78. We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It - Rules and Regulations (Vindaloo)

Number one for five weeks from 3rd May 1986

“Some people do think we’re stupid, but that’s quite understandable really, isn’t it? I can’t think why people would want to come and see us” – Vicky, Record Mirror, May 1986.

“I’ve got this theory that we’re actually providing employment, because if we can’t play our instruments very well, we have to employ other people, like orchestras, to come and do it. So in fact, it’s quite politically and ideologically sound not to be able to play very well.” – Mags, Record Mirror, February 1987

Those two quotes, taken nine months apart, probably say more about Fuzzbox (and their attitude to the world and the music business) than anything I could possibly throw at my keyboard for the next few hours. It’s no wonder some music journalists found them infuriating – it was the job of the eighties rock press to peddle the idea that music has importance in either a technical or “revolutionary” way; if a record isn’t competently or artfully performed, then it should be offending someone in its attempts to rebel (usually parents, the powers-that-be or “the straights”).

We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Going To Use It (we’ll call them Fuzzbox after this point; they chose that abbreviated name for themselves eventually anyway) fitted the bill in theory. The “Rules And Regulations” EP was their debut release on Robert Lloyd’s Vindaloo Records, and lead track “XX Sex” was, beneath its chaotically fuzzy clatter, straightforwardly political. “XX sex sex gets ex-exploited” they chant, referencing page three girls and ranting “Cookery and hookery/ Exploit desolation and isolation”. If Huggy Bear had released that one in 1993, nobody would have questioned it – they sound similar enough, with only Vicky’s surprisingly clear and powerful post-punk vocals setting them apart (she's the only conventional musical talent evident on the track).

Title track “Rules and Regulations”, however, was the one with the home-made promo video which ended up picking up most of the airplay, and continued the usual punkish themes of a bleak pre-mapped journey through life, including workplace alienation, and the obviously feminist reference to a husband who “tied you down so you’re housebound”. It’s the ace on the EP, containing pounding drums without the use of metalwork, a central buzzing riff, and a chorus chant which isn’t a thousand miles away from Adam Ant, but taken as a whole, it clearly owes much more significant debts to The Slits and X Ray Spex.

When journalists saw the promotional photographs of Fuzzbox with brightly coloured, electrified hair and thickly made up faces, they must have already written their articles before interviewing the group or getting any quotes. It seemed a simple case; more punk rock, more anarchy, angry young women desperate to be heard in a society which hadn’t given them a voice…

And yet Fuzzbox usually didn’t want to be drawn. They were too busy having fun. They openly sniggered on stage and gurned in their videos. Their politics were left-leaning, perhaps not atypically for an eighties band from a major industrial city like Birmingham, but they clearly hadn’t pored over Sociology textbooks seeking to justify their views to journalists; Easterhouse they weren’t. They had a tendency to regard themselves as ridiculous as the world they inhabited, and were far enough away from the initial impact of punk rock to be able to use bright hair dye and super strength hairspray and seem cartoonish, rather than menaces to society.

And yet – there was something strangely exciting and confrontational about all this anyway. Four women who were self-confessed musical amateurs, making a noise like that and having FUN, not attempting to justify their mere existence to the rock press? The very thought seemed powerful enough to propel this EP up the official national charts so that it peaked just one space clear of the National Top 40 – and only two spaces away from Freddie Mercury’s latest single - despite being released on a tiny indie label set up by the lead singer of The Nightingales (it’s notable that when Robert Lloyd decided to finance this initial release, some friends assumed he was having a mental crisis).

Fuzzbox later appeared on the NME’s C86 compilation tape, and in doing so underlined an often overlooked aspect of some of the more anarchic or angular contributors; sonically there really wasn’t a great deal to set them apart from some of the earliest entries we’ve covered on this blog or, for that matter, the contents of the NME’s original C81 tape. It wasn’t necessarily that the alternative rock underground had morphed radically in those five years, more that the attitude and the approach of many of the younger bands was more frivolous, more chaotically inviting. They beckoned you towards their absurdity rather than pushing it forwards in a threatening manner. For some, that was irresistible. It’s better to be told there’s a party you’re freely invited to than be asked to pass a confrontational punk rock initiation test to gain entry.

It's possible that music journalists never quite understood this. Upon learning that they weren't really furious punk rockers, every interview began to contain at least one question asking Fuzzbox what they would they would sound like when they finally learned to play their instruments, in the manner of vicars, teachers and neighbours asking children what they want to be when they grow up. Beyond speculating that they probably wouldn’t have much in common with Dire Straits, they didn’t seem to know. 

