Ducks Deluxe was formed early in 1972 by former roadies Sean Tyla, Martin Belmont, Nick Garvey and Tim Roper.
Taking their name from a slot machine (The Duck Deluxe) at the Severn Bridge Service Station, of all the early Pub Rock bands the Ducks were the leanest and meanest.
From the start, Sean Tyla took “Get up and boogie or fuck off out of it” as the band’s motto, and their short, fast rock ‘n’ roll songs with snarled vocals and maximum swagger paved the way for Dr Feelgood, Eddie & The Hot Rods and ultimately The Sex Pistols and British punk.
From a base in their squat in Prince of Wales Drive, Camden Town – where they lived on crisp sandwiches and rehearsed day and night – the Ducks built a loyal following at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town, The Kensington (close to Olympia) and The Cock Inn on Holloway Road.
Despite Sean Tyla’s often-offensive stage persona (“Encore? You don’t fucking deserve one!”) their fan base multiplied and the music press posted rave reviews. Soon the record companies started to take notice and in 1973 the Ducks signed with RCA.
Their first single, Coast To Coast, was a high-octane ode to the road with rockabilly overtones which blew open their eponymous debut album three months later. The song attracted radio airplay and a John Peel session.
They toured the UK relentlessly in their beaten-up Ford Transit and in May 1974 they opened for RCA labelmate Lou Reed on a 19-date European tour. But somehow their raw energy never made it across the footlights in the big halls.
Glaswegian keyboard player Andy McMaster joined for the second – but unfortunately lacklustre – album, Taxi To The Terminal Zone, which was recorded at Rockfield with Dave Edmunds twiddling the knobs.
The Ducks played their last gig at London’s 100 Club in July 1975 but, by then, Garvey and McMaster had gone (eventually to form The Motors) while Belmont was soon to join The Rumour and, after a single with Stiff, Tyla and his new band The Tyla Gang signed to Berserkely.
Tyla and Belmont reformed Ducks Deluxe late in 2007 for a limited number of appearances in the UK and France.
Sean Tyla Guitar, vocals
Martin Belmont
Guitar, vocals
Nick Garvey
Bass, vocals
Tim Roper
Drums
Andy McMaster
Keyboards, vocals
Mick Groom
Bass, vocals Ken Whaley
Bass, vocals Billy Rankin
Drums Brinsley Schwarz
Guitar, vocals
Video
Related Posts
Eggs Over Easy Widely regarded as the band that gave birth to the British pub rock scene, this New York threesome - Jack…
Vibrators, The One of the great myths in rock & roll is that only serious, dedicated musicians can make great records; a…
Kokomo Like every other self-respecting musical movement in the early 70s, Pub Rock had its own 'supergroup' in the shape of Kokomo. Named…
Pub Rock The full story of Pub Rock can be read in Will Birch's excellent book No Sleep Till Canvey Island (Virgin). In it,…
Rumour, The The Rumour comprised former members of British pub rock bands Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe and Bontemps Roulez. Formed in 1975,…
Motors, The Andy McMaster and Nick Garvey got together in 1974 when the former successfully auditioned for a keyboard slot in Ducks Deluxe, a…
Cortinas, The Hailing from Bristol, The Cortinas formed in 1976 and started out as one of the dozens of post-Sex Pistols dole…
101'ers, The Primarily known as the band Joe Strummer was in before he joined The Clash, The 101'ers were part of the…
