The Flys (British band)
{{Short description|British punk rock band}}
{{About|the English punk band formed in 1976|the 1960s band|The Flies (English band)|the American post-grunge band|The Flys (American band)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Flys
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| image_size =
| alias =
| origin = Coventry, England
| genre = Punk rock
| years_active = {{Start date|df=yes|1976}}–1980
| label = EMI, Parlophone
| associated_acts = Midnight Circus, The Lover Speaks
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members = Dave Freeman
Joe Hughes
Neil O'Connor
Pete King
Graham Deakin
Lyn Dobson
}}
The Flys were a British punk rock band that originally formed in 1976 in Coventry, England. After the self-release of their initial EP, Bunch of Fives, they were signed by EMI Records. With EMI they released the albums Waikiki Beach Refugees and Own. In 1980 they changed labels to Parlophone but soon disbanded.
History
Flys evolved from a band from Coventry, England named Midnight Circus. Midnight Circus was composed of Dave Freeman (guitar, vocals), Joe Hughes (bass), Neil O'Connor (vocals, guitar, keyboard),{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin Charles|authorlink1=Martin C. Strong|title=The Great Indie Discography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJfGtREyuSAC&pg=RA5-PA69|accessdate=14 January 2011|year=2003|publisher=Canongate|isbn=978-1-84195-335-9|pages=69–70}} and "a string of unnamed drummers".{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/artist/flys-p17604/biography|title=Biography: Flys|last=Thompson|first=Dave|authorlink=Dave Thompson (author)|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=14 January 2011}} In 1976 their manager's brother, Pete King, joined in on drums and Flys were born.
Their career began by regularly opening for the English punk band the Buzzcocks. In late 1977, with Lyn Dobson on saxophone, they self-released the EP Bunch of Five with the tracks "Saturday Sunrise", "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", "Can I Crash Here?", "Me and My Buddies", and "Just For Your Sex". The EP, particularly "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", caught the attention EMI Records, a label that rejected Midnight Circus,{{cite web|url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/flys.htm|title=The Flys|publisher=Punk77|accessdate=14 January 2011|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822104657/http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/flys.htm|url-status=live}} who signed them to a deal.
Their initial EMI release came on 20 January 1978, the EP Love and a Molotov Cocktail, which was a release of two of the tracks from Bunch of Five; "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", "Can I Crash Here?", and a new track "Civilisation".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=flys+%22waste+no+time+since+signing%22&pg=PA114|title=Gimarc 2005 p.114|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822104653/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=flys+%22waste+no+time+since+signing%22&pg=PA114|url-status=live}} "Love and a Molotov Cocktail" garnered some positive reviews, "the first undisputed classic 45 of 1978". In April they released the single "Fun City" with another new track, "E.C.4.", as its b side.
The release of their first LP, Waikiki Beach Refugees, came on 17 October 1978.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA165|title=Gimarc 2005 p.165|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=12 October 2016|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105213/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA165|url-status=live}} It contained a rerecording of "Fun City", the future single "Beverley", and the title track "Waikiki Beach Refugees" which EMI had released as a taster single on yellow vinyl in September.
The group spent early 1979 sharing the bills with such acts as The Psychedelic Furs,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22flys%2Fpsychedelic+furs%22&pg=PA189|title=Gimarc 2005 p.189|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105206/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22flys%2Fpsychedelic+furs%22&pg=PA189|url-status=live}} the Pretenders,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22black+slate%2Fflys%2Fpretenders%22&pg=PA191|title=Gimarc 2005 p.191|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105206/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22black+slate%2Fflys%2Fpretenders%22&pg=PA191|url-status=live}} and Black Slate. It was around this time that Pete King, who later joined After the Fire, left the band and was replaced on drums by Graham Deakin.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA249|title=Gimarc 2005 p.249|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=12 October 2016|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105207/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA249|url-status=live}} In April EMI released a compilation of early punk 45s called The Rare Stuff that contained the three tracks from the EP Love and a Molotov Cocktail.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22rare+stuff%22+flys+%22can+I+crash+here%3F%22&pg=PA198|title=Gimarc 2005 p.198|isbn=9780879308483|last1=Gimarc|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105208/https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&dq=%22rare+stuff%22+flys+%22can+I+crash+here%3F%22&pg=PA198|url-status=live}}
Their second LP, Own, was released on 11 October 1979 and contained 14 new tracks and was their last release on EMI. Like their debut album and all their singles it did not chart in the UK.{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/own-r37862/review|title=Review: Own|last=Thompson|first=Dave|authorlink=Dave Thompson (author)|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=14 January 2011|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105209/https://www.allmusic.com/album/own-mw0000523859|url-status=live}} The band moved to Parlophone Records and released an EP, Four from the Square which included two songs from the last album, and a final single, "What Will Mother Say?", before disbanding.
