Doctors of Madness

Creators of a weird, sprawling, chaotic noise, Doctors of Madness were an anarchic, experimental act who built a cult following in London in the mid-1970s and became a big influence on the punk movement. Inspired to form a band after hearing the Velvet Underground and discovering artists like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg and writers Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, singer Richard 'Kid' Strange recruited old friends Colin Stoner and Pete Di Lemma on bass and drums and found violin maverick Urban Blitz through an advert in 'Melody Maker' and started the band in Brixton in 1974. At a time when prog rock was prominent, David Bowie was the big star and the pub rock scene was the accessible live music outlet, Strange morphed all of those sounds and ideas into a DIY rabble of theatrical alien art-pop. With their blue hair, make-up and songs about the end of the world, they were generally met with cynicism and confusion, but put on their own shows in a pub in Twickenham, grew their audience and landed a deal with Polydor after being spotted by former Pretty Things manager Bryan Morrison. They made a bizarre appearance on 'The Twiggy Show' on BBC television, released debut album 'Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorms' and played shows in Europe with AC/DC and Black Sabbath, while also giving opening slots at their own wild gigs to young upstarts The Sex Pistols, Joy Division and The Jam. John Leckie produced their second album 'Figments of Emancipation' in 1976 and Dave Vanian of The Damned joined as a second front man, but the band were never quite able to fit in or breakthrough and they split in 1978 after releasing 'Sons of Survival'. Strange went on to release solo material and act in Hollywood movies 'Batman', 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves' and 'Gangs of New York', while Doctors of Madness became recognised as an important bridge between glam rock and punk and a huge influence on a wide range of bands including Depeche Mode, Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Pulp and Soft Cell. They reunited in 2014 for a one-off show, but bass player Stoner died a month later. Their legacy continued, however, with the announcement of another reunion tour of Japan in 2017 following the release of the 'Perfect Past - The Complete Doctors of Madness' collection.

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