Sunday, August 23, 2026

STUNT KITES - The Action 5 EP 2018

Now original recordings from 1979 which were made in Sheffield and we meet there the Stunt Kites, a four piece formed around 1978; while there were still some line-up changes during the very early phase (1977/78), a solid, classic core quickly emerged: John (vocals), Nigel (guitars/piano), Andrew (bass), and Tony (drums). Musically, Stunt Kites began with a wild dirty Punk sound which you can here on this little dittie, but they evolved extremely quickly into a solid dynamic PostPunk sound with dark, gothic undertones. Contemporaries describe their early live shows in Sheffield as a "Steamroller" of concentrated energy. Although they never achieved a major commercial breakthrough, they held an almost legendary status in their hometown. Their records were primarily released via small independent labels or self-published; today, they are extremely rare and highly sought-after by collectors. In 1980, they released their first demo, packed with raw, brilliant songs. A year later, their first vinyl release on Pax Records followed, marking their shift toward a classic, atmospherically dark sound. Two years after that came the final 7Inch of their active period, released on Criminal Damage Records, which stands as another collector's item, shining with a typically driving bassline and cutting guitars. The Action EP is a legacy project and a labor for collectors; it was issued (1000 copies via Do It Thissen Records) as a fanzine insert accompanying the premiere edition of the relaunched magazine Safety Pin, which features a major historical article on the origins of Sheffield’s subculture scene, written by Martin X Russian, a legendary figure in the British music press and the former editor of the renowned late seventies music publication NMX (New Musickal Excess). That's the background info. So this wonderful EP features five songs from the band's very first creative phase and shines with an aggressive '77 sound. You're going to like it.


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