Formed in 1976, London took their name from the capital city from which they were spawned and were an integral part of the original punk scene, issuing a handful of singles and a critically-acclaimed album (Animal Games) in a frenzied burst of activity. After disbanding in early 1978, London laid dormant for three decades before returning with the album Reboot. Since then it has been full steam ahead and the band are gearing up for a busy summer including dates at the Rebellion Festival and Northampton’s The Black Prince venue. Therefore, we though it was high time to catch up with vocalist Miles Tredinnick (aka Riff Regan), here’s what he had to say:
I wonder what was your first introduction to punk? Was there a single moment where punk changed everything, or was it more a gradual shift?
I was living in central London and been working as an office boy at RSO Records with people like Eric Clapton and the Bee Gees. At the time I was sharing a flat with a load of other musicians and all we wanted to do was form bands and get out there and play but it was a frustrating time. The long hot summer of 1976 was pretty much a non-event for new music in London and then slowly all these pubs and clubs started putting on new bands. It was really a continuation of the pub rock scene that bands like Dr Feelgood, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and Brinsley Schwarz had started. We began checking out the new acts that were appearing including The Damned, Generation X, Squeeze and The Jam. I don’t think there was a single moment where everything changed but just a gradual shift and awareness until there were gigs happening every night at venues like the Hope & Anchor, Dingwalls, the Red Cow, and the Nashville etc. It was a good time to be living in London that’s for sure. Live music every night.
The formation of London; do you think you’d have been in a band if it wasn’t for punk?
Oh yes, it was all I ever wanted to do back then. Write songs and be in a band. But getting a band going was difficult before 1976 because you had to be musically very skilled and all the bands that had been successful did everything they could to stop others trying to get on the ladder – the very opposite of the punk ethos really. There was no way in a million years that you could get a record contract unless you sounded like ELP, Yes or Genesis. And I didn’t like any of that prog rock stuff anyway, I was more into Bowie, Mott the Hoople and Lou Reed. When the new young bands started playing the pubs and clubs it was like all the lights had suddenly been switched on. It was all so accessible.
Looking back at the band’s first tenure, it seems you packed a lot into a short time frame. Do you feel the band burnt themselves out, or were you powered by youthful enthusiasm?
Yes, we were only together for about a year, seems extraordinary looking back now. We were very lucky that early on we got the support slot on the Stranglers’ Rattus Norvegicus UK tour after we did an audition for JJ Burnel and Hugh Cornwell at our tiny rehearsal room in Kilburn. At the same time we had just signed to MCA Records and they rush-released our first single Everyone’s a Winner. That was an exciting moment – actually having a record being played on the radio. Unfortunately, despite another couple of releases (the Summer of Love 12-inch EP and the Animal Games single), we just couldn’t crack the charts and in November Jon Moss decided to quit London when he was asked to replace Rat Scabies in The Damned. We played our final gig at the Marquee. The three of us then tried out a few drummers including ex-Chelsea and Generation X drummer John Towe but it wasn’t the same and we stupidly threw in the towel just as the Animal Games album came out and started getting some good reviews. I suppose we did burn out a bit, 1977 had been a busy year, but the feeling was that we’d eventually find ourselves a new drummer and carry on. But suddenly the band was no more. Steve went off and formed a new outfit called The Original Vampires and Dave joined the band Metro before playing with Holly and the Italians. I was still signed to MCA Records to fulfil the recording contract and made a load of diverse solo singles with musicians like Jon Moss, Lu Edmonds, Brinsley Schwarz, Steve Voice, Dave Wight, and Ian Ritchie. The tracks were produced by Simon Napier-Bell and Andy Miller and then later by Liam Sternberg who went on to write ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ for the Bangles.
What was the circumstances surrounding the band’s resurrection in 2008?
That was all Steve Voice’s idea. We hadn’t met up in 25 years when suddenly he got in touch and asked if I wanted to play some gigs for old times’ sake. By this time I had become a comedy writer writing scripts for Frankie Howerd and BBC sitcoms like Birds of a Feather. I was also an open-top bus tour guide in London which was a great job. We had to find a new guitarist and drummer as Dave Wight lived too far away and Jon Moss was too busy with Culture Club. Steve found guitarist Hugh O’Donnell and drummer Colin Watterston playing in the DBs, a local punk band in Hampshire, and they agreed to give it a go.
What was it like revisiting and playing the old songs after all that time?
Very exciting. We had our first rehearsal in an old pub skittle alley just outside Andover in late 2007. Steve rehearsed with Hugh and Colin first and then I turned up and ruined it all with my screeching! Actually they are all good musicians so it sounded great from the start. It reminded me of the first rehearsal with Jon, Steve and Dave. You just know when something is going to work and, to be honest, it’s a great relief when you find it. It’s only my opinion but I think many musicians waste time in bands where the chemistry isn’t there but they hope it will eventually develop. Best to bail out early if things don’t click straight away. The first line-up of London only lasted a year but what a year it was!
The band is very much a contemporary concern, releasing new music. How do you balance keeping the old fans happy whilst releasing new music?
Well naturally people want to hear all the 1977 stuff so we mix that in with any new material. But this year we’ve decided to play the entire Animal Games album and the tracks off our Summer of Love EP. Obviously we all want to play new stuff but any band will tell you that doesn’t always go down too well. Not at first, anyway. People always want to hear their faves so you need to strike the right balance. Even when Reboot came out we only played a few of the songs mixed in with the better-known numbers. And there’s been a bit of a delay in performing our last album, The Hell for Leather Mob, which is a kind of Quadrophenia style rock-opera thing that we released during lockdown. We’ve never played it live but it would be great to perform those songs at some stage. It’s highly theatrical and would work well on stage.
Lots of bands now play an album in its entirety and personally I quite like it. I remember going to see The Damned a few years ago and they played their first album straight through track-by-track. It was brilliant.
You’re back out on the road and play in Northampton on 28th June. It’s not your first time playing here. How do you feel about playing in “Shoe Town”?
We love playing Northampton. There’s always a good crowd and Alex the promoter gets us in to play some great venues. It’s definitely one of our favourite places to play.
The Northampton gig will feature original ‘77 punks G.B.H. (Garage Band Heroes) who you’ve never played with before. Do you ever get a chance to check out the support bands?
Yes, we like to check out as many bands as we can. It’s not always possible as we’re usually prepping ourselves for our own set but we try and hear as many bands as possible. If you look along the back wall whilst a band is on you’ll usually spot our ugly mugs all standing there like a police station ID parade!
You’ll be playing Rebellion this year and performing your debut album in full. Do you have any similar surprises for the Northampton gig?
We’ll be playing the entire Animal Games album at Northampton and one or two other songs. That’s the game plan for all the gigs this summer. We haven’t played the album in its entirety since 1977 although we did do an unplugged acoustic version in Brighton a few years ago which went down well. We’re really looking forward to performing the album and there may well be a surprise or two!
Finally, what are your plans regarding London for the rest of 2024 and beyond?
We’re keen to record some new songs and get out there and do more gigs. But things in the London camp are notoriously slow. Just when you think whatever happened to London?, we come back and pop up somewhere! Fortunately our fans are very understanding and just grab the band whenever we come out of hibernation! We’re very grateful that they’re so patient really so a big thank you to everyone out there!
