The Rezillos

One of Scotland's greatest contributions to punk rock, the Rezillos are a propulsive combo who mix punk enenergy with spunky pop melodies and a lively sense of humor informed by pop culture in various forms. Their debut album, 1978's Can't Stand the Rezillos, was an instant classic and spawned a British hit single with "Top of the Pops," but the group disbanded by the end of the year, with several members returning in the like-minded Revillos in 1979. The Rezillos reunited for live work in 2001, and in 2015, they issued the LP Zero, which mimicked the sound and energy of their 1970s work; they delivered more fast and loud fun on 2026's Psycho Tornado. Formed in 1976 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Rezillos was initially a fluid and highly informal collective centered around lead vocalists Eugene Reynolds (born Alan Forbes) and Fay Fife (Sheila Hynde), and fleshed out by lead guitarist Luke Warm (Jo Callis), second guitarist Hi-Fi Harris (Mark Harris), Dr. D.K. Smythe on bass, drummer Angel Paterson (Alan Patterson), and backing vocalist Gale Warning. The Rezillos' early repertoire contained material from the likes of Screaming Lord Sutch, the Dave Clark Five, and the Sweet. The success of their 1977 debut single, "I Can't Stand My Baby," was unexpected, especially by the bandmembers themselves, who never considered the group much more than a lark; as a result of the more serious pressures now exerted on the Rezillos, Harris, Smythe, and Warning all departed, while bassist/saxophonist William Mysterious (born William Donaldson) signed on as a permanent member. After signing to major-label Sire, the quintet reached the U.K. Top 20 with a single titled, ironically enough, "Top of the Pops." After releasing their 1978 debut LP, Can't Stand the Rezillos, Mysterious was replaced by Simon Templar, but internal problems continued to plague the group, and following a farewell tour, they disbanded in December 1978. A show from the final run was released as a live album, 1979's Mission Accomplished ... But the Beat Goes On. Paterson, Warm, and Templar continued on as Shake, while Reynolds and Fife, promised they could be released from their contract if they dropped the Rezillos name, formed the Revillos. Rejoined by Harris as well as onetime Pork Dukes drummer Rocky Rhythm, bassist Felix, and backing vocalists Babs and Cherie (aka the Revettes), the first incarnation of the Revillos recorded a pair of singles, "Where's the Boy for Me?" and "Motorbike Beat." In mid-1979, Harris left to become an architect, and was replaced by 17-year-old guitarist Kid Krupa in time to record 1980's Rev Up. Following the usual lineup fluctuations (Felix was replaced by Vince Spik, and Babs was replaced by singer Drax), the Revillos signed to the Superville label and issued the single "She's Fallen in Love with a Monster Man" and the 1983 LP Attack! After a pair of self-financed U.S. tours, the band split in 1985; Reynolds formed Rockatomic and Planet Pop, while Fay joined Destroy All Men. The Revillos re-formed in 1994 to play a series of concerts in Japan, ultimately recording the Live and on Fire in Japan album and the Yeah Yeah EP. In 1996, they issued a rarities compilation, From the Freezer, and played some live dates in Britain. By 2001, the Rezillos were once again a going concern, touring regularly in the U.K. and Europe with a lineup featuring Fife, Reynolds, guitarist Jim Brady, bassist Chris Agnew, and drummer Angel Paterson. After releasing a pair of singles in 2009 and 2011 (and staging their first North American tour in 2012), in 2015 the Rezillos finally got around to cutting a second studio album, Zero. After a few more rounds of touring in the U.K. and Europe, the Rezillos, under the leadership of Fife and Reynolds, presented fans with a third studio LP, 2026's Psycho Tornado, appearing as U.K. punk was celebrating its fiftieth birthday. Joining Fife and Reynolds for the recordings were bassist Chris Agnew, guitarist Martin Metcalfe (ex-Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie), and drummer Willy Molleson (who previously played in Fife's side project the Countess of Fife). ~ Jason Ankeny & Mark Deming, Rovi