Disco Zombies

★★★

South London Stinks OPTIC NERVE. LP

Long lost Leicester/London punks compiled.

Formed at Leicester University in 1977, Disco Zombies never came close to cracking anything other than a few John Peel plays for their indie singles, but they were first generation punks and spawned both Andy Ross, who went on to form Food (Blur and Jesus Jones’s label), and MOJO CD compiler Dave Henderson. They weren’t especially angry – Here Come The Buts out-lovelorns Buzzcocks – or sweary, and nor were they in covert thrall to The Rolling Stones, but they did have a tinny DIY production. And sometimes they had a drum machine. These 20 tracks collect their singles and assorted flotsam and jetsam. At their best, on the impossibly catchy Drums Over London and The Year Of The Sex Olympics (titled after a reality TV-predicting play), Disco Zombies had hooks and melodies to spare, while the witty Where Have You Been Lately, Tony Hateley pays wry tribute to the much-travelled ’60s-’70s centre forward.

John Aizlewood