Genres Post-punk | Genre Post-punk | |
Years active 1976–1984, 1989, 2007–present Past members Red Helmet
Les Denham
Tim Magenta
Rab Aitch
Eddie Hall
Tony Wright Origin Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom (1976) Albums Laughing Academy, Gigantic Days, Revolution by Numbers, 7 Members Brian Bond, Nevilluxury, Jimi Giro, Steve Sekrit, Red Helmet, Malakabala, Mark Duncan, Les Denham Record labels Small Wonder Records, Red Rhino Records, Liberty Similar The Cravats, Fatal Microbes, Doll by Doll, Leyton Buzzards, Spizzenergi Profiles | ||
Punishment of luxury puppet life original 45 version
Punishment of Luxury, also known as Punilux, are a four-man post-punk band from Newcastle, England, who were active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They released an album Laughing Academy on United Artists, and another on Red Rhino Records. They reformed in the late 1980s and again in 2007.
Contents
Punishment of luxury puppet life
History
From a background working in left-wing English fringe theatre groups, Punishment Of Luxury were a four-man post-punk band formed in December 1976 in Newcastle. Taking their name from an 1891 painting by Giovanni Segantini in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, the band consisted initially of Brian Bond (born Brian Rapkin - vocals), Neville Luxury (born Neville Atkinson - guitar, vocals), Red Helmet (guitar, vocals), Jimi Giro (bass guitar, vocals), and "Liquid" Les Denham (drums). They released a single, "Puppet Life" on the Small Wonder label in July 1978. In 1979 they signed to United Artists and released the singles "Engine Of Excess" and, with new drummer Steve Sekrit (born Steven Robson), "Secrets", and the album Laughing Academy. In the Summer of 1979 they played at the Reading Rock Festival after Bostik Swastika and The Cure and before The Tourists and Motörhead. 1980 saw the release of the single "Laughing Academy". An extensive European tour followed and United Artists sent the band into the studio to record another album, a concept album to be called Gigantic Days. However while the recording was still going on, United Artists were taken over by EMI, who dropped the band. A final European tour was followed by Bond's departure.
Neville, Sekrit and Giro recruited guitarist Tim Magenta to a new lineup, now going by the name Punilux. They released a further album on the Red Rhino label, 7 in 1983, with Magenta replaced by Rab Aitch, before Neville Luxury went solo, releasing the mini-album Feels Like Dancing Wartime in 1984. The album Gigantic Days was finally released, on CD, in 1998 by Overground Records.
Recent
In 2007 they reunited and played a few songs for the bassist Jimi Giro's 50th birthday party. A little more than a year later they landed a gig at a small pub in Gateshead, in the north-east of England called The Three Tuns. The gig was considered a success and was written about in The Guardian newspaper. The band are planning on more gigs in the future and introducing more new material, of which a taster was given in the form of one song called Fracture at the Three Tuns. On 12 June 2009 they played at the Luminaire in Kilburn, North London.
The band released a CD, '5', of new material in March/April 2012.
Albums
Singles
Songs
Puppet LifeLaughing Academy · 1979
Laughing AcademyLaughing Academy · 1979
All White JackLaughing Academy · 1979