Disco Zombies

Melodic Leicester, England punk band Disco Zombies included bassist Geoff Dodimead, drummer Andy Fullerton, guitarist Johnny “Guitar” Hawkins, and vocalist/guitarist Andy Ross, until Dave Henderson — who had done costume design for Derek Jarman's film Jubilee — was added as a vocalist. The quintet recorded a four-track EP, but it went unreleased for some time; the mastering and pressing company that had a deal with their label went out of business. Minus Hawkins, the band moved to London and went through a couple more guitarists until Mark Sutherland stabilized the lineup. That version of the band recorded and released “Drums Over London” (1979) on Ross’ South Circular label; the A-side was a favorite of BBC DJ John Peel, who had to explain to Rock Against Racism that the band had made, as described by Henderson, “an ironic stab at people’s hostility to the arrival of other cultures.” The band’s first EP, The Invisible EP, was finally released later in the year. Fullerton split and was eventually replaced with a drum machine. Henderson used his own label, Dining Out, to release Disco Zombies' final piece of vinyl, “Here Come the Buts” (1980). More material was recorded, but plans to release it fell through. Henderson and Ross later recorded with 23 Skidoo's Alex Turnbull as Club Tango. Ross partnered with David Balfe to operate Balfe's Food label, home to the likes of Jesus Jones, Blur, and Idlewild, while Henderson became a magazine editor and a managing director for British media company Emap. In 2010, spurred by the Acute label’s plan to reissue the band’s three vinyl releases along with unreleased and live material, the band re-formed to play one show. Acute released Drums Over London the following September in vinyl and digital-download forms.