by what was going on. Paul kept things under control with "Don't worry Rich, we'll tell you about it later." He never did.
The Reptiles: Reformed
2005-2006

Hearing that the Random Noise Makers were planning a reunion after a hiatus of 25 years prompted Steve, Paul, and Rich to consider getting back together again too. It was soon clear that the three of them were keen to play together again and the prospect of playing alongside the Randoms provided the impetus they needed.

Although Trev was enthusiastic when approached about reforming the band, other commitments (looking after his vegetable patch) made it impossible for him to play the gig which was now provisionally scheduled for the beginning of July. Rehearsing together was a challenge because the band members now lived in widely scattered areas of the country. Paul and Steve began rehearsing together with a drum machine and then Rich joined them for a couple of rehearsals prior to the gig. Unfortunately, the band had been unable to get a replacement drummer and it was decided to do the gig with the drum machine - a decision that was to have unforeseen repercussions.
The Gig in the Field 2005

The original plan for The Random Noisemakers and The Reptiles to play two sets each (an afternoon set and an evening set) had to be abandoned because it was late afternoon by the time that both bands, along with a third - StillWater, had soundchecked.

Stillwater, with Steve Cutler and Steve Parkes of the Randoms along with Andy Wood, opened the gig at 8:15. A little after 9pm, The Reptiles opened their set with a nod towards their early days by playing a rousing version of Pretty Vacant. However, as the band finished the first verse the drum machine stopped. Assuming that Rich had accidentally stepped on the footswitch controlling the start and stop of the drum machine, the band started the song again and managed to play it all the way through without any further interuptions.

The classic Action Replay was dusted off next but unfortunately there were more problems with the drum machine and it became apparent that there was a technical problem. In hindsight it seems likely that the portable generator wasn't providing a stable enough power supply and the drum machine was periodically resetting as a result.

Despite the problems with the drum machine, the crowd were still enthusiastically cheering between songs. After The Tearthreat, One, and Futility, the band played the remaining Sex Pistols covers - Submission and Liar. Digital Lovers and Real Life followed and then the band finished on Dragging Me Down.

After a short intermission to rearrange the stage, the Randoms played their set. This comprised all the old favourites including Image Merchant, Captain Swing, Local Radio, and Emergency Plan B. Although not an especially tight performance, this was probably more representative of the classic Randoms’ sound. Tom Boredom did an exceptional job on the drums considering that he’d only rehearsed once with the band recently .