The Following is taken from the book "Burning Britain" by Ian Glasper.

The biggest of the 2nd Wave bands to emerge from Wales, The Partisans formed in Bridgend in early 1978, whilst still in their early teens. Their original lineup comprised Phil Stanton on vocals, Rob 'Spike' Harrington on guitar and vocals, Andy Lealand, also on guitar, Mark 'Shark' Harris on drums, and Mark 'Savage' Parsons on bass. When Savage and Phil left, the following year, after playing just one show at a local school, Spike moved to main vocals and Andy's girlfriend Louise Wright joined on bass, completing what is still regarded by many to this day as the 'classic' Partisans lineup. The band formed after being swept away by the excitement of the earliest punk bands, especially The Clash, the Sex Pistols and The Ramones - even though they had problems getting into many of the gigs they desperately wanted to attend. "Being fifteen or sixteen was a bit of a disadvantage," reckons Spike. "We got turned away from some gigs which we really wanted to get into. Nothing like punk had ever happened before, so even dressing mildly differently caused quite a stir. "You just can't beat the twisted teenage punk angst of the Buzzcocks. There were some bands like the Desperate Bicycles, and Patrick Fitzgerald, who summed up the whole DIY thing for me. And really early on in Wales there was a band from Cardiff called Victimize. I've still got their pin badge somewhere - 'fuck the Pistols, I've been Victimized'!" "The scene was obviously more exciting then as it was all new and fresh," says Andy. "The early Clash gigs were the best I have ever been to. Almost all the punk bands coming out between '77 and '79 had a big influence upon us. As far as I recall there were no local bands that influenced us as such, but there were loads of Welsh bands by around 1981; Foreign Legion (or Dead On Arrival, as they were known back then), Pseudo Sadists, The Oppressed… all of them doing their own thing." "All the usual first wave punk bands, definitely," agrees Shark of the band's influences. "Not really any of the second wave bands - they were ok but didn't inspire us. We were the only Welsh punk band noticeably active prior to 1980, I think." It wasn't long before The Partisans did a tape of some of their favourite punk cover songs, and soon after they went to Cardiff's 123 Studios to record their first real demo, which included early versions of tracks that would eventually appear on their debut album. A copy was sent to Sounds, and it made number two in Gary Bushell's playlist that week. Their old singer, Phil Stanton, who was going out with Spike's older sister at the time, and who even co-wrote some of those songs with the band, sent the demo off to Malvern label, No Future, who promptly signed them. The first release was the double A-side single, 'Police Story'/'Killing Machine', which came out in September 1981, spent twenty-two weeks in the Indie charts (peaking at No. 5.), and earned the band another rave review in Sounds. Although rather throwaway compared to the band's later material, it nonetheless throbs with a barely contained exuberance and intensity, and it's difficult not to succumb to its youthful charm. Gary Bushell was by this time so enamoured with the band, he invited them to appear on his third 'Oi' album, the hugely successful 'Carry On Oi', which was not only an Indie hit but made No. 60 in the National Charts too. The band contributed 'Arms Race' and 'No U Turns', two of the stronger tracks on the compilation, and found themselves gigging with other Oi bands such as The Ejected and label-mates Blitz. "The Oi thing caused some hassle at gigs," reckons Spike. "We were from a place right between Cardiff and Swansea, and there's huge football rivalry between the two. Some punks and skins just used gigs as an excuse to be totally fucking pathetic... no doubt, I'll get a punch in the face for saying that!" The next release for the band was the '17 Years Of Hell' single, in May 1982. "That's our worst release for me," spits Shark, rather harshly. "It was totally fucked up by our producer!" "No Future put us in a really expensive studio called Utopia," elaborates Andy, "And although it cost an arm and a leg, it was totally unsuited to our sound." The A-side was a change of pace for the band, a rolling mid-tempo number with an insistent backing vocal, but the two cuts on the flip were more standard fare, tearing along at 100mph and raging against the establishment ('I'm anti-Queen… and I don't wanna live in no Union Jack,' yells Spike on the combustive 'Power And Greed'). It was another Indie hit, this time reaching No. 2 in the chart, but neither band nor label really capitalised on its success with any concerted touring. Half of The Partisans