Reluctant Stereotypes -

The Reluctant Stereotypes were an English new wave band from Coventry that released a three-song 1979 post-punk single on Oval. They reconfigured on WEA with four singles and the 1980 ska album The Label. Singer Martyn Bates fronted the first lineup prior to Eyeless in Gaza. Paul King led the WEA quintet and later fronted King.

Members: Paul Sampson (guitar, vocals), Steve Edgson (clarinet, saxophone, guitar), Steve Haddon (guitar, 1979), Mick Hartley (bass, 1979), Chris Dunne (drums, 1979), Martyn Bates (vocals, 1979), Paul King (vocals, 1980–81), Tony Wall (bass, 1980–81), Colin Heanes (drums, 1980–81)

Background

Reluctant Stereotypes formed in Coventry in 1979 when guitarists Steve Haddon and Paul Sampson reorganized Ens with clarinetist–guitarist Steve Edgson, bassist Mick Hartley, and drummer Chris Dunne.

Haddon formed Ens with guitarist Peter Bosworth, who left for studio production as Sampson entered from Coventry jazz-rock group Bung. Edgson and Hartley came from Analog, a Coventry jazz-rock group with drummer Paul Brook and guitarist John Rushton. Analog first played the Hobo Workshop in July 1974 at Holyhead Road Youth Centre. They also recorded Brook’s 40-minute “Custer’s Last Stand” suite at Bird Sound Studio in Snitterfield.

Ens opened 1975–77 Warwick University shows by Savoy Brown and supported Henry Cow. The group also won an area heat of the Melody Maker folk/rock contest. Haddon proposed an instrumental format after the name change, but other members chose to audition singers. Paul King, a Coventry Drama School graduate and former West Midlands Police cadet, sang at Coombe Abbey medieval banquets and auditioned for several weeks. Reluctant Stereotypes selected Nuneaton singer Martyn Bates for the first studio lineup.

Reluctant Stereotypes won a Melody Maker national-contest heat in May 1979 in London. Charlie Gillett signed the sextet to Oval Records. The band headlined an Oval label night on Sept. 17 at Dingwalls in Camden.

“The Lull”

Reluctant Stereotypes released their first single, “The Lull,” a group-written number backed with the Bosworth co-write “The Rounds” and the Haddon number “Fetch Mr Clifford the Political Boys Are on Us.”

The three Bates-led tracks set the Haddon–Sampson guitar axis to the Hartley–Dunne rhythm section with Edgson horn accents.

A1. “The Lull” (2:59) – cuts between Go4-style rhythmic discombobulation and jazz-like passages.
B1. “The Rounds” (3:58) – lyrical verses saturated with reeds and ride cymbal cut to sparse stretches and plucked, punctual abstractions akin to “Skank Bloc Bologna.”
B2. “Fetch Mr Clifford the Political Boys Are on Us” (3:28) – pointillist notes and filigree collide with roaming toms, which all succumb to slow, remote echo.

Sessions occurred with Pete Bosworth, a band associate from his time in the pre-Reluctant Ens.

“The Lull” appeared in a white picture sleeve with black line artwork framed by thin rules. A uniformed figure points a pistol toward an automobile form, with a second profile at lower right beneath tall serif lettering.

Lineup Change

A dispute over the choice of a second Oval single broke the first lineup. Haddon departed along with Batles, Hartley, and Dunne. Bates formed Eyeless in Gaza, an ethereal post-punk duo with Peter Becker.

Sampson and Edgson retained the Reluctant Stereotypes name. They recruited bassist Tony Wall and prior vocalist hopeful Paul King. Drummer Colin Heanes completed the reconfigured quintet, which worked as the Horizon Studios house band and signed with WEA. Their new sound eschewed post-punk for the ska style now popularized by fellow Coventry acts The Specials and The Selecter.

“She Has Changed (Not You)”

Reluctant Stereotypes released “She Has Changed (Not You)” in April 1980 on WEA.

Sampson and Edgson recorded both sides as a duo prior to formation of the WEA quintet. Sampson wrote and sang both titles.

A. “She Has Changed (Not You)” (3:24) – Sampson
B. “Ben Shirtman” (3:38) – Sampson

Sessions took place at Horizon Studios in Coventry with Bosworth, whose contemporary production work included the 1980 Eyeless in Gaza EP Kodak Ghosts Run Amok. Bung bassist Bill Kellar cut both sides with Paul Sampson, Steve Edgson, and drummer Paul Brook; Tony Wall subsequently replaced the bass part on “She Has Changed (Not You)” while retaining the original line.

The WEA picture sleeve places a schematic white face against a black field, with round spectacles, bow tie, and raised hands inside a narrow border.

In June 1980, the expanded Reluctant Stereotypes joined The Specials and The Bodysnatchers on a coastal package tour.

The Label

Reluctant Stereotypes released their singular album, The Label, in October 1980 on WEA.

