Formed: Toronto, Canada
Band Bio / Lineups / Discography
Note: 99% of the info here come from the liner notes of the Disorder CD
Punk rock in a Ramones/Stooges/New York Dolls/Sex Pistols vein, The Ugly existed between 1977 and 1978 and played with a number of the more well known local and American bands of the period, including The Viletones, Dents, Simply Saucer, Battered Wives, The Diodes, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Cramps and Dead Boys. Their biggest claim to fame, though, was singer Mike Nightmare getting his face punched in by Phil Lynott.
Moderately popular in Toronto, these were genuine working class street kids who got into fights and acted obnoxious. Sam Ugly and Tony Torcher had previously played in a Yardbirds-type band called The Markeys but got turned onto punk upon hearing the first Ramones LP, and formed Rotten with singer Mike Nightmare and guitarist Brian Vadders. Vadders was booted out early on for refusing to stop being a long-haired hippie and was replaced by Mike's brother Raymi Gunner, whereupon the group changed its name to The Ugly and started playing self-described "hoodlum rock". Throughout 1977 and 1978 and they terrorised Toronto's punk stages, with Nightmare's habit of donning a leather gimp face mask being just one of their publicity-generating wheezes (although he primarily wore the mask just so the cops wouldn't recognize him),
They had a bit of a rivalry going on with top local band The Viletones, which culminated in an incident during a mini punk festival at the Rockpile when they threw a burning guitar at the Viletones in protest at not being invited to play. They then stormed the stage in order to play an unannounced (and unwanted) impromptu set, which ended with a fistfight between Nightmare and promoter Johnny Brower (also manager of Teenage Head, who were also on the bill). They also liked to do things like get their dicks out on stage and lob bottles at a female music press journos, the wags.
Disorder documents a previously unreleased 1977 studio session as well as a few minor extras and is pretty boring if you ask me, as it is filled with lumpy thug-punk and has very little in way of good tunes. Maybe if they'd spent more time writing songs instead of being twats...
The CD sadly does not include either side of their 1978 single Stranded In The Laneway (Of Love), which was recorded with a different lineup and sounds completely different: power pop, I guess. The Sex Pistols / The Ugly split 7" features two songs from the same CD.
Sam Ugly and Tony Torcher both later joined their arch enemies The Viletones. Reformed in 2015 or thereabouts (without Nightmare, who had died in abject poverty in the 1990s) and made a single, 'Off The Hook'.
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Lineup 1:
Mike Nightmare: vocals
Raymi Gunner: guitar
Sam Ugly (Sam Ferrara): bass
Tony Torcher: drums
Recorded: Disorder
Lineup 2:
Mike Nightmare: vocals
Frank Furrey: lead guitars, vocals
Chic Kunte (aka Chic Park): guitars, vocals
Toni Brighton (aka Tony Brighton): bass, vocals
Tony Torcher (aka The Green Lantern): percussion, vocals
Recorded: Stranded In The Laneway (Of Love) and 'All Because Of You' for the compilation LP And Now Live From Toronto ... The Last Pogo
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DISCOGRAPHY
Singles & Albums
Stranded In The Laneway (Of Love) (7", 1978)
Extraneous Releases
Disorder (CD, 1996)
Sex Pistols / The Ugly (7", split, 1997)
Various Artists
And Now Live From Toronto ... The Last Pogo Canada LP 1979 (Bomb): All Because Of You
Killed By Death #26 US LP 1996 (Redrum): To Have Some Fun
Teen Line No. 2: Powerpop & Poprock 45s: S-to-U US CDR ???? (Hyped To Death): Stranded In The Laneway
Hyped To Death #4 : American Indie Punk "U To Z" 1977-85 US CDR ???? (Hyped To Death): To Have Some Fun
Hyped To Death #12: U.S. & Canadian Punk 45s: Th-to-U US CDR ???? (Hyped To Death): Lies
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Links
Canuckistan Music - Has the lowdown on this band's less-than-illustrious career
