So where were the Users? By late 1978 the band were already being called a 'cult'.

The upsurge in activity was foreshadowed by the emergence in '1977 of two bands who stood out from the often complacent folk tradition. One was the USERS, whose single of Raw Records, 'Sick Of You' earned them a cult notoriety, loud, fast and young. They haven't managed to capitalise on it so far, and although sporadically gigging, they haven't yet released the follow up, 'Kicks In Style' produced by Dave Goodman, slated for release on their own Warped label. Although very limited the band deserve recognition for being Cambridge's first 1977 band in 1977. Recently split down the centre, it isn't too late for survivors James James (vx) and Chris Free (gtr) to regain lost ground

They had also lost new bassist Pete Bevington and endeavour to find a replacement via the trusty Melody Maker musicians wanted ads. The band pick up Alvin Gibbs and lose him in mid 1978 as he departs frustrated at the lack of movement

Rick Tucker now joins on bass round August 1978

Rick Tucker (Bass) Didn't know much about them at all. Met Chris Free and his girlfriend, Christina, in fact I met her first -she was this very striking attractive looking punk girl,. in the canteen at Cambridge College of Arts and Tech...I was studying art. Don't really know what happened other than I got to know them all, Andrew and his girlfriend Liz, and Phil and when it became apparent they needed a bass player and we all got on, they asked me to join. Andrew used to teach me the bass lines as I'd never played it before, could only play guitar. I loved them all, great people. We used to share a rehearsal studio with the Soft Boys (Robin Hitchcock’s band)- for me it was great times, I loved playing with them.

 

Kicks in Style is released on their own Warped label but not until January 1979 meaning a year and half between releases they had become all but forgotten. The band though were in high spirits even if they had moved away from the 'Kicks' sound. That all began to change though at their lack of success.

Rick Tucker (Bass) They really believed they would make it. The Users were a good band, people like Mick Jones liked them, great musicians, but had had so many personnel changes and I don't think being based in Cambridge helped. It was an enthusiastic time. But it was difficult in those days. I don't remember any despondency at first, we were all up for it. But we were all on the dole, money was tight.

[By 'Kicks'] I think it had moved on, away from that totally raw sound into something more subtle, still energized and pretty raw, but with good melodies and lyrics. Even harmony vocals! We didn't play 'Kicks' live. Phil and Chris were the songwriters and wanted the band to develop musically, which it did before we became a bit confused as to who or what we were. Andrew was a classically trained musician and I thought a brilliant arranger, but didn’t like the direction we eventually followed.

The desperation was always to get a record deal though and that gets in the way, because you would get these total arseholes from A&R or management companies saying they were coming to the gigs, so you always felt you had to perform for them. We didn’t have a manager, which in retrospect we could have done with. There was guy called Tony, a Cambridge university student, who managed us, but he didn’t have a clue, I don’t think. There was some interest from a management company, but it all felt a bit hopeless after a while, then we started to disagree a bit on image and direction. Frustration yes, impatience too.

By the time they were gigging in London around May 1979 supporting bands like Chelsea at The Music Machine their time had gone. What a waste. Even then though they could have been contenders. With power pop and Mod rearing its head and bands like Generation X  producing a MOR glam/punk sound the Users could have done something with the right backing. But of course it never happened.

Internally they were falling apart with the age old musical differences/direction rifts and The Users ended.

Rick Tucker (Bass) Well that was the disagreement really. Andrew hated the so-called mod direction. I think Phil and Chris were desperate to make it and thought the 'mod' route offered us a chance. I was well into mod stuff anyway, not the bands of the time who were mostly not much to write home about, but the Jam and the soul/tamla/ska/bluebeat scene, so I didn't mind. I thought that apart from Strummer, Weller was the only great songwriter by then. It seemed to fit, but calling ourselves the Selections wasn't a great idea. We were basically a punk band who liked mod music. We played a few gigs in London mainly.

I think Phil had had enough and Andrew as well, but can't really remember. Chris and I went on to form a band called Blow Up, which Weller told us was a great name, but we never got anywhere, despite writing some good songs. I was just the singer by then. Drink, drugs, arguments, the usual stuff all went on, but I do think Chris and I wrote some good stuff. Jon Moss, later of Culture Club and once of the Damned, I think, was our drummer for a while. We gigged a lot in London, even a mini tour of the South Coast, but we really weren’t very together.

And reflecting on the band...

Rick Tucker (Bass) Andrew, Chris and I met at Liz’s funeral in Cambridge a few years ago now, which was a really sad occasion, but a lot of the old Cambridge punks were there and recognized us. It made me wonder about what could have been. I listen to a lot of music and still play and know that there was some real talent among us and with some of the other bands like the Soft Boys and the Sinix, but it just wasn’t to be.

So in retrospect...

The Users were fantastic, but located in Cambridge and having no equipment did for them. If they could have got down to London, played the Roxy & Vortex and got management mid '77 then who knows what could have happened.

The fact that they got two classic singles out is testament both to the bands spirit and to the spirit of punk rock in that anyone could do it.

Lee Wood, owner of Raw Records, remembering The Users on the time he booked a gig on the release of their first single with Cherry Vanilla and The Police.

They were booked as top of the bill but wanted to go on first because they wanted to get home early because there was a late night programme on TV about the Rolling Stones history. They went on and were TOTALLY FUCKING AMAZING, both musically and visually. There is no doubt that with the right backing they should have been MEGA.