were still at school when their No Future singles were released, and if it hadn't been for Andy's step-father Keith being prepared to hire vans and drive the band around, they probably wouldn't have played any of their early London shows at all. Then, when they did manage to overcome such logistical problems and actually play out of Wales, they had mindless violence to contend with. Not least of all a show in Wolverhampton that deteriorated into one massive brawl. "No one in the band can be perceived as a 'bovver boy'; we are normal, peace-loving, passive types, and we hate aggressive behaviour… especially when it's unchanneled aggression. All the biggest dick heads are the violent ones. Anyway, that night there was some stupid fuck who obviously wanted Louise's attention, and, having no personality and even less charm, he decided that if he lobbed a glass at her face, hopefully she would fall in love with him or something? I saw it all through the corner of my eye, so I jumped on the guy and the rest of the band joined in, and the whole pub turned into a blood bath. Scary shit, and just the kind of stuff that makes intelligent bands split up." Indeed, in the face of such stupidity, the band actually broke up during the summer of '82. Andy and Louise had split up ("but she's still a really good mate… and oddly enough she's now going out with Sav, our very first bass player," says Spike), with Andy moving to London. He ended up living in a squat with various members of Sex Gang Children, whom he also worked for as a roadie. In late 1982, to fulfill contractual obligations, The Partisans reformed and recorded their self-titled debut album, which came out in February the following year. Twelve tracks of abrasive, pissed-off punk rock, so tight it squeaked, it was recorded with Andy traveling back to Wales for the day. "As usual we didn't rehearse before we went into the studio," admits Andy. "And I think we just recorded it as if it was a demo, completely live with a few overdubs. It was all done and mixed within eight hours or something; we really had no idea what we were doing, and I don't think we cared that much. We just sent it off to No Future and they released it shortly afterwards." As well as re-recorded versions of the tracks that appeared on the 'Oi' album (and '17 Years Of Hell'), the standout tracks were the band's theme song, 'Partisans', and the defiantly sneering 'I Don't Give A Fuck'. It was another top five Indie hit, and reached the No. 1 spot in the Punk charts. By this time Louise was rapidly becoming Punk's second most popular pin-up, hot on the heels of Beki Bondage, and just her image on the covers seemingly helped attract the band a few more listeners, although her high speed picking belied her demure looks. "We all liked The Adverts, and I guess, indirectly, we stole the idea from them, having a girl on bass and stuff," says Andy. "Yeah, the press did focus a little more on her, but we didn't care that much." "It was whilst listening to records with a friend that I saw a picture of this stunningly attractive young lass on the cover of one of his compilation LPs," admits Lyndon Henstridge, responsible for the excellent unofficial No Future website. "Upon my enquiry, he informed me of the band in which she played, and this was my introduction to The Partisans. Within days, I had purchased their debut LP and was immediately drawn to it. From the opening track to the rather unusual 'Overdose', this was a piece of vinyl well worth the money that I'd paid … and there was the added bonus of more photographs of the lovely Louise! "The mix of raw power and aggression, blended well with the melodic and tuneful backing music, kept it on my turntable for a couple of weeks. I particularly liked the idea of their self-titled track, something that could be used as their anthem at gigs." Spike still regards the album favourably, over twenty years on. "I especially like 'Overdose' from that first album, even though it's a bit of a Chelsea rip-off, haha! Even quirky songs like 'No Time' were quite catchy too, and 'Arms Race' was good 'cos it's unfortunately still 100% appropriate today!" Despite the album doing so well, the band that actually recorded it did very few gigs, and soon there were yet more changes in The Partisans camp. Louise left for good, and the remaining two members also relocated to London to continue the band as a three-piece. The few shows they played with Spike handling both vocal and guitar duties, with Andy on bass, didn't work out, and they ended up recruiting Dave Parsons to replace Louise. Relations had also soured with No Future, and a fresh deal was inked with Link Records who signed the band to their new Cloak And Dagger imprint in late '83. "We insisted on the Cloak