Newtown Neurotics were based around Harlow, home of Stortbeat Records (releasing the debut 7" single by Bishop Stortford band Epileptics / Licks), Urban Decay, The Square, and The Playhouse and of course No Wonder Records.
I spent a fair bit of time in Harlow as a youth, a gritty concrete town in Essex; "Another silent new town problem with no solution in sight" the Neurotics passionately sung on 'Oh No' one of the songs uploaded onto this UA-cam post just after seventeen minutes.
Other notable towns that Harlow is near to were, Bishops Stortford, a quaint market town with the Triad as the main venue. Welwyn Garden City, with the Ludwick Hall venue, and yet another new town, Stevenage (made infamous as being the location for the 1968 kitchen sink drama 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush') which housed the wonders of the Bowes Lyon House, a venue on the 'professional' punk rock circuit.
Harlow was also home the Jean Harlow / Bennys pub / club, where the BBC cameras were poised at a Combat 84 performance just in time for a bit of the old ultra-violence, between, I assume, different divisions of boneheads. I guess a nice bit of footage if you like boneheads cracking other bonehead’s heads.
There were 7″singles by British Movement band Combat 84, a band which included straight arm salute vocalist Chris 'Chubby' Henderson, displayed prominently in the window of Star Time Records, the punk record shop in Post Office Walk near to the grey concrete market area.
There were certainly many National Front members based in Harlow. At the time it seemed that those politics were favoured, so placing Combat 84 7" singles in the window display guaranteed sales.
Countering bands like Combat 84 were The Newtown Neurotics, who’s members when the first two records were recorded and released on No Wonder Records, included Tig Barber, the original drummer, Steve Drewitt, vocalist and guitarist (who had Joey Ramone style hair during this period) and the lean punker Colin on the bass.
The debut 7" record on No Wonder Records, 'Hypocrite' was a decent offering. Hypocrite had nice harmonies, and a Rudi style intro and riff coming up now and again throughout the song. 'You Said No' is the weaker song, a newtown love song with a slightly awkward 'reggae' riff, a bit Stiff Little Fingers-esq. It wasn't that this song was bad, but for me, it wasn't particularly great either.
The second 7" single (and the fourth 7" single released on No Wonder records) had the Newtown Neurotics punching above their weight. Two magnificent tracks, 'When The Oil Runs Out' and my favourite Newtown Neurotics song 'Oh No'.
This 7" single adorned with a great image on the picture sleeve really stands out, and is perhaps my favourite record of the locality.
'Oh No' is just a stone wall classic. I hope you can keep the interest up long enough to hear this song on this UA-cam post.
No Wonder Records then released this cassette tape 'Pissed As Newts' (an awful choice of title for a band like Newtown Neurotics although 'Newts' is a clever twist but whatever) which was a full length album with a selection of songs recorded live at various venues like Camden Dingwalls, Harlow Benny's, Bishops Stortford Triad, and various other places including the park in Harlow! All the live recordings are with Tig drumming and are recorded from 1978 until 1981.
The quality some of the songs on the cassette tape are pretty ropey being recorded on a handheld cassette recorder in the crowd, a few other songs are of a slightly higher quality being mixing desk recordings. All songs are top notch musically and lyrically though.
This cassette tape was released in 1982 after Tig had left the band.
Around the latter months of 1981, Tig who had left the band and was replaced by Simon. Colin was still a lean punker and Steve had disowned his 'Joey Ramone' hairstyle and invested in a cropped haircut, making the band look a little more clean cut and sharp!
By the third 7" single, 'Kick Out The Tories' No Wonder Records had got help from the Leeds based C.N.T record label. Effectively a joint label release.
'Kick Out The Tories' never dates as the lyrics seem to be valid whatever the decade, and no doubt will be well into the future.
One of my abiding memories of Newtown Neurotics was at a gig at Harlow Square during the miners strike when the final chorus of 'Kick Out The Tories', was repeated as a mantra for what seemed like a whole two minutes. Everybody in the hall joining in on the rather extended chorus.
'Mindless Violence' although it was a great song, when wrestling against the glorious anthem of 'Kick Out The Tories', there was only going to be one winner.
The Newtown Neurotics went on to record more great material and the bands full length album ‘Beggars Can Be Choosers’ released on Razor Records, simply must be heard.
The Newtown Neurotics really were Harlow's 'Clash' for the younger audience like myself in the early eighties.