DAVE TREGUNNA
The Wanderers (briefly called the Allies) were born when frontman Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys essentially replaced Jimmy Pursey as the front man and lead singer in Sham 69, which broke up in the summer of 1980. Besides Stiv Bators, the other bandmembers were from Sham 69: Dave Tregunna (bassist), Dave Parsons (guitarist), and Mark Goldstein (drums). Unlike many of the other first-wave punk bands in Britain, Sham 69 had genuine proletariat roots and eventually attracted very rowdy crowds. Despite considerable success, the Dead Boys and Sham 69 had both been somewhat under-appreciated in their home countries.
The Wanderers was dropped by Polydor Records and broke up almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, Stiv Bators and Dave Tregunna formed the Lords of the New Church, which had their own version of doom and gloom.
(February 2011)
* * *
Due to our recent escape from the projected end of the world on December 21, 2012, the apocalyptic album by the Wanderers is an appropriate Flashback for this month. Stiv Bators, the frontman of one of the best American punk rock bands, the Dead Boys teamed up with the remains of one of Britain’s best punk bands, Sham 69. Stiv Bators would found his next punk rock band, the Lords of the New Church, with one of the members of the Wanderers, Dave Tregunna.
(February 2013)
* * *
Another band that comes to mind that is not mentioned in the Best Theological Band Names list is the Stiv Bators/Dave Tregunna punk rock band Lords of the New Church; they had first performed together as part of past UARB the Wanderers. The British alternative/dance band Jesus Jones had a 1990 hit called “Right Here, Right Now”.
I have several others in my collection that include the truly strange 700 Club (with the name taken from the long-lived TV religious program 700 Club) and the classically trained musician who calls himself MC 900 Ft. Jesus (named for the vision by Oral Roberts that led to the construction of a controversial hospital tower on the campus of Oral Roberts University).
(October 2014)
