On New Year's Eve 1977, after seeing the Ramones at London's Roundhouse, Steve Drewett was inspired to form a punk band. The resulting three-piece took the name of Newtown Neurotics, derived from a life time in their home town of Harlow in Essex, one of a number of post-war new towns that were to introduce people to a new way of living.
The band's debut album was preceded by a handful of brilliant, thoughtful punk rock singles, each of which now commands a high price if you want to get your hands on them. 'Beggars Can Be Choosers' arrived in the Autumn of 1983 which was a rough time in the UK. Margaret Thatcher had been returned for a second term of government on the back of the Falklands conflict, protests continued at Greenham Common as American cruise missiles were staged in the UK, unemployment topped 3 million, the charts were shite and unknown at the time, the Miner's Strike was less than six months away. Happy days they were not.
The Neurotics became somewhat associated with the 'UK 82' punk scene, but their presence was something of an anomaly. Many of the bands involved in that scene did not take themselves very seriously... the Test Tubes, Anti-Nowhere League, the Adicts, I could go on (that's not to say tha the Neurotics were dour though!). Their songs too, if not incompatible were coming at common subjects from considerably different directions, the Neurotics' 'No Respect' or 'Agony' were countered with the Test Tubes 'One Night Stand' and the League's 'Woman'... whilst in the background The Adicts were running girlfriends over with steamrollers! The biggest difference though was the fact that the Newtown Neurotics were overtly political... their anthem, 'Kick Out The Tories' does rather give the game away on that count.
New Musical Express (24th September 1983)
Despite the grim day to day situation in which the songs that make up the songs on 'Beggars' were written, those songs are unapologetically positive in a 'Don't let the bastards grind you down' kind of vein. 'Wake Up' which opens the album sets the positivity stake firmly in the ground.
'You religiously say oh, it's not worth trying
But Christ almighty, do you need enlightening!
I'm not talking about a type of career
I'm talking about just enjoying being here
Make the most of your life every day
And every opportunity that comes your way
Don't sit around; you've got to wake up and live
Don't piss around; you've got to wake up and live.'
Likewise, 'Get Up And Fight' triggered something in me. It wasn't that I was living the life of the song's subject, just getting out of my head... I was 14/15 at the time, but the sentiment of the song resoundingly struck a chord, especially the reference to political apathy in the face of the warheads that were at that time being transported across the country to airbases (this was the era of the 'Protect and Survive' leaflets and 'Threads' on TV!)
'There are people out there, who make me see red
They're making careers from getting out their heads
Competing to be the wreak of the year
Cultivating porridge between their ears
They take, they take and they give nothing back
To a world that may one day break their backs
There are people fighting in every way
To protect the freedoms you enjoy every day
Your opinions have a familiar ring
Nothing I do or say will change anything
You say politics are boring, boring and grey
But would you rather see 'Cruise' brighten everyone's day?'
Later on in the album, the classic 'Does Anyone Know Where The March Is?' lightens the tone a little, being a tale of a 'band with a message' wanting to participate in a demo, only to get stuck in traffic. The band not wishing to waste the moment play from the back of a flat-bed lorry to bemused shoppers.
A potentially lethal encounter with a night club bouncer follows with 'Life In Their Hands'. Throughout the 1980's clubs and music venues employed door security personnel (commonly known as 'bouncers' in the UK). Back then a lack of training and regulation at that time meant that these characters were feared and a night out at a gig could turn nasty very quicky (I caught the tail end of this... I remember witnessing some horrible violence meted out on a coupe of occasions by unregulated security at the Astoria in London). The same topic was addressed in Action Pact's 'London Bouncers'. Since that time and as a consequence of some high profile cases where people died, legislation was introduced which has vastly improved the situation.
The album closes with the Newtown Neurotics very own kitchen sink drama, albeit one borrowed from The Members. 'Living With Unemployment' was an anthem for the times as it recounted the boredom, frustration and loneliness encountered by the long term unemployed. This song often closed the band's live set.
Alternative artwork for the 2022 PNV release of 'Beggars Can Be Choosers'
Listening to this album through today, took me back to that time. Luckily, I was not unemployed or written off by my teachers, I was however taking on board the issues of the day and the things that were going on around me and continue to do so today, no matter how frustrating or demoralising that may be.
'Beggars Can Be Choosers' means the world to be, but it is not an opinion that was universally held as indicated by this shitty review that appeared in New Musical Express on 15th October 1983.
Ignore the doubters and take a look at the Newtown Neurotics. The documentary about the band entitled 'Kick Out' has recently been made available on YouTube.
