Shortly after the album’s release, the band were threatened with lawsuits by former members Pickup and Latter, who objected to the band continuing to use the Adverts name without them. They split up shortly after the accidental death by electrocution of manager Dempsey. Their last gig was at Slough College…
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Their second LP, Own , was released on 11 October 1979 and contained 14 new tracks and was their last release on EMI. Like their debut album and all their singles it did not chart in the UK. The band moved to Parlophone Records and released an EP, Four from…
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In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc , which topped the UK Albums Chart and became the first of four consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums. The album spawned the hit singles ” Message in a Bottle ” (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No.…
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The next Crass single, 1980’s “Bloody Revolutions”, was a benefit release with Poison Girls that raised £20,000 to fund the Wapping Autonomy Centre . The words were a critique (from an anarchist-pacifist perspective) of the traditional Marxist view of revolutionary struggle and were partly a response to violence marring a…
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The departure of Jim Walker made way for a series of new drummers. Auditions were later held at Rollerball Studios in Tooley Street , London Bridge . David Humphrey was their second drummer, who went on to record two tracks at Manor Studios in Oxford, “Swan Lake” and “Albatross”, for…
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After the Decca single’s release, the band signed with the independent label Do It Records and re-recorded the second single, “Zerox”, backed with “Whip In My Valise”, at Roundhouse Studios. “Zerox” was released in July 1979, after which the band embarked on a 17-show Zerox Tour around Britain in support,…
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Describing a July 1979 performance, music critic Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times focused on “Tomata’s extraordinary power on stage.” According to Hilburn, “Tomata’s hair was greased to stand straight up, giving him the look of a man who had just stuck his finger into an electric socket. His…
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In June 1979, the band released the extended play (EP) The Cost of Living , which includes a cover of Bobby Fuller ‘s song ” I Fought the Law “, two original songs and a re-recording of ” Capital Radio “. The EP reached 22 in the UK charts and…
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In 1978, the band released their first single, “CID”, on City Records, a UK-based underground label. The band played two John Peel sessions in 1978, and a third in June 1979, for BBC Radio 1 . These sessions were subsequently released together on a single album, Peel Sessions , in…
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To coincide with the release of “Gotta Gettaway”, SLF headlined their first tour with 21 dates across Britain and Ireland. The highlight of the tour was the gig at Belfast’s Ulster Hall on 21 May 1979. For anyone doubting SLF’s popularity in Northern Ireland, this was the first time a…
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