Editing London SS

{{Short description|British Rock and Roll band}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = London SS
| image                 = 
| caption            =
| image_size            =
| background          = group_or_band
| origin              =
| genre               = [[Proto punk]]
| years_active        = 1975–1976, 2012-present
| label               =
| associated_acts     =
| website             = {{URL|thelondonss.com}}
| current_members             = Eunan Brady<br />Jimi McDonald<br />Taj<br /> Andy Knott
| past_members        =Robert Godfrey <br />Michael Kane<br />Andre Gomes<br />Richard Grealish<br />Andy Emm<br />Geir Waade<br />John Brown<br />[[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]]<br />Kelvin Cyril Blacklock<br />[[Tony James (musician)|Tony James]]<br />[[Brian James (guitarist)|Brian James]] <br />Roland Hot 
}}

'''London SS''' are a British [[Rock (music)|rock]] group founded in March 1975 by drummer Geir Waade, bassist John Brown, guitarist [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]], and guitarist Eunan Brady (formerly of the [[Hollywood Brats]]). They later became associated with the then new [[punk rock]] scene when the [[Sex Pistols]] broke in early 1976. In 2012 Brady put together a new lineup, featuring himself along with Jimi McDonald, Taj Sagoo, Michael Kane, and Andi Emm.<ref>{{cite web|title=We're not Nazis, says London SS, punk band barred from Upper Street venue|url=http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2014/apr/we%E2%80%99re-not-nazis-says-london-ss-punk-band-barred-upper-street-venue|website=Islington Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405051322/http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2014/apr/we%E2%80%99re-not-nazis-says-london-ss-punk-band-barred-upper-street-venue|archive-date=5 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==History==
The origin of the name "London SS" is disputable. Geir Waade claims to have been the first to propose it:

{{blockquote|[[Andrew Matheson (musician)|Andrew Matheson]] begs to differ, even though every other band member insists that it was immediately following Geir's arrival that the band's old name, 'The Delinquents', was dropped. Brady confirms it was Geir who came up with the replacement name, but John insists it was the result of a general brainstorming session with a dictionary and thesaurus. Obviously, the London prefix was a nod in the direction of [[The New York Dolls]] and [[The Hollywood Brats]].<ref name=Gray>{{cite book|last=Gray|first=Marcus|title=Last Gang In Town: The Story and Myth Of The Clash|year=1995|publisher=Fourth Estate Ltd|isbn=9781857021462}}</ref>}}

The group's name caused disquiet in some quarters, because "SS" was generally understood to refer to the [[Schutzstaffel]], the infamous paramilitary force of [[Nazi Germany]], at a time when [[Nazi chic]] was a trend in UK pop. This came to haunt Mick Jones (who is [[Jewish]]) when [[The Clash]] became Britain's premier left-wing political band. When questioned about the name, Tony James stated:

{{blockquote|We hadn't thought at all about the Nazi implications. It just seemed like a very anarchic, stylish thing to do.<ref name="Salewicz">{{cite book |last=Salewicz |first=Chris |title=[[Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer]] |edition=1st American |date=15 May 2007 |publisher=Faber and Faber |location=New York |isbn=978-0-571-21178-4 |oclc=76794852 }}</ref>}}

The London SS recruited Kelvin Cyril Blacklock to front their band. Blacklock's arrival led to Geir Waade and Mick Jones's departures. The band then changed its name to Violent Luck.

{{blockquote|Even while still with Overtown, Kelvin had kept his options open by attending auditions for several other bands. One of the [[Melody Maker]] ads he answered had been placed by bassist [[Tony James (musician)|Tony James]]. Tony was reading mathematics at [[Brunel University]] in [[Uxbridge]], on the western outskirts of London and living in [[Twickenham]], a few miles to the south.<ref name=Gray/>}}

The second lineup of The London SS started with Blacklock and James.<ref name=All>{{cite web
| last = Deming   | first = Mark   | title = allmusic ((( Carbon/Silicon > Overview )))   | publisher = allmusic.com   | url = {{AllMusic|id=p912909|pure_url=yes}}   | access-date = 6 November 2008}}</ref>
The band spent most of their short history auditioning potential members. Besides Blacklock and James, guitarist [[Brian James (guitarist)|Brian James]] (no relation to Tony James) was the only other semi-permanent member at this time. Other musicians who played with them included [[Matt Dangerfield]] and Casino Steel, then members of The Hollywood Brats, who would later go on to play in [[The Boys (UK Band)|The Boys]]. Future Clash bassist [[Paul Simonon]] also auditioned for the group, albeit unsuccessfully.<ref name=Gray/>

==Recordings==
London SS's only recording was a demo featuring James, Jones, James, and Hot. Musically, they played straightforward [[rock 'n' roll]] and covered 1960s [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]. An example of this is their song "1–2 Crush on You", which was later [[Tommy Gun (song)#.221-2 Crush on You.22|recorded by The Clash]].

The reformed version did release a limited edition Demo CD, entitled "High Jinks On A Low Budget" which was sold at The Rebellion Festival in 2013, following their successful gig there.They also recorded an EP, whilst they were signed to the French label, Combat Rock Records. The E.P. is entitled "No Beards, No Beerguts, No Beginners"

==Later bands featuring members of The London SS==
Ultimately, The London SS members were more famous for what they did later than they were for anything that they accomplished during the band's existence. As described by music critic [[Dave Thompson (author)|Dave Thompson]], the band is "regarded as the testing ground-cum-meeting place for what became a who's-who of punk".<ref name="Thompson"/>

Brian James and [[Rat Scabies]] joined [[Johnny Moped]] guitarist [[Captain Sensible|Ray Burns]] and backed up music journalist [[Nick Kent]] in the shortlived Subterraneans.<ref name="Thompson">{{Cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Thompson (author) |date=7 February 1992 |title=The Damned |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-damned-3 |magazine=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |access-date=19 June 2018 |via=[[Rock's Backpages]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> James and Scabies later formed [[The Damned (band)|The Damned]]. Tony James joined the band [[Chelsea (band)|Chelsea]] with [[Billy Idol]] and the two later started [[Generation X (band)|Generation X]]. According to [[Chelsea (band)|Chelsea]] drummer John Towe,

{{blockquote|When Brian James played with London SS he wrote a song called 'Why Won't She Talk' [...] [[Gene October|October]] kept the tune but put new words to the song and re-titled it 'Get Out and Walk'. When he discovered that the tune had been ripped off (early '77) he dropped it from [[Chelsea (band)|Chelsea's]] set.<ref>John Towe's letter to the editor (''[[Spiral Scratch (magazine)|Spiral Scratch]]'' magazine 1/1991, p.19)</ref>}}

Jones and Simonon teamed up with [[Joe Strummer]] and founded [[The Clash]]. 

Jones and Tony James later worked together in [[Carbon/Silicon]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Clash}}
{{The Damned}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:The Clash]]
[[Category:English punk rock groups]]
[[Category:Protopunk groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from London]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1975]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1976]]
[[Category:English musical quartets]]