10 Most Obscure Punk Bands Of All Time
8. Warsaw Pakt
A true punk story from a true punk outfit. Warsaw Pakt formed in 1977 in Ladbroke Gove London. Guitarist Andy Colquhoun had supported The Clash in his previous band, The Rockets. Drummer Lucas Fox was a former member of no less than Motörhead. Together with Chris Underhill on bass, John Walker on rhythm guitar and Jimmy Coull on vocals, the band signed to Island Records that same year – a major label which was home to Roxy Music, King Crimson and Sparks, among others.
The Warsaw Pakt's debut album, Needle Time, was, incredibly, recorded, produced, mastered and distributed in a 24-hour window – a deliberate decision by the band . Needle Time sold 5000 copies in its first week, which, equally astonishing, was also its only week. For reasons which are still unclear, Island Records shelved the master tapes and declined to press any further runs.
You can read a fascinating first-hand account of a gig by the band (at the unlikely location of Exeter College, Oxford) here. Below, you can hear the album in question, and a fine listen it is.