In the wake of the departure of Neil O'Connor, who joined his sister Hazel's band, the Flys disbanded in 1980. In 1990 See for Miles Records released the compilation album, Love and a Molotov Cocktail, that Q Magazine described as "angry, angsty, and splenetic guitar tunes with power chords".{{Cite journal |last=Nicol |first=Jimmy |date=5 March 1991 |title=review |journal=Q Magazine |volume=55 |pages=87}} In 2001 Waikiki Beach Refugees was reissued with eight bonus tracks covering their brief history.{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/waikiki-beach-refugees-r37861/review|title=Review: Waikiki Beach Refugees|last=Thompson|first=Dave|authorlink=Dave Thompson (author)|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=14 January 2011}} Also in 1991, "Love and a Molotov Cocktail" was covered by the German band Die Toten Hosen on their album Learning English, Lesson One.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qr8zLwlIOpwC&dq=%22Love+and+a+Molotov+Cocktail%22&pg=PA30|title=Heavy Rotation Staff Selections|last=Bernstein|first=Jonathan|date=January 1995|work=Spin|page=30|accessdate=14 January 2011|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105755/https://books.google.com/books?id=qr8zLwlIOpwC&dq=%22Love+and+a+Molotov+Cocktail%22&pg=PA30|url-status=live}} Joe Hughes and David Freeman later worked together again in the short-lived 1980s new wave band The Lover Speaks.{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/artist/lover-speaks-p26673/biography|title=Biography: Lover Speaks|last=Sutton|first=Michael|work=Allmusic|accessdate=14 January 2011|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105749/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lover-speaks-mn0000758658|url-status=live}}
Influences and musical style
Although they were rooted in the 1970s British punk scene and influenced by The Damned and the Buzzcocks their music did not always fit that mold displaying considerable melody. Power pop,{{cite book|last=Borack|first=John M.|authorlink1=John M. Borack|title=Shake Some Action: the Ultimate Power Pop Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqtGTJgE4rEC&pg=PA154|accessdate=14 January 2011|year=2007|publisher=PowerPop|isbn=978-0-9797714-0-8|page=154|archive-date=22 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105735/https://books.google.com/books?id=pqtGTJgE4rEC&pg=PA154|url-status=live}} and 'half-punk, half pop' is closer to the style of their actual playing.
Members
- Dave Freeman – guitar, vocals
- Joe Hughes – bass
- Neil O'Connor – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Pete King – drums
- Graham Deakin - drums
- Lyn Dobson – saxophone
Discography
- Bunch of Five EP 1977 (Zama)
- Love and a Molotov Cocktail EP 1978 (EMI)
- Fun City 1978 (EMI)
- Waikiki Beach Refugees 1978 (EMI)
- Waikiki Beach Refugees LP 1978 (EMI)
- Beverly (Edited Version) 1979 (EMI)
- Name Dropping 1979 (EMI)
- We Are The Lucky Ones/Living in the Sticks 1979 (EMI)
- Own LP 1979 (EMI)
- Four From the Square EP 1980 (Parlophone)
- What Will Mother Say 1980 (Parlophone)
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book|last=Gimarc|first=George|authorlink1=George Gimarc|title=Punk Diary: the Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-87930-848-3}}
External links
- {{discogs artist|The Flys (2)|The Flys}}
- {{cite web |url= http://punkmodpop.free.fr/flysview.htm |series= Interview |title= Neil O'Connor— The Flys |date= Aug 2007 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 13 November 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081113152646/http://punkmodpop.free.fr/flysview.htm |website= Punk Mod Pop }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flys, The}}
Category:Musical groups established in 1976
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1980
Category:English punk rock groups