Stratford Mercenaries were an English punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band that was formed in late 1995 by Gary "Gazzer" Buckley from the punk band Dirt

DIRT (band)

DIRT were an anarcho-punk band from the UK. Initially formed in 1980 , the band frequently played with fellow anarchists Crass, before releasing their first EP, Object, Refuse, Reject, Abuse on the Crass Records label...

 and Ed "Eddafed" Addley from the punk band Suicidal Supermarket Trolleys. The band was joined by Steve Ignorant

Steve Ignorant

Steve Ignorant is a singer and artist. He co-founded the anarcho-punk band Crass with Penny Rimbaud in 1977. After Crass stopped performing in 1984, he has worked with other groups including Conflict, Schwartzeneggar, The Stratford Mercenaries, Current 93 , US punk band Thought Crime, as well as...

 from the punk rock band Crass

Crass

Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...

 and Phil Barker from the punk rock band the Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...

in early 1996.

The band released a 4-track Extended Play recording in August 1996, followed by their first album in 1997 titled "No Sighing Strains of Violins". Tours of the USA, Europe and Japan followed in 1997. A follow up album was released in 1998 titled "A Sense of Solitude".