Venom, The

***Formed in Swansea, Wales in 1979 from the ashes of local punk band THE NOISE, VENOM are an unheralded UK classic. Initially taking influence from the first wave of '77 British punk like the Sex Pistols and Clash, it wasn't until after an enforced hiatus resulting from a spot of "football violence" that the band really came into it's own. Lumped in with the expanding Oi! scene, they recorded three self-funded sessions—which produced the songs on this record—but their only proper releases were contributions to two compilations: one track on the now impossible to find Swansea punk sampler Sex, Violence, & The Eternal Truth 7”, and one on Secret Records’ Back On The Streets 7”, the latter a result of Garry Bushell, the "Godfather of Oi”, being a fan. They never quite formed a following outside of their hometown, which is a shame, as the songs they left behind are as chaotic, catchy, and well-written as anything to come out of the the early '80s UK punk scene. As with most UK bands in the early '80s, violence became commonplace at their gigs causing the band to call it quits in the summer of 1982. Fortunately, with our friends at Punkhouse Records, we present the complete Venom output, packaged in only such a way as Radio Raheem does—with a custom LP jacket including a tipped-in booklet choked full of photos, flyers, and the usual bits and bobs. (STREET DATE - 11/27/2015)