And Dagger tag," reckons Andy. "That was our idea 'cos we didn't want to be on an Oi-only label. We were all a bit dubious of Oi music by then, and besides, we had grown up with Punk, and Oi had made little real impression on us musically." The resulting 'Blind Ambition' EP really saw the band come of age, effortlessly shirking off any generic trappings they had inadvertently landed themselves with and embracing a far more tuneful approach. The single just oozes maturity and confidence, especially the title track with its insistent descending verse quite literally exploding into the majestic chorus riff. However, despite a full marks review in Punk Lives, it failed to set the charts alight in the same way as the band's previous output. In a further effort to break new ground, The Partisans supported Conflict at the Brixton Ace on a bill that was dominated by anarcho bands, and, testament to their crossover appeal, they went down extremely well. "We liked Crass from the outset," reveals Spike. "And the whole Union Jack/Oi tag was pissing us off a bit, so playing with Conflict seemed the natural thing to do; maybe we should have played with them a lot sooner…!" Their set was recorded and appeared as one side of their second album, 'Time Was Right', although by the time they recorded the studio side, Dave had left (he went on to join Transvision Vamp, and now plays in Bush!) so Andy played all the bass parts. "We actually wanted to do a complete studio album," he explains. "But we didn't have enough songs and the record company really wanted to release something as soon as possible, as the whole punk scene was on its last legs. It probably would have taken us another two years just to get our shit together and write some new stuff, so we did that half studio/half live thing." In fact, the label was in such a rush to get the album out, the mixes that got used on the final cut weren't actually the ones intended for release! "It was chaos as usual," signs Andy. "I think we had, like, three days to do that album. The first day was a complete disaster; we had been sold some really bad speed and as a result we recorded everything out of time… we didn't have a clue what was going on, so the next day we redone the tracks, which went pretty well. On the last day it was the mix, and we all got stoned at the mixing desk, including the producer, and everything sounded fantastic, the levels were perfect… anyway, we were stoned for months afterwards, so nothing sounded weird. It was only when we were straight again that we realised the mixes were all fucked up! Luckily we had done some better mixes of 'I Never Needed You' and 'The Time Was Right', but it was too late - the album had already been released, and the good mixes had disappeared." Despite all this, 'Time Was Right' remains a miraculously cohesive effort. It opens with a rockier, far more accomplished reworking of 'I Never Needed You', that originally appeared on their debut album, but the similarities between the two records end there. Most of the thrashy speed had been replaced by simple infectious beats and good old fashioned tunes, harking back to the classic punk bands that influenced the band in the first place. "Old age!" jokes Shark, as to the reasons behind their change in musical direction. "No, it was just a natural progression as we got older… and we weren't worried about losing fans; we would have done it anyway." "Everything changes, everything, why shouldn't we?" adds Andy. "As for losing fans, who cares? It's up to them to make their own life, isn't it? Not to expect us to live up to their expectations! "Listen, punk was shit by 1982, and just getting worse by the minute! We stayed 'punk' as far as we were concerned; just 'cos we could play our guitars didn't mean that we were not punk anymore. We just weren't interested in keeping an audience with such a sheep-like attitude!" "We've never really done that many gigs," ponders Spike. "But when we do get together, playing the earlier stuff is a real buzz… and that's what matters at the end of the day for me. It's why you're doing it that counts… however the tune sounds… well, within reason I suppose! After all, there's only so much you can do with a Marshall amp, a shit government and three chords!" Whatever the reasons behind the shift in style, there is no denying that the new Partisans were an infinitely more professional sounding band, and for every diehard punk they lost through one door, they gained a discerning rock fan in the other. "Their third single, Blind Ambition, was sufficiently different to their previous releases, without being too different," reckons Lyndon Henstridge. "The tracks are much more refined and melodic, whilst maintaining the punk riffs, and it is their best single, if