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The Disco Students : Gay Lorry Drivers
ep / Live in New York The Disco Students (www.discostudents.com) are not another young band. Formed in 1978 they rode the wave of the post punk explosion in Aylesbury, releasing 3 singles on the Yeah Yeah Yeah label. They reformed in 2003 and were invited to play 4 gigs in America, including one at CBGBs, and the fruits of this trip are available on the live album "9/ 8-9-10-11 The Disco Students Live in New York" (Yeah Yeah Yeah). They've also released a new ep "Gay Lorry Drivers". These recordings show that the band's sharp wit, intelligent lyric writing and ear for a top tune are mightily well preserved.
I'm not going to embark on an essay tracing the influence of this band on late 20th century culture (thank God), but while the claim in the song title "Morissey Stole All My Ideas" (with its opening opening line : "Look at him the little shit / With his receding quiff") maybe a bit wide of the mark, it is clear that The Disco Students have been an inspiration. There is something in the choppy guitar playing and indie vocals that Franz Ferdinand probably half inched from the likes of The Gang Of Four and The Chesterfields, who had no doubt listened to The Disco Students. And with song titles like "Mark E Smith is Dead", "The Most Handsome Man on TV" and "The Last Disco in North Korea" (based on a true story, apparently!) you can perhaps see where Half Man Half Biscuit got some of their lyrical obsessions. And with Radio Five Live's travel reporter Jo-Anne Sale, The Disco Students are well worth tracking down. Rosey
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