Cover of Fanzine, Ericas Hang-Up

By late 1976, PUNK had started to explode on to the British scene, in all it's adrenal, amphetamine, gobbing, pogoing glory, led mainly by bands like the one and only SEX PISTOLS , THE CLASH , and THE DAMNED etc in the south, and THE BUZZCOCKS among others in the north, blowing away the directionless, so called "progressive music" era of the early and middle 1970's.

Johnny with the green suede teeth
JJ recalls

'My first exposure to The Pistols was in the late summer of '76 at one of the Lyceum All-nighter gigs in London (Bizarrely with the 60's band The Pretty Things! among others on the bill). The place was packed with hippies and rock fans all sitting cross-legged on the floor, listening to support bands and applauding politely whilst Malcolm McLaren played ringmaster over the PA system in between bands, hyping up the crowd in expectation for this
' Great new Club sensation, The Sex Pistols'
who were topping the bill at the gig.

I made my way to the toilet and was confronted by this strange vision of a humanoid in a metallic blue Teddy Boy Jacket with one sleeve held together at the shoulder with safety pins, drainpipe trousers and brothel creeper shoes, looking like he had three days to live with green suede teeth. It was Johnny Rotten (Lydon). Shortly after the Sex Pistols hit the stage with pure raw energy and deafening volume supported by a small contingent of pogoing bondage wearing punks at the front of the stage. The Hippies and Rock fans started to flee, looking shell-shocked and confused through a gauntlet of normally aggressive huge bouncers dressed in tuxedos who were apologising to the retreating audience saying, "We are really sorry about this, we won't book the band again! Please accept the apologies of Mecca Ballrooms'. followed by the immortal line, 'I can't see this band getting anywhere.' Within 10 -15 minutes a 1500 strong crowd was reduced to 50 people, a surreal sight and a brilliant moment........ '

"Punk had arrived".

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OUT NOW FANZINE

With PUNK came the invasion of American bands and acts like THE RAMONES, JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, IGGY POP, BLONDIE, TALKING HEADS, JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE MODERN LOVERS, CHERRY VANILLA,etc.. At this point, WAYNE, later JAYNE COUNTY and guitarist GREG VAN COOK arrived in London from NEW YORK looking to form a punk rock & roll band. They met up with British bass player VAL HALLER in ROUGH TRADE record shop in the Portobello road area of London, which was then a meeting place for future punk luminaries, and was one of the few outlets for punk music at that time. WAYNE and GREG were also looking for a drummer to complete the line up of the band. As VAL had been sharing a squat in a gothic dilapidated mansion in the middle of Kensington, SW7 with J.J. who had sat in on drums occasionally with another band that VAL had co-formed called The Rockets which later split and evolved into Ladbroke Grove band, Warsaw Pact. J.J.was then asked to team up with Wayne, Greg and Val

The Electric Chairs Left to Right: Johnson, County, Van Cook, Haller

and after playing various mad rehearsals and a couple of brilliantly near psychotic gigs, the first of which was on the same bill as a very young SQUEEZE , who had recently signed to B.T.M. RECORDS, and then later to A&M RECORDS. It soon became apparent to Wayne and the band during these gigs and from the way the sound, style, attitude, and energy was developing within the band that the appropriate name to call themselves would be,

THE ELECTRIC CHAIRS.

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