The Label introduces vocalist King beside guitarist Sampson. Clarinetist Edgson continues from the Oval lineup; bassist Wall and drummer Heanes complete the quintet. The album includes the two preceding WEA singles, “Confused Action” and “Plans for Today.” Sampson wrote or co-wrote eleven songs; King co-wrote six and submitted “M.O.D.”

“Plans for Today” skips through a sharply outlined, jaunty entrance and choppy upstrokes. “Reluctant” careens down a descending chord figure, then breaks into springing offbeats. “Lofaska” scampers beneath a prominent clarinet lead. “Reverend Green” teeters under King’s peculiar, theatrical delivery as darting replies circle each phrase. “Visual Romance” lopes through a languid reggae pattern while King belts forceful, undulating phrases.

A1. “Factory Wit” (2:41) – Sampson
A2. “Side With Him” (2:32) – Sampson
A3. “Back to the Greek” (3:53) – King, Sampson
A4. “Plans for Today” (3:00) – Sampson
A5. “Sundays Tears” (3:13) – King, Sampson
A6. “Reluctant” (3:51) – King, Sampson

B1. “Lofaska” (2:17) – Sampson
B2. “Reverend Green” (2:12) – King, Sampson
B3. “Visual Romance” (4:38) – King, Sampson
B4. “Confused Action” (2:59) – Sampson
B5. “M.O.D.” (2:53) – King
B6. “The Label” (2:55) – King, Sampson

Sessions occurred in 1980 at Horizon Studios with producer Roger Lomas, who worked in sequence on 1980/81 albums by Bad Manners (Ska ’n’ B), Mo-dettes (The Story So Far), and The Selecter (Celebrate the Bullet). Kim Templeman-Holmes and Paul Dee engineered The Label; Templeman-Holmes recently engineered Too Much Pressure, while Dee subsequently engineered two Celebrate the Bullet cuts.

The Label features artwork by one Andrew Tonks, whose image sets a painted scene — anonymous workers in muted suits, both seated and standing — inside a stark blue border with oversized white letters. Tonks also illustrated the two subsequent Reluctants sleeve.

“Confused Action” first appeared on July 18, backed with “School Life,” a non-album King/Sampson exclusive.

B. “School Life” (2:51) – King, Sampson

On September 19, “Plans for Today” appeared as a second advance single, backed with “Subway,” a non-album Sampson exclusive.

B. “Subway” (2:48) – Sampson

“Plans for Today” sports a Tonks sketch of a bald-headed profile against an off-white field, with a musical-note shot through the back skull.

On October 6, the Reluctant Stereotypes played the Kingdom Room at Brunel University as part of a three-act fresher’s ball with Q-Tips and Irish rockers The Moondogs.

“Nightmares”

In April 1981, the Reluctant Stereotypes released “Nightmares,” a non-album Sampson number backed with “Factory Wit” from The Label.

A. “Nightmares” (2:57)

“Nightmares” appeared in a Tonks sleeve built around a large monochrome head with a blank lower face and red typography at eye level and along the lower edge.

1981 Activity and Split

Reluctant Stereotypes performed “Nightmares” and “M.O.D.” on the January 17, 1981 episode of The Old Grey Whistle Test, presented by Anne Nightingale. The episode also featured two in-studio numbers by Adam and the Ants (“Ants Invasion,” “Killer in the Home”) and aired two promo clips by Aussie rockers Angel City.

On June 20, Reluctant Stereotypes performed at Butts Athletic Stadium in Coventry as part of the Peaceful Protest Against Racism, organized in light of the recent murders of two local emigres: Dr Amal Dharry and student Satnam Singh Gill. The event also featured sets by Hazel O’Connor, The Bureau, The People, and The Specials, whose performance of “Why” was filmed for the youth documentary Underage (overdubbed with “Ghost Town”).

On Sunday, August 30, the Reluctant Stereotypes gave their final performance at the 1981 Reading Rock Festival, a three-day event with sets by Atomic Rooster, Budgie, Gillan, Girlschool, Nightwing, Saga, Samson, Steve Hackett, and Twelfth Night. The Reluctants opened day three, which also featured 38 Special, Afraid of Mice, The Enid, Greg Lake (with Gary Moore), Nine Below Zero, Wishbone Ash, and co-headliners The Kinks.

Postlude

Paul King retained the Wall/Heanes rhythm section for Raw Screens, which evolved into King and made the 1984/85 albums Steps in Time and Bitter Sweet. Their signature hit “Love & Pride” reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and gained stateside bumper rotation on MTV.

Sampson and Edgson formed the Pink Umbrellas, which cut the 1983 single “Raspberry Rainbow” (b/w “Oh No! The Insect Man”) on the Maisonettes label Ready Steady Go! Sampson moved into production and later worked with The Primitives and Catatonia.

Original singer Martyn Bates made a 1982 solo EP (Letters Written) and recorded six albums between 1981 and 1986 as half of Eyeless in Gaza.

Discography: