The Stiffs formed in 1977, as a bunch of 15 year old schoolkids.
Their first single 'Standard English' was released in early 1979 on their own Dork Records label. The much more impressive follow up "Inside Out"/"Kids on the street" was also released on Dork Records in December 1979 and both sides became instant favourites of BBC Radio One`s John Peel, who was quoted as saying on air that it was 'the finest record in the entire history of the universe'!
EMI quickly snapped the band up and re-issued 'Inside Out' on their Zonophone subsidiary in early 1980.
The single 'Volume Control' was released by Zonophone in November 1980 but it`s lack of chart success prompted EMI to release the band from their contract and cancel plans for an album.
The Stiffs signed to Stiffs Records in January 1981 for a one-off single 'Goodbye my love'(a cover of the 1975 Glitter Band hit, whilst the band went out on a UK tour with the U.K.Subs.
Despite massive radio airplay 'Goodbye my love' failed to hit the Top 50 and the band were once again without a record deal.
Several line-up changes ensued, but the Stiffs didn`t release another single until 1985 with 'The Young Guitars' 12" single...once again on their own Dork Records. After incessant touring the band folded in 1988, leaving behind a fairly large legacy of unissued material.
In 1999, Captain Oi! Records put together "The Stiffs-The Punk Collection"...an album featuring the bands singles plus the best of The Stiffs` previously unreleased material.
A Live reunion of the original line-up in July 1999 spawned the "Volume Control - Live" album, released by Receiver Records in 2000. Several festival appearances followed.
2001 saw two further compilation albums appear. "Innocent Bystanders" on EMI covered the band`s early period, whilst the "Stiffology" album (Angel Air Records)filled in the gaps in the band`s fragmented career between 1981 to 1988.
Phil Hendriks toured Japan with a revamped Stiffs line-up in 2002 to promote the re-issue of 2 of the band`s singles by '1977' Records and recorded a brand new Japan-only single "Four Winds".
The Stiffs' original line-up reconvened in November 2005 and the resulting reunion show was filmed and recorded for a DVD entitled "Let's Activate", released on Dork Records in 2006.
Since then, the Stiffs have made other festival appearances, including 'Antifest' in the Czech Republic in Summer 2007. |
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