Fulham Fallout

The U.K. punk explosion left scrap heaps piled high with talentless never-wases and pro-forma trend-jumpers. But West London’s Lurkers avoided those heaps, if only because their music held a kind of screw-all charm that defined boredom like no other punk band on the planet, then or now. If singer Howard Wall’s pitched monotone aped Pete Stride’s simple power-chord riffs, if the songs sounded like blokes quaking it down at the pub—that was the point. The Lurkers were blessed with an inattentive kind of explosiveness, if that makes any sense, and their indifference wasn’t a pose. It’s what made the band irresistibly great, a frolicsome mix of The Faces (the haircuts and hangover humor), The Ramones (the deceptively smart simplicity), and lethargy. Hence, *Fulham Fallout* is littered with elbow-bending loafer anthems, with “Ain’t Got a Clue,” “Jenny,” ‘I’m on Heat,” and “I Don’t Need to Tell Her” among them, punk classics all. Even Henry Rollins placed this album in his all-time Top 10 list of greatest punk albums; that should count for something.

The Lurkers were the first ever band on Beggars Banquet, and the whole label history boils down to their existence. Formed in West London in 1976, they are one of the most notable bands of early UK punk and within eighteen months the band had 5 UK top 75 chart singles with appearances on Top of The Pops. Fulham Fallout was their debut album and this release celebrates the 40th anniversary of it’s release. Pressed on orange vinyl, the 14 tracks on this album have been noted over the years as being punk classics, and Henry Rollins called this album one of his 20 favorite punk albums ever. The Lurkers had no schtick, no frills. They were inspired by the Ramones and the New York Dolls, the British beat boom of the ‘60s and Glam Rock band like Slade and Sweet. While the other bands embracing punk at the time were flaunting their sound with typically “punk” safety pins and spiky hair, The Lurkers had unfashionably long hair and even, on occasion, wore white suits. “The album is an astonishing accomplishment, a blur of high octane riffs and unforgettable hooks tumbling over one another without a care for manners or niceties.”
- ALLMUSIC “Perfect in every way. Pure energy, great songs. Punk Rock’n’Roll.”
- LOUDER THAN WAR "their ’78 debut remains one of the era’s premiere platters and it even left the band within gobbing distance of the mainstream” - RECORD COLLECTOR

Discover Fulham Fallout by Lurkers released in 1978. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.