Career
They formed in 1981 with Jef Harvey on
vocals, replaced by "Smeg" (Gary Cayton) after their "Zulu Beat" 7in single, and before the Stiff Records contract; Paul ("Thwack") Laventhol, and John Reddington on
guitars; Rory Lyons on
drums; Bert Boustead on
bass guitar, plus
schoolboy "Maggot" on
saxophone. Originally known as
Rockin' Kurt & The Sour Krauts
before settling for
King Kurt
.
They had a few minor hit
singles that featured in the
UK Singles and
UK Indie Charts, such as "Zulu Beat", "Mack The Knife" and "Banana Banana", along with their
Top Forty hit - "Destination Zululand ".
During 1988 the band effectively split, though between 1992 and 1996 the group featuring three of the original members were performing as a live act. John Reddington, on the other hand, is now an Attorney with William Powells .
Specials
In the early 80s, King Kurt were known for their stage performances in which eggs and bags of flour were thrown around and buckets of wallpaper paste dumped into the audience. sometimes they also had a large wheel on stage called "The Wheel of Misfortune" which fans were strapped to and force fed Snakebite through a tube pushed down into the throat, then spun round until they vomitted.
fans could also get haircuts or medical examinations with a Snakebite anesthetic,the would have their scrotums wrapped up with gaffa tape and have buckets of gunge tipped over them...
Discography
Singles
|
| Year
| Title
| Chart Position
| Record Label
|
| 1982
| "Zulu Beat" / "Rockin' Kurt"
| dnc
| Thin Sliced Records
|
| Oct
| 1983
| "Destination Zululand" / "She's as Hairy"
| #36
| Stiff Records
|
| Apr
| 1984
| "Mack the Knife" / "Wreck a Party Rock"
| #55
| Stiff Records
|
| Aug
| 1984
| "Banana Banana" / "Bo Diddley Goes East"
| #54
| Stiff Records
|
| Jun
| 1985
| "Billy" / "Back on the Dole"
| #81
| Stiff Records
|
| Sep
| 1985
| "Road to Rack n Ruin" / "Poppa Wobbler"
| #94
| Stiff Records
|
| Nov
| 1985
| "Slammers" / "Ape Hour"
| dnc
| Stiff Records
|
| Nov
| 1986
| "America" / "High and Mighty"
| #73
| Polydor
|
| May
| 1987
| "Land of Ring Dang Do" / "Zulu Beat" / "Horatio" / "Gather Your Limbs"
| #67
| Polydor
|
| 1988
| "Bye Bye Baby" / "Prussian Stomp"
– (as The Kurts
)
| dnc
| GWR
|
Albums
|
| Year
| Title
| Chart Position
| Record Label
|
| 1983
| "Ooh Wallah Wallhah
"
| #99
| Stiff Records
|
| Mar
| 1986
| "Big Cock
"
| #50
| Stiff Records
|
| 1986
| "The Last Will & Testicle
"
| dnc
| GWR
|
Compilation
- Live & Rockin
(1989)
- Destination Demoland
(1990)
- Poor Man's Dream
(compilation) (1994)
- Alcoholic Rat
(2001)
- Live and Unreleased