Infa-Riot, Hornsey Community Centre, London

Infa-Riot
Hornsey Community Centre, London

THIS IS Infa-Riot's fourth gig and the third time I have seen them, and every time I see them I think, yeah! This is what it's all about, ordinary kids getting together for a bash. Gutter level, a garage band — no pose, no shit, just get on with the job. Protest, hate, love all bottled up and let out in a stream of catchy energetic songs. Punk — what it's supposed to be.
Infa have already built up a strong North London following and tonight the centre is filled with famous faces. Jock McDonald, Paul Young of the 4 Be2's, Brendan of the Longshots, Dave Smith of Bad Apples, John Stevens of Top Of The Pops fame, even Bryan Ferry turned up with his new flame, but he left in a hurry when Paul Thompson was spotted firm handed with the Upstarts. (Are you sure? — Ed)
The Infas take the stage, two 15 year olds and two 17 year olds. Lee (vocalst, Mac drummer, Barry (guitar), Floyd bass, and burst straight into 'Brick Wall', one of their strongest songs ('I'm talking to a brick wall cos you never listen to a word I say'). Next is 'Boring School' followed by 'Five Minute Fashions' which goes down well with the shaven headed punters who chant the chorus ('But you're a skinhead now!')
Then straight into a rabble rousing 'Riot! Riot!' dedicated to Jack Char/ton. 'Britain's Not Lost' is the next offering. The lyrics of this are heartfelt but somewhat misguided and confused, but then again who isn't confused this government and the opposition, the only ones who seem to have any time for today's youth are the SWP, NF and BM which isn't what Cadbury's would call Star Choice. But ' don't worry, Maggie reckons the situation is good for selling antiques.
'Boot Boys', 'Kids Of The 8O's', 'In For A Riot' are three other excellent songs and they all go down a storm. Three encores and Infa-Riot have finished their fourth gig. I recommend you to see their fifth. See them as they are, young, energetic, funny, serious and full of mistakes. See them before the music business sucks them in and blows them out in choc bars. Joe Strummer reckons he's seen it all before, John Lydon reckons it's all finished. But I prefer Jock McDonald's end of gig verdict, "Would you believe it...?"

(MENSI September 1980)

Pope Paul & the Romans Why Won't Rangers Sign a Catholic

12" single from late 1980 or early 1981
credited to Pope Paul + The Romans, obviously one more
4" Be 2"/BBs side project.

A-Side: "Why Won't Rangers Sign A Catholic"
B-Side "We Are From Dublin

Pope Paul & the Romans We're All Off to Dublin

Pope Paul and the Romans

Studio 21 / September 1980 - "The Face"

OXFORD Street, London, on an Arctic-summer Saturday night. The pubs are emptying, the tourist trade is thinning out; hands
clutch sky every time a cab comes into a view. Up by Tottenham Court Road tube station something different is coming to life
Studio 21 : the discreet nature of the sign conjures visions of some pornographic den, beneath flights of stairs. But the music
emerging from the speaker positioned above the entrance is The Human League´s ´The Path Of Least Resistance´.
Every pleasure has its price. For this you part company with 2.45 pounds, sign your name, which automatically registers you as a
member, collect your meal ticket ( this entitles you to a plate of about a dozen chips, a beefburger and a dollop of relish) and
descend the stairs to the basement 4 Be 2´ ´One Of The Lads´.
This is the Saturday night residence of God´ nocturnal pretty-ugly things. Gathered in groups under red lighting, observing and
waiting to be observed. Doesn't matter if you´re male or female, here you can be what you want and nobody gives a toss. the
wilder the better : these barnets are constructed with the same architectural precision as nearby Centrepoint.
Joy Division´s ´She´s Lost Control´. A drink in the bar area - larger 80p a pint, spirits 70p a tot - not as extortionate as you might
expect - then into the disco chamber. Barely sweating bodies twitch the night away to anything that sounds credibly posey . Telex
to T. Rex, Roxy Music to Manicured Noise. The D.J. spot rotates between Dave Archer who tries hard to be noticed and fails, and
Jock McDonald, who tries hard and succeeds.
The air is strong with the stench or stale hair spray and deodorant. The dancers hold hands and slide to and fro careful not to
dishevel a hair on their heads. The atmosphere is friendly, even if there is a certain rivalry between the ´odd couples´
For every Clark Gable there´s two David Bowies. Magazine´s ´Back To Nature´.
At 2.30 the music slows down. Cabs queue outside for the homeward bound. The clientele of Studio 21 appreciate more than
most the dangers of walking home




words - VAUGHN TOULOUSE / photos - VIRGINIA TURBETTI / September 1980 - THE FACE

1980 Four be Two - Frustration

Side one: frustration
Side two: can't explain

Produced by Jimmi Lydon

Fabbulous Music Ltd.

Members (Pic) Jimmy Lydon, Jock McDonald, Graham Wheelan, Dreart O'Hoodlum, Paul Young, Pig Youth, And the Bananarama girls

Coverdesign?

If Jokes Could Kill

From New Music News, UK music newspaper, 14 June 1980

Being 'Sid reincarnate', Youth found himself playing bas in Lydon Minor's 4 Be 2's, until deciding to leave them recently after the completion of his contractual obligations, much to the annoyance of Swami Jock McDonald, who has apparently convinced himself that the lines in Killing Joke's 'Psyche': "Look at the controller/A Nazi with a social degree/A middle-class hero/A rapist with his eyes on me" are about his not-so-good self. (Personally, I'd have thought 15 seconds with Jock McDonald would be enough to convince anyone that he isn't exactly dripping with degrees, social or otherwise . . . obviously, I can't vouch for the other claims.)

4-Skins and Infa-Riot

Both the 4-Skins and Infa-Riot were emphatic about the need to learn from the Rejects’ mistakes and get away from football trouble. The 4-Skins favoured no one team (Hodges was West Ham, Hoxton, Spurs, Steve, Arsenal and Jacobs, Millwall) and no one political preference (Hoxton was a liberal; Steve left Labour; Jacobs apolitical; and Hodges was a reformed right-winger very pro anti-unemployment campaigns). Infa-Riot were the same, professing no football affiliations. Mensi wrote their first Sounds review and he and Jock McDonald got them their first London gigs. Musically, they were a lot like a lither, wilder Upstarts. Like most Upstarts-influenced groups Infa-Riot played gigs for Rock Against Racism (an apparently noble campaign that was actually a front for the extreme Left SWP). Criminal Class played RAR gigs too, and a benefit for the highly suspect Troops Out Of Ireland movement.