Blitz (British band)

Blitz
Origin New Mills, Derbyshire, England
Genres Punk rock, Oi!, street punk, post-punk (later)
Years active 1980–2007
Labels No Future Records
Blitz Records
SOS Records
Past members

Carl Fisher
Nidge Miller
Charlie Howe
Neil McLennan

Shawn Attack
Jeff the Fallman
Paul Lilley
Neil Hufferdine
Steve Cast
Wayne Thomas
Bryan Scorch
Matt Renicks

Blitz were a street punk/Oi! band from New Mills, Derbyshire, England, formed in 1980 producing albums until 1983.[1][2][3]

Core history

The original Blitz lineup consisted of Carl Fisher (vocals), Charlie Howe (percussion), Nidge Miller (guitar), and Neil "Mackie" McLennan (bass). The band had success in the United Kingdom indie charts in the early 1980s. With both punk and skinhead members, they were enthusiastically championed by Sounds magazine writer Garry Bushell. They had sent him their demo tape early in 1981. Bushell who labeled them Oi!, was impressed enough to put two of their tracks on that year's Carry On Oi compilation, Nation On Fire and Youth. He helped them secure a deal with the record label No Future. When the band slept at his family home on the Ferrier Estate in Kidbrooke, a rough south east London council estate, he recalls them being "freaked out by being in a real concrete jungle" (Bushell On The Rampage). Guitarist Alan "Nidge" Miller would later go on to denounce Bushell,[4] but they reconciled before his death.

The band signed to No Future in 1981, and their first release was the 7" EP All Out Attack. Their debut album Voice of a Generation received a five star review from Bushell in Sounds.

After Fisher and McLennan had a disagreement, Fisher and Howe formed their own band. In 1983 they produced Second Empire Justice on the No Future label with Tim Harris (guitar, keyboards), crediting Mackie.[4] Because of its departure into post punk and new wave characteristics it did not do well with the original Oi! fan audience.[5]The album was commercially unsuccessful at the time, the No Future label sank, because Blitz was their main income, and with it the Fisher and Howe arrangement.[4]

According to Miller, the band split up, because the original members had no interest in "touring, plus they were never really into the music".[6]

Later history

It was Miller alone who produced the 1989 album The Killing Dream playing all instruments (guitars, bass, drums) with Gary Bassnett speaking the vocals.[7]

Decades after the original Blitz lineup split, Miller recruited new members including Paul Lilley on drums and performed concerts under the Blitz moniker. On 10 February 2007, Miller was struck by a car and died on impact when "wandering into the freeway" after a show in Austin, Texas.[8] "With just two dates left on the month-long tour" Alan Paul Nigel Miller was 48 years old when he died.[9]

Fisher moved to Australia, according to Miller, working with computers.[4]

In 2011, bassist Neil "Mackie" McLennan moved to guitar and formed the band "Epic Problem", based in New Mills. They have released two EPs and one full-length album.

Reception, criticism

In 2007, Village Voice Music reviewer William Bower called the band "pre-racist, pre-skinhead oi/streethood outfit" and "every Blitz release except SEJ [Second Empire Justice] puerile and antisocial." comparing them to the earlier American punk bands Social Distortion and the Misfits.[10]

Partial discography

Chart placings shown from the UK Indie Chart.[11]

Albums

  • Voice of a Generation (1982), No. 2
  • Second Empire Justice (1983), No. 5
  • The Killing Dream (1989)

Singles & EPs

  • "All Out Attack E.P." (1981), No. 3
  • "Warriors" (1982), No. 2
  • "Never Surrender" / "Razors in the Night" (1982), No. 2
  • "Propaganda" / "Moscow" (1982)
  • "Solar" (1983)
  • "Telecommunications" (1983), No. 3
  • "New Age" (1983), No. 4
  • "New Breed EP" (1992)
  • "The Final Blitz - Farewell To A Legend" (2016)

Compilations

  • Blitzed An All Out Attack (1988)
  • Best of Blitz (1993)
  • The Complete Blitz Singles Collection (1994)
  • Blitz Hits (1994)
  • All Out Attack (1999)
  • Warriors (1999)
  • Voice Of A Generation - The No Future Years (2000)
  • Punk Singles And Rarities 1980-83 (2001)
  • Never Surrender (The Best Of Blitz) (2005)
  • All Out Blitz: The Very Best Of (2005)
  • Hits (2006)
  • Time Bomb Early Singles And Demos Collection (2013)

Music Videos

  • "New Age" (1983)

Appearances on compilations

  • Carry on Oi (1981)
  • Punk And Disorderly: Someone's Gonna Die (1982)
  • Seeds IV Punk (1987)
  • Gothik: Music From The Dark Side (1995)
  • The Crazy World of Punk (1996)
  • Oi! Chartbusters vols. 1-2-3-4
  • Oi! The Picture Disc vols. 1 & 2 (Link Records, 1987 and 1988)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Garry Bushell"The Story of Oi!" on his "Features" page, 2000, updated 2009
  2. ↑ Blitz : Voice of a Generation - Listen, Review and Buy at ARTISTdirect
  3. ↑ Blitz: Voice Of A Generation (Blitz fan site)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Steve Crisispoint "Blitz: The Voice of a Second Generation?" - interview, n.d., artofthestate.co.uk
  5. ↑ Oliver Sheppard Pioneers of Postpunk Souciant.com, September 10, 2012, accessed 8 Nov 2017
  6. ↑ Christopher(SugarBuzz Toronto) Nidge Miller from Blitz SugarBuzz Magazine, n.d.
  7. ↑ Blitz. The Killing Dream 2017 Discogs
  8. ↑ Man Killed Crossing IH-35 in Buda Fox News Austin, 10 February 2007
  9. ↑ Punk Dead; UK punk guitarist killed whilst touring US Songfacts, 22 February 2007
  10. ↑ William Bowers. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Somebody Who Hates Me) The Village Voice, September 18, 2007
  11. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
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