It didn’t matter in the short term. The success of this EP ensured that WEA picked up the option to distribute their future records, and while singles like “Love Is The Slug” and “What’s The Point?” didn’t build significantly on their breakthrough moment (either commercially or creatively) a three-year break caused a staggering metamorphosis. Their 1989 album “Big Bang!” unveiled a glamorous makeover and three bona-fide mid-table chart hits, pushing them on to Top of the Pops and morning television shows.

“International Rescue”, “Pink Sunshine” and “Self” can’t have been where their original fanbase suspected they’d end up. All three singles were conventional pop/rock records, but with the exception of the somewhat darker “Self”, the same devil-may-care playfulness was apparent. “International Rescue” may have been borderline novelty pop with its Thunderbirds referencing and Adrian Edmondson directed video, but surely nobody who bought a copy of their debut album “Bostin Steven Austin” would have bet against them playing with such an idea? 

For all that, it seemed the group weren’t actually as happy or at home as they seemed being pop stars, and they split in 1990 citing musical differences. There's a sense of wasted potential here, but there’s  also something heartwarming about four excitable, funny women from Birmingham briefly capturing the imaginations of both C86 cuties and pop kids just by having the audacity to get onstage and be themselves. They’re not the only example of such a girl group we’ve encountered, of course - Bananarama’s debut indie release in 1981 deserves to be referenced here – but very few all-female bands in the eighties successfully launched their careers in this manner, cannonballing their way through the actual music charts (and not merely the indies) with something so unapologetically hand-made.

New Entries Elsewhere In The Charts

Week One


17. Ghost Dance - River Of No Return (Karbon)

Peak position: 11

By 1986, Anne-Marie Hurst had quit Skeletal Family and formed Ghost Dance with Sisters of Mercy refugee Gary Marx. “River Of No Return” was their debut single and puts some distance between themselves and both the Sisters and Skeletals, adding conventional rock stylings to the usual walloping gothic backbeats.





21. The Psylons - Run To The Stranger (Crystal)


Peak position: 21

When I arrived in Portsmouth University in 1993, I realised that I only knew of two active groups in the area (there were, as I would obviously find out, plenty more). The Cranes were the most famous at that time, and sounded quite unlike anyone else; more on their particularly indefinable, disturbing creep-outs on vinyl when we get to that point.

The Psylons, on the other hand, peaked with this single in 1986 which was enthusiastically played by John Peel and was reviewed as NME’s Single Of The Week. Starting disturbingly with a sample of a truculent, clench-toothed woman urging a child to give something “a good sniff up”, “Stranger” then races across aggressive post-punk riffs, seeming as if it’s desperate to punch its way through your speaker cones and strangle you.

On the subject of strangulation, besides the usual post-punk edge there is a faint element of the Men In Black here – think “5 Minutes” in particular – but The Psylons were generally much more abrasive even than that, seldom stopping for breath to offer easy hooks or gentle landings. 

26. The Servants - She's Always Hiding (Head)

Peak position: 26


28. The Jasmine Minks - Cold Heart (Creation)

Peak position: 26


Week Two


14. The Cramps – What’s Inside A Girl? (Big Beat)

Peak position: 2


“What’s Inside A Girl?” didn’t threaten to crossover in the manner of “Can Your Pussy Do The Dog”, taking a surprisingly downtempo, threadbare straight rockabilly tack compared to many of their other releases. Halfway through Lux Interior begins to hiccup and gasp and the group take that as their cue to begin pursuing matters with more gusto, but it feels over far too soon, the last chord clanging just as your ears begin to prick up and your toes start to twitch.

15. The Woodentops – Good Thing (Rough Trade)

Peak position: 4

The Woodentops “Good Thing” sitting in the indie charts alongside That Petrol Emotion’s “It’s A Good Thing” may have confused consumers, but it would be impossible to mistake the two otherwise. “Good Thing” is gentle yet strangely compelling English folk-rock, filled with Rollo McGinty’s rounded vowels, plonking xylophone lines and strangely African flavoured guitar runs. Closer to an adult campfire lullaby than indie rock, it showed The Woodentops were still sweetly inhabiting their own little world; it barely sounds like a single, though.

17. Rose Of Avalanche – Too Many Castles In The Sky (Fire)

Peak position: 10


21. The Chesterfields – Guitar In Your Bath (Subway)

Peak position: 21

The Chesterfields – from Yeovil, confusingly, not the Derbyshire market town of that name – were primed for success by some enthusiastic music journalists not long after they left their first mark. “Could they be the next Housemartins?” they were heard to ask, and while there are some stylistic similarities, they were lighter, less angry or soulful by comparison, and some were eventually minded to point out that their output was less substantial as a result. 

