The Expelled
Encyclopedia
The Expelled are a punk rock
band first formed in July 1981 in Leeds
, England
. The original line-up consisted of Jo Ball (vocals), Tim Ramsden (guitar
), Craig 'Macca' McEvoy (bass
) and Rick Fox (drums
).
After gigging around Leeds the band signed a record deal with Riot City Records
after Rick Fox gave a demo tape to the drummer of Vice Squad
, (one of the groups chief influences). They went on to release a three track extended player
and a single
both in 1982, and then do a John Peel
session on BBC Radio 1
in December 1982.
Ball left in 1983 and the band tried out several female vocalists, touring with one (Jewlie) and recording two songs with another (Penny, a girlfriend of Vice Squad guitarist Dave Bateman), before deciding to carry on as a three piece with McEvoy taking over on vocals.
The new line-up recorded four tracks for an unreleased 12", 'Waiting for Tomorrow', before Riot City Records ran into financial problems and the band split in May 1984.
McEvoy went on to play bass for The Underdogs, Fox played drums for Cross Connection, and Tim Ramsden hung up his guitar.
Following the release of a track by The Expelled on a 1999 compilation album
released by the Captain Oi! label, Fox put the band back together and the original line-up rehearsed, but never gigged, before going their separate ways.
Still determined to reform the group Fox asked Becky Laurance, the singer with another band he had joined around this time, The Tricycle Thieves, to front The Expelled and again contacted McEvoy who brought with him Dougie, the lead guitarist from his other band, The Poison Hearts.
The new line-up were still touring as of 2003.
Fox now plays drums in The Measles and can be seen playing all over Yorkshire. As well as playing in the Measles, Rick, under his alias 'The Colonel', is also the manager of premier punk covers band Kerpunk! http://www.facebook.com/pages/KERPUNK-Punks-Not-Dead-Until-We-Kill-It/456733390246
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 first formed in July 1981 in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The original line-up consisted of Jo Ball (vocals), Tim Ramsden (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Craig 'Macca' McEvoy (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Rick Fox (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
After gigging around Leeds the band signed a record deal with Riot City Records
Riot City Records
Riot City was a British record label based in Bristol, active between 1980 and 1988, and run by Heartbeat Records boss Simon Edwards along with Dave Bateman and Shane Baldwin from the band Vice Squad...
after Rick Fox gave a demo tape to the drummer of Vice Squad
Vice Squad
Vice Squad is a punk band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. The band formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. Songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member and is currently with the band, although there was a period of time when the band had a different...
, (one of the groups chief influences). They went on to release a three track extended player
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
both in 1982, and then do a John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in December 1982.
Ball left in 1983 and the band tried out several female vocalists, touring with one (Jewlie) and recording two songs with another (Penny, a girlfriend of Vice Squad guitarist Dave Bateman), before deciding to carry on as a three piece with McEvoy taking over on vocals.
The new line-up recorded four tracks for an unreleased 12", 'Waiting for Tomorrow', before Riot City Records ran into financial problems and the band split in May 1984.
McEvoy went on to play bass for The Underdogs, Fox played drums for Cross Connection, and Tim Ramsden hung up his guitar.
Following the release of a track by The Expelled on a 1999 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by the Captain Oi! label, Fox put the band back together and the original line-up rehearsed, but never gigged, before going their separate ways.
Still determined to reform the group Fox asked Becky Laurance, the singer with another band he had joined around this time, The Tricycle Thieves, to front The Expelled and again contacted McEvoy who brought with him Dougie, the lead guitarist from his other band, The Poison Hearts.
The new line-up were still touring as of 2003.
Fox now plays drums in The Measles and can be seen playing all over Yorkshire. As well as playing in the Measles, Rick, under his alias 'The Colonel', is also the manager of premier punk covers band Kerpunk! http://www.facebook.com/pages/KERPUNK-Punks-Not-Dead-Until-We-Kill-It/456733390246
Discography
Singles- "No Life, No Future" (1982)
- "Government Policy" (1982)
- 'Waiting for Tomorrow' (Unreleased)