OLD BIOGRAPHIES - 1987/1

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5 years The Dirty Scums: 1981 - 1986

THE DIRTY SCUMS are formed at the end of 1981 with the following line-up: PIK - ANIMAL - HANZ - DEVIL. The first gig was in March 1982 and it was the beginning of a first period that went on till October of that year. The music was fast, slow, chaotic: punk. In those 8 months there were 10 gigs. In November Animal left the band and started in a rockband called X-OUT which he left also to begin his own drumband in 1985. When DEVIL heard the news, he had no more motivation to look for another drummer and he also left the band.

The second period could start. Between May 1983 and September 1983 there were given 9 gigs. THE DIRTY SCUMS also went to the studio to record 3 songs that appeared on the compilation-tape SECOND TIME AROUND of PUNK ETC. In October 1983 the bassplayer and the singer were thrown out because they helped the band more backwards than forwards, what you can hear on the tape. The singer shall devote himself to his studies and a few months later HANZ plays in the rock'n'roll-coverband PAT GANG AND THE CADILLACS, which he left already. The group's name is now RAWHYDE. In that period THE DIRTY SCUMS were compared with the early UNDERTONES and PUNK ETC. compared them with the TOY DOLLS.

The new line-up in October 1983 is PIK - ZJANTIE - JENZ - CLO. JENZ had already rehearsed once with his own band (COÏTUS INTERRUPTUS), but gave it up to join THE DIRTY SCUMS, and CLO was his girlfriend. Because of the contrast between the high voice of CLO (female singer) and the bassvoice of PIK, people compared THE DIRTY SCUMS with THE DIRT. That was the start of a  third period, from October 1983 till August 1984. In that period THE DIRTY SCUMS played 15 times. At that time, the RUKRALLY-initiative was started ("rukken" means to jerk, and it was an answer to the ROCKRALLY, which is a-well-known contest). The intention of it was to do a small tour through Belgium with six bands: É!, WIJ KLUTSERS, ALBERT PARIS, SPONKY BUSINESS, KANKERKOMMANDO and THE DIRTY SCUMS. The result was a very small number of gigs, so you can consider this tour as a failure (but not a suicidal one). In that period THE DIRTY SCUMS also published the first edition of their fanzine THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY, which contained musical and political information.

In October 1984, THE DIRTY SCUMS had to throw CLO out and they did not replace her. From that moment on the gigs became more national and there is a continuous progress. Between October 1984 and April 1985 there were nine gigs. In November THE DIRTY SCUMS published their second edition of their fanzine and in April 1985 the third and the last. This edition contains a traduction of a pamphlet from the CCC (a Belgian French-speaking terrorist group) referring to a bomb-outrage.

Because of the live-success THE DIRTY SCUMS began to rehearse in order to record their first LP, which was released in July 1985. DIRTY SONGS contains twelve so called '77-punksongs of which "MARTENS, JIJ OUWE RUKKER" became a small cult-hit. MARTENS is the prime minister of Belgium. The album was recorded and mixed in 24 hours and that brought on a soundquality that was not so good, but the album was successfull. SHAM '69, SEX PISTOLS, BUZZCOCKS, RAMONES are names of bands which THE DIRTY SCUMS were compared with.

After the rehearsals THE DIRTY SCUMS were on the road again, and between May 1985 and April 1986, they played 25 times, mostly in Belgium, 2 times in the Netherlands: Amsterdam and Maastricht. Because of the fact that the repertory renewed, THE DIRTY SCUMS recorded a second album to registrate the new sound. In November 1986 they released a single: a new version of "MARTENS, JIJ OUWE RUKKER" and a new song about the prime minister, "MARTENS, YOU SON OF A BITCH", in which you can hear an intermezzo on accordeon. The album, FULL SPEED AHEAD !, is released in February 1987 and is a balance between punk and hardcore and one song refers to speedmetal. The quality of the album is much better thanks to a producer. From August on, THE DIRTY SCUMS start the gigs again, and till Newyear they had 6 gigs. In the meanwhile DIRTY SONGS is as good as sold out.