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Formed: London, England, UK

Band Bio / Lineups / Discography

Alongside all those "fuck the system" and/or gloomy post-punk miserablist bands popping up all over Britain in the tail end of the '70s, The Barracudas stood out like sore thumbs. With an ever-changing rhythm section revolving around founder members Jeremy Gluck (a Canadian) on vocals and guitarist Robin Wills (from Boston, ex-The Unwanted), they used punk as a jumping-off point for new wave/surf/pop songs about meeting girls, driving American cars and having "fun in the sun". They courted mainstream success (unsuccessfully!) via a deal with EMI before releasing a handful of more garagey-sounding releases in France.

Drop Out With The Barracudas (issued in the US a year later by garage specialists Voxx) is a nostalgic debut, fun for those who want such a thing, probably a bit trying for those who don't. Just about neurotic enough to be in tune with the period (check out 'We're Living In Violent Times' and a cover of 'Codeine'), much of the record recalls a jokey, punked-up revival of old Byrds, Beach Boys and Dick Dale records.

After the LP came out to poor sales, drummer Nicky Turner absconded to join Lords Of The New Church, and bassist Dave Buckley quit as well. EMI dumped them and so with a new new rhythm section they briefly became part of the Flicknife Records empire, releasing two excellent singles: 1982's Inside Mind and 1983's House Of Kicks 12", which dropped the new wave sound in favour of their first love: garage punk, but played heavier than it was in the '60s.

In 1983 they expanded to a quintet with the addition of Chris Wilson, formerly of Gluck's heroes the Flamin' Groovies, and they opted for a more authentic-sounding garage/psych/pop approach on a pair of studio albums recorded for the small French label, Closer. (They were considerably more popular in France than they were in the UK.) Mean Time was the strongest of the two, although Endeavour To Persevere was nothing to be ashamed off. Still, the latter proved to be their swansong.

Wills went on to form Fortunate Sons, recording two albums for the Bam Caruso label - Rising (1986) and Karrezza (1987) - before he and Gluck - who had spent a year or two in the unlamented Civilisation Machine - reformed The Baracudas in the late '80s. The band released one album and then broke up again, but Wait For Everything is well worth buying, with lovely melodies, deftly arranged harmonies and the same obvious debt to The Byrds. Although it lacks a certain zip, the guitars ring, jangle and/or slash with confidence in all the right places, new bassist Steve Robinson contributes and sings a pair of fine songs, and Wills is sensibly buried in the mix when he takes to the mic on 'Burke And Wills'.

They have reformed occasionally since. The group's second drummer, David Buckley, now earns a sizable crust composing scores for movies and computer games. Gluck continues to record under various guises in addition to playing in the Barracudas.

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