The Ruts Part 2

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Their first gig was at a pub The Target in Northolt and their first RAR (Rock Against Racism) gig was with Misty at Southall Community Centre. "It was a shambles but it was fantastic. There was all these pogoing pakistanis". By no means political or militant, RAR was a means to an end for The Ruts while at the same time showing an alternative to the NF.

In A Rut their first record was financed by Misty and had taken the band seven months to get out. With support from John Peel it sold 20,000 copies. They signed with Virgin and released Babylons Burning which rocketed them to a top 10 position. More hits followed till shockingly Malcolm Owen was discovered dead from a heroin overdose. The one thing you notice though is the vein of sadness and irony in the lyrics that runs through some of the songs most obviously 'Love In Vain','H-eyes', 'West One' and 'In a Rut'. Malcolm was a heroin user before The Ruts but turned back to it after his wife left him...  Malcolm Owen died on July 14th 1980 aged 26 .

The Ruts live were fast, raw and very sweaty and Malcolm Owen was a livewire on stage.....an excellent frontman with a brilliant voice who channelled the intensity of the music which is why The Ruts DC ( the Ruts minus Malcolm) were always doomed to failure. The demos tho are brilliant and makes Malcolm's death even sadder because they had so much potential. They were great as a band . They weren't the punkiest looking of bands but that just goes to show don't it that spiky hair and all the clothes in the world don't mean jack shit if you ain't got the goods.
I can't concentrate
I'm in a state
I don't feel straight
I can't love or hate
I can't feel nothing
Can't see nothing
Only just learning
I ain't no king

If you're in a rut
You've got get out of it
Out of it !!!!!

In A Rut - 1979

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Top and Bottom photos courtesy of Mick Mercer