The Prefects

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A strange band in a strange time who released no records in their time together but did one year after splitting up! There's also an interesting divergence of opinion of the starting of the band from Alan Apperley (see Band & Discography) and Joe Crow (See Alternative History).

Paul & Alan Apperley arguably started the band in February 1977 before being joined by Robert Lloyd who inspired by seeing the Pistols moved from Cannock to Birmingham & then followed the Pistols around on their Anarchy tour. Arguably as The Prefects had existed, though never gigged, as early as '76 (first as Church Of England then Gestapo!).  Rob's connections with the organisers of The Clash's White Riot Tour meant the Prefects joining The Slits & Subway Sect as support group for four dates. Good start.

At first playing more orthodox punk numbers their chance at the big time supporting The Clash at The Rainbow was put into perspective when "their entire gig pay consisted of four small cans of beer. Disillusioned Rob began to inject sarcastic humour into the bands songs and performances." (Spiral Scratch 18. Aug 1990)

Their chosen home town did not take to them as Rob records in an interview in Zigzag 91 Feb 79 "Birmingham hates The Prefects; there's certain pubs we can't go in, otherwise we'll get glasses thrown at us." Not surprising when you played songs like ' Birmingham's' A Shit Hole!!'
How do you describe this band and ? This quote from the NME Book Of Modern Music 1978 sums them up perfectly. "Their music is as bleak, cynical and loveless as their personalities, with a perverse humour. Their relationship to orthodox rock music is tenuous, at the closest a horrendous doppelganger parody. At its best their music can have a frightening intensity. Suspicious and arrogant, they have no friends, want none and despite creating an evolving sound, their potential for recognition is limited."

Sounds like a cross between the Fall and Subway Sect...Not so says Rob (Zigzag 91)..."Bands like The Fall and Subway Sect are all dead serious...and we're a laugh"  He's got a point as Alan Apperley reminiscences " We open the evening with our seven-second, two-chord number called 'VD' whose entire lyrics were 'Help me please help me I'm so weedy I've got VD please help me I'm so weedy I've got VD'. John Peel witnessed this after having apparently sat through a Genesis concert the night before during which no number lasted for less than half-an-hour. He boasts about this to this day."

The trouble is noone understood the band. Johnny Waller writing in Zigzag 91. "Musical anarchy was The Prefects way that night -songs lasting just seven seconds, kazoo solos, a  gross version of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody"...while in the same article While Rob opines  "We've got a following that applauds us for not playing or making records and being street credible but they don't realise that give a chance we would make records and play lots of gigs."

Humour, po faced, mainstream or whatever. A month after the Zigzag feature The Prefects had split up having played some 85 gigs and recording two John Peel Sessions. A strange band in a strange time.

Last word to Rob and that 1979 Zigzag feature..
"I honestly can't understand why the world isn't bazoomi about The Prefects"!!

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