The Banned

The career of the Banned, based in Croydon, England, spanned only two singles released at the height of punk. Both were cover versions delivered in a power pop vein - arousing suspicions that the group were among the many members of the pub rock fraternity attempting to jump onto punk’s bandwagon. Nevertheless, their first single, ‘Little Girl’/‘CPGJ’s’, did reach the UK charts, peaking at number 36 in December 1977 after being licensed from the group’s own Can’t Eat label to Harvest Records. It was a credible cover of the Syndicate Of Sound’s 1966 hit. Richard Harvey played on the session using the name Mansworth. A second single, was also a cove, this time, Paul Revere And The Raiders’ ‘Him Or Me’/‘You Dirty Rat’, issued the following year, was less successful, and became their final release. Paul Sordid (drums, vocals), Pete Fresh (guitar), Ben Dover (guitar) and Tommy Steal (bass) subsequently disappeared from the music scene, although Sordid, who was really Paul Aitken, continues in a covers band, not surprisingly called, the Retros.