Lead track “Sweet Revenge” here proves that, sounding for all the world as if Unit 4+2 never went out of style (and it’s not the first time I’ve used that sixties folk-beat group as a yardstick on this blog). Lots of indie bands in 1986 were accused of sounding twee, but The Chesterfields here actually sound jolly – positively perky in a way “beat music” hadn’t often been since 1964, before the sound of distortion pedals or feedback worked their way into the sonic palette. Their debut album “Kettle” would storm the indie charts and prove that people still had time for merry, clean cut melodies, though.

25. June Brides – In The Rain (Pink)

Peak position: 14

Not a new release, but The Brides debut 1984 single repressed and snapped up by consumers happy to delve deeper into the history of one of the more influential indie groups of the pre-86 period. What sets it apart from the current flock we’re dealing with is the clear sound of the funkier, Orange Juice influenced aspects of early eighties indie; an ingredient which largely got filtered out of the brewing process by the time the likes of The Chesterfields became prime movers.

26. All About Eve – In The Clouds (Eden)

Peak position: 19

Indie chart debut for Julianne Regan and her Coventry cohorts. While All About Eve were often tagged as a goth band – largely thanks to Regan’s early associations with Gene Loves Jezebel - their sound frequently bore overwhelming resemblances to acts who, by the eighties, were considered part of a deeply unfashionable past.  

“In The Clouds” displays that from the off. Regan is never as intricate, but it’s possible to hear splashes of Judie Tzuke and Fairport Convention in the vocal stylings, and Miles Hunt of the Wonder Stuff was immediately disparaging, comparing the group to Fleetwood Mac (how times change - these days, of course, that would excite the kids and be deemed the highest critical praise).

Rather than killing the band stone dead, the broadness of their sound strengthened their overall appeal, causing daytime Radio One DJs with memories of their long haired youths to get excited as well as men and ladies who wore black lipstick. I swear I didn’t dream Simon Bates getting over-excited on air by the release of “Every Angel”.

While that kind of bizarre cross-spectrum acclaim was not on offer at the point “In The Clouds” was released, it’s still a very pretty song for which the word “enchanting” can be used appropriately and unapologetically. A lot of this is thanks to Regan’s vocal delivery, which always had a gentle, unusually easy charisma, but the band aren’t your average post-punk pick-up group either. A major label signing would occur in exactly one more single’s time, and that surely didn't surprise anyone.





29. MacKenzies – New Breed (Ron Johnson)

Peak position: 28


Week Three


14. Primal Scream – Crystal Crescent (Creation)

Peak position: 8


Effectively Primal Scream’s first big moment, but “Crystal Crescent” was admired not so much for its designated A-side – a strangely underproduced array of jangles, suffocated drum patterns and muffled trumpet parps – as the brief flip “Velocity Girl” which opened the NME C86 cassette.

That still sounds like a fine track, encapsulating a whole world and a peculiarly fucked-up situation in less than a minute-and-a-half (“Vodka in her veins/ been playing with the spike/ she couldn’t get it right”). A beautiful melody set to kitchen sink melodrama, listeners and critics expected Primal Scream to subsequently repeat it again and again, but it remains a one-off in their catalogue, the sound never quite recaptured with the same spirit when McGee subsequently got through them signed to a major label.

17. Easterhouse – Inspiration (Rough Trade)

Peak position: 12

Unlike their indie number one “Whistling In The Dark”, which was furious, infectious and earnest, “Inspiration” is just deathly serious hard work, the brooding, hollering vocals tied to the same slow plastic soul train so many mid-eighties acts seemed keen to shackle themselves to.

If most of the rock press gave “Whistling” Single Of The Week, this must surely have been the moment where they realised they’d backed the wrong horse; not only were songs about the Irish hunger strikes unlikely to get airplay in 1986, “Inspiration” lacks the fuel to really make the subject burn – this isn’t a roar of encouragement, just a very heavy, tired nod of approval.

18. Big Flame – Why Pop Stars Can’t Dance (Ron Johnson)

Peak position: 18


29. Frank Tovey – Luddite Joe (Mute)

Peak position: 24


No longer known as Fad Gadget, Tovey was now forging ahead under his birth name but still producing material which didn’t really distinguish itself enormously from his more famous b(r)and.

“Luddite Joe” is one of his strongest singles, though, even if it potentially sounded somewhat dated for 1986. Filled with industrial clatters, unashamed pop hooks and a sneering, vacant vocal delivery, it’s everything you’d expect and more; sadly though, his star was waning and the subsequent album “Snakes & Ladders” was the last to enter the indie charts.

Week Four


17. The Leather Nun - Gimme Gimme Gimme (Wire)

Peak position: 11


Swedish group The Leather Nun covering their fellow countrymen and women Abba seemed like a predictable gimmick, especially a single like “Gimme Gimme Gimme”, which was ripe for subversion.

