Also known as Syndrome (1975) Associated acts The Sound | Genres Punk rock Genre Punk rock | |
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Years active 1975 (1975)–1979 (1979) Past members Adrian Borland
Bob Lawrence
Adrian Janes Origin Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom (1975) Members Adrian Borland, Adrian Janes Albums Calling on Youth, Close Up, One to Infinity, Read Between The Lines, City Streets | ||
The Outsiders were an English punk rock group, formed in 1975 in Wimbledon, England and consisting of singer-guitarist Adrian Borland, bass guitarist Bob Lawrence and drummer Adrian Janes – the former two of which would go on to form the critically successful post-punk band The Sound.
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Their debut LP, Calling on Youth, was the first self-released punk album in the UK.
History
The Outsiders formed in Wimbledon, London, England in 1975. They were originally called "Syndrome" but changed their name to "The Outsiders" in 1976, inspired by Albert Camus' novel The Outsider.
Their debut LP, Calling on Youth, was the first self-released punk album in the UK.
Vocalist-guitarist Adrian Borland was central to the group, rounded out by Bob Lawrence on bass guitar and Adrian "Jan" Janes on drums. Their debut LP, Calling On Youth, was self-released on their Raw Edge label in May 1977, and won them unfavourable reviews: "apple-cheeked Ade has a complexion that would turn a Devon milkmaid green with envy", reported Julie Burchill of the New Musical Express.
An EP that November, One to Infinity, was labelled as "Tuneless, gormless, gutless... I like them a lot" by Tony Parsons in the NME, but was praised in a less contradictory manner elsewhere.
It was followed by a second album, Close Up, in 1979. This received better, but still cautious, reviews from the press; the NME concluded that it was a patchy album, but from "a band with a future".
After this album, Lawrence and Janes left, and Borland went on to front the critically successful post-punk group The Sound.
Discography
Songs
Calling on YouthCalling on Youth · 1977
Vital HoursClose Up · 1979
Conspiracy of WarClose Up · 1979