you ask me. "Their second LP was released at about the same time, and follows the same style as the single. In my opinion, it was better than the first LP, even though it doesn't include the intended cuts of each track. In fact, the title track is my favourite ever Partisans song." "Forget the live side (it's okay), forget the first album (sounded great then, but doesn't stand the test of time) and go straight to the second Partisans album," enthuses Sean from London's Rough Trade shop who rates 'Time Was Right' as his all-time favourite Eighties punk album. "Each track is worth the admission price alone; it has the power, passion and tunes, but most of all it has soul. Over the years I've had to buy this record three times because I keep wearing it out!" Despite great reviews across the board and modestly successful sales - it troubled the Indie top twenty for a few weeks upon its release during July '84 - the band were slowly and unspectacularly coming apart at the seams. "After farting around so much with record companies, we just lost interest," says Shark. "I also realized that I had to work to earn a living, haha!" "We were getting shafted by everyone in the business," sighs Andy. "We couldn't even afford to rehearse in the end, there was no money coming in at all. We didn't split really; there was no official statement or anything - we just lost interest in the whole thing. The so-called punk rock record labels were treating us like mutes, idiots… we just couldn't continue. What was the point of writing new songs for some asshole that was not going to pay us for our efforts?" "I'm not convinced that we ever wanted to be in a 'proper' band, anyway," adds Spike. "I don't think we knew what it meant, or required from us, and when we started to investigate, we thought 'fuck this'! The whole punk thing that we grew up with, and what we were doing, became a contradiction, and our enthusiasm for being in a band just got diverted into other interests." The band went their separate ways; Andy moved to Sweden, Spike became a hospital orderly for a while, before moving home to South Wales, and Shark went to work on the oil rigs before disappearing off to the Far East for several years. Andy and Spike kept in touch though, and in 1989, actually recorded two songs together as Agent Orange ["Spike and I didn't want to cash in on The Partisans name"]. The resulting 'Run Go Grab' and 'Eyes Shut', although recorded with a drum machine, were both decent tunes giving a very definite nod towards the duo's beloved Clash. During the late Nineties, The Partisans got back together as a proper band again, this time recruiting two of Andy's Swedish friends, Magnus Neundorff and Mikael 'Gustav' Gustavsson, and in 2001, American label TKO released the 'So Neat' single. "I still like to play guitar and write tunes," reckons Andy. "And Spike writes some good lyrics, although it's more of a project than a reformation. As for what's next, well… I guess we will just put out the odd record every few years or so, and play a few little gigs here and there." "We carry on doing what we always did because we can," adds Spike. "It's sad, pathetic and sounds really arrogant, but like the song used to go, 'I don't give a fuck'. And what's more, the new songs kick ass!" The TKO single is excellent, picking up the band's creative thread somewhere around the 'Blind Ambition' period, and the CD version includes an extra track 'Hysteria', which rates as one of the best songs The Partisans have ever put their name to. The band is currently working on a brand new album but remain as elusive as ever on the live front. "The world has changed in so many ways in the past twenty years, but it's still the same shits running the show," says Spike in closing. "But if there's still a fifteen year old out there somewhere getting inspired by a song like 'Garageland', good on 'em! "We never set out to achieve anything, and we haven't, so no regrets there then, I guess! But just to be remembered, for better or for worse, is good enough for me. Oh, and Tony Blair is a cunt. Can I say that?"

Select discography:

7"s: 'Police Story' (No Future, 1981)

'17 Years Of Hell' (No Future, 1982)

'Blind Ambition' (Link/Cloak and Dagger, 1983) 'So Neat' (TKO, 2001) - also available as a CDEP LPs: 'The Partisans' (No Future, 1983) 'Time Was Right' (Link/Cloak And Dagger, 1984) At A Glance: Captain Oi's 'The Best Of The Partisans' CD features all the band's Eighties singles, their tracks from the 'Carry On Oi' album, and selected cuts from the debut album. There's a discography, good liner notes, artwork and photos, and even the two Agent Orange demo tracks from 1989 - even though the band dispute that they were ever intended to be released under The Partisans moniker.