It can’t be surprising to discover that they replace the euphoric night-club rush of the original with a greasy grind; you almost feel like scrubbing yourself down with Toilet Duck after listening to this. That was undoubtedly the Nun’s aim, however, and it lacks the laziness of other flippant covers by genuinely finding new places for the song to visit – such as the seedy side of the docks and the public conveniences that exist towards the tail end of the municipal cleaner’s daily route. 

20. Felt - Ballad Of The Band (Creation)

Peak position: 18


By this point, Maurice Deebank seemed to have finally left Felt after a long period of disgruntled threats, and the group might have been widely regarded as lost without such a key ingredient to their sound. Like Mark E Smith, though, Lawrence has always been a shrewd employer of musical talent you would expect to be beyond his budget, and recent recruit Martin Duffy stepped up to fill in the gaps. While the guitar lines are harsh, distorted and lacking in complexity this time, it serves the bitter sentiments behind the song well, and Duffy’s elaborate keyboard lines lift it higher.

“Ballad Of The Band” is also one of the classic three-minute singles of the indiepop era, taking backstage ego clashes and band motivational issues and making them sound like a genuine protest song – “Where you been/ ain’t seen you for weeks?/ you’ve been hanging out with/ all those Jesus freaks” Lawrence begins, making you think that perhaps he wasn’t the most dysfunctional member of Felt after all. It sounds like a poetic passive aggressive note left on the fridge of a shared house, constantly being interrupted by the groaning line “I feel like giving in”.

Anybody who has ever tried to deliver a creative project with anything more than one other individual being involved will recognise the sentiments behind this song; it swaps the big screen comedy of Spinal Tap for the melodrama of a low budget fringe theatre play. Somehow, it also manages to be a fantastic pop tune as well. 






23. Colourbox - Baby I Love You So (4AD)

Peak position: 4


Another prime indie single of 1986, covering Lee “Scratch” Perry’s dub version of “Baby I Love You So” (“King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown”) but keeping the original vocal lines intact, and sighing contentedly, mooching and lazily fumbling down cavernous subways.

The summer of 1986 in the UK may not have provided many glorious sunlit days, but this takes Tubby’s vision, cleans up the lower fidelity aspects, wipes the grime off the windows and lets the morning sunshine work its fingers across two lovers in some bohemian pad. It remains amazing.

25. Erasure - Oh L´amour (Mute)

Peak position: 21


“Oh L’amour” was meant to be Erasure’s first guaranteed proper hit, and while it did manage to do well in some other European countries, here in the UK it failed to even move into the National Top 75. In the end, Dollar would cover it and take it into the top ten the following year.

Its failure remains baffling. These days, its widely regarded as one of Erasure’s most instantly recognisable singles, its twittering fizz and irresistible chorus even making it sound somewhat ahead of the game; Stock Aitken and Waterman would have held a celebratory party after writing as something as strong as this one. Perhaps the appalling promo video killed it.

26. Restless - Somebody Told Me (ABC)

Peak position: 26


30. Colourbox ​- The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme (4AD)

Peak position: 3


4AD up to their old “simultaneous release” nonsense again, I see. This was another indie success for Colourbox, and would have been bigger still had it actually been used for the BBC’s World Cup coverage in Mexico (it was up for consideration but the group didn’t get the gig).

A wide of the mark shot by the Beeb. This track had all the drama required, even if aspects of it do sound faintly like the Shooting Stars song “Peanuts” by today’s more subtle synthetic standards. 

Week Five


26. BMX Bandits - Sad? (53rd & 3rd)

Peak position: 17


Debut entry for Glasgow’s BMX Bandits, who frequently had an obvious piss-taking approach, not even pretending to care what critics who hated the “cutie” sound might think. “Sad?” sees them singing about anoraks, and boasts the kind of deranged outro you would normally only hear on your sixteen year old mate’s band’s rehearsal tapes. It’s an acquired taste.

28. Alex Chilton - No Sex (New Rose)

Peak position: 28


29. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Walking On Your Hands (Red Rhino)

Peak position: 20

The Lorries must have thought they were owed their dues by this point. They were one of the earliest goth bands to gain an appreciative fanbase, but they were being overtaken by their peers on an almost weekly basis. “Hands” is, no pun intended, a step in the right direction towards something other than another heavy, slogging groove; while nobody could ever call this bright and breezy, it at least has a vague dancefloor appeal, and vocalist Mark Sweeney even whoops for joy at one point. Safe to say, however, it never became a chartbound sound away from the confines of this ghetto. 

For the full charts, go to the UKMix Forums here (and bottom of the page here)

Number Ones In The Official Charts

George Michael: "A Difference Corner" (Epic)

Falco: "Rock Me Amadeus" (A&M)

Spitting Image: "The Chicken Song" (Virgin)