moved to London in 1982

After playing some gigs locally Gary Smith replaced Jeff Gilmore on bass and they recorded their first demo, at Downtown Studios, Newtownards, but when this failed to gain them a record deal, they started their own Casualty Records label and issued their debut 7″, “Dance (Until You Drop)”. The three-song EP sold all 2,000 copies and brought the band to the attention of the UK music press. Melody Maker journalist Carol Clerk who befriended the band and recommended them to John Curd, manager of WXYZ Records, who signed them to his label. The Defects moved to London in 1982 and embarked on the six-week “So What” UK tour with labelmates the Anti-Nowhere League , Chelsea and Chron Gen . The tour was filmed by Stewart Copeland (with backing from brother Miles ) and intended for cinema release, but it was never issued.