Powered by
last.fm
The Pop Group were a post-punk band which formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. They consisted of
Mark Stewart (vocals), John Waddington (guitar), Gareth Sager (guitar), Simon Underwood (bass) and Bruce Smith (drums).
Their uncompromising, dissonant sound spanned
punk,
free jazz,
funk and
dub music. Their lyrics were, more often than not, politically charged. In '79 they issued their debut single, "
She Is Beyond Good and Evil" on the
Radar label.
Their debut album
Y, was produced by reggae veteran
Dennis Bovell to critical acclaim but low sales figures. Although it did not chart, the album's success was sufficient to convince
Rough Trade to sign the band, but not before more line-up changes, with Dan Katsis, formerly a guitarist in the
Glaxo Babies, replacing Underwood on bass.
The band's career with Rough Trade commenced with what is possibly their best-known single "
We Are All Prostitutes", which featuring a guest appearance by free improviser
Tristan Honsinger on cello. This was followed the release of their second album,
For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? in 1980, which included a contribution from US proto-rappers
The Last Poets.
Shortly afterwards The Pop Group released a split single, "
Where There's A Will...", with
The Slits, a band with whom they now shared a drummer and managers (Christine Robertson and Dick O'Dell), as well as a growing interest in exploring musical genres such as dub and funk rhythms.
The band split in 1981, after legal wranglings and internal disagreements. Members of the group went on to form bands including
Pigbag,
Maximum Joy,
Head and
Rip Rig & Panic, the latter notable for the involvement of
Neneh Cherry.
Singer Mark Stewart, meanwhile, collaborated with
Adrian Sherwood and the On-U Sound posse, issuing records firstly as Mark Stewart and Maffia, then as a solo artist.
The Pop Group and associated bands started a Bristol 'scene' that would later spawn
trip-hop.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
