Although frequently aligned with the punk movement,
the Rezillos' (later known as
the Revillos) irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl group iconography set them distinctly apart from their peers. Formed in 1976 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the group was initially a fluid and highly informal collective centered around lead vocalists
Eugene Reynolds (born Alan Forbes) and
Fay Fife (Sheila Hynde), and fleshed out by lead guitarist Luke Warm (Jo Callis), second guitarist Hi-Fi Harris (Mark Harris), Dr. D.K. Smythe on bass, drummer
Angel Paterson (Alan Patterson), and backing vocalist Gale Warning.
The
Rezillos' early repertoire contained material from the likes of
Screaming Lord Sutch,
the Dave Clark Five, and
the Sweet. The success of their 1977 debut single, "I Can't Stand My Baby," was unexpected, especially by the bandmembers themselves, who never considered the group much more than a lark; as a result of the more serious pressures now exerted on
the Rezillos, Harris, Smythe, and Warning all departed, while bassist/saxophonist
William Mysterious (born William Donaldson) signed on as a permanent member.
After signing to major-label Sire, the quintet reached the U.K. Top 20 with a single titled, ironically enough, "Top of the Pops." After releasing their 1978 debut LP, Can't Stand the Rezillos,
Mysterious was replaced by Simon Templar, but internal problems continued to plague the group, and following a farewell tour, they disbanded in December 1978.
Paterson, Warm, and Templar continued on as
Shake, while
Reynolds and
Fife, promised they could be released from their contract if they dropped
the Rezillos name, formed
the Revillos.
Rejoined by Harris as well as onetime
Pork Dukes drummer Rocky Rhythm, bassist
Felix, and backing vocalists Babs and Cherie (aka the Revettes), the first incarnation of
the Revillos recorded a pair of singles, "Where's the Boy for Me?" and "Motorbike Beat." In mid-1979, Harris left to become an architect, and was replaced by 17-year-old guitarist Kid Krupa in time to record 1980's Rev Up. Following the usual lineup fluctuations (
Felix was replaced by Vince Spik, and Babs was replaced by singer
Drax),
the Revillos signed to the Superville label and issued the single "She's Fallen in Love with a Monster Man" and the 1983 LP Attack!
After a pair of self-financed U.S. tours, the band split in 1985;
Reynolds formed Rockatomic and Planet Pop, while
Fay joined Destroy All Men. The
Revillos re-formed in 1994 to play a series of concerts in Japan, ultimately recording the Live and on Fire in Japan album and the Yeah Yeah EP. In 1996, they issued a rarities compilation,
From the Freezer, and played some live dates in Britain. By 2001,
the Rezillos were once again a going concern, touring regularly in the U.K. and Europe with a lineup featuring
Fife,
Reynolds, guitarist Jim Brady, bassist Chris Agnew, and drummer
Angel Paterson. After releasing a pair of singles in 2009 and 2011, in 2015
the Rezillos finally got around to cutting a second studio album,
Zero. ~ Jason Ankeny