Formed coincidentally the day after that fine upstanding figure of a man Sid Vicous went to the great glue bag in the sky, The Abductors were schoolboys venting there anti-establishment frustration in other ways than writing on schoolbags. The original members were Gary 'wee eck' Dawson on vocals, Keith Thompson on drums, Stephen 'Steppe' Dempster and Fred 'Inspector Blake' Wilson on guitar. The Inspector apparently earning his name by bossily taking charge of a bus en-route tae Banchory: not quite hijacking a jumbo jet but we are talkin Aiberdeen here. Jimmy Sim soon came in as a new drummer with Trouper on bass, as they terrorised any venue daft enough to accomodate them.
By September 1980 the bands noxious reputation, combined with tragic, unconnected events elsewhere in Aberdeen, precipitated a change of name. With Blakey working as a pharmacy technician, the alternate title of Toxik Ephex filled the prescription. And of they went pogo-ing there way to an illustrious recording career overshadowed and under-achieved by the impressive failures of John Otway (self proclamed biggest loser in rock and prod of it.) Nevermind your Abbey Roads, the 62 club was good enough for the Toxiks as they taped Police brutality in all its angry glory on a reel to reel machine. Sending out cassette tapes through the mail Crass Records takes the bait. Police Brutality appears on the 40 track double lp Bullshit Detector 2. The record climbed dizzy hieghts to top the punk indie charts on Oct 8, 1982, and to 4th place in the national indie charts selling around 15,000 copies.
Despite having become major recording artists of inter-galactic mega status (well their mas and das were fairly, if suspiciously pleased and the wifey down the chipper asked "kin ye get me Rod Stewarts auotogarph?) 1982 was their quietest year (fit apart fae the last 10) and the inactivity resultin in Simmy selling his drum kit and leaving making way for another POWIS FP loon Chiz. Sept 1985 brings a valuable addition in the form of Dod Copland, coinciding with Wee Eck jumping ship. Blakey's brother Dave Wilkinson filled in on second guitar before a gadgie named Steve Anderson becomes the regular rythmic strummer. Frank Benzie jumps onboard in 1987.
Blakey wanted nother vinyl orgasm but thought "bugger this, im fed up making loads of money for multi national conglomorate record companies. If a geek like Richard Branson can make millions with his own record label then surely someone like myself...better lokking and more intelligent.... can make even more." Such capitalist day-dreaming came to friution with Green Vomit Records.
The money for Toxiks 1st EP was raised through live gigs. So down to the Pierhouse Studio in Leith where the EP Punk As Fuck was recorded in a day. The lads gleefully skeedaddled their way home clutching the prized tape, takin turns to hold, touch, stroke and caress it: "c'mon, its my shottie now youve had your go."
It was duly despatched to Cops n London who soon returned a box of 7" black biscuits to Toxik Towers Aberdeen. "Pretty much a D.I.Y job as far as the rest of it went says Freddie " we did the covers ourselves with spray glue and sticky labels all ober the place. we puned most of them at gigs and on the strrets for sometimes just 50p towards petrol money. Fast Forward distro said theyd take as many as we could send them. But one day in Endinburgh we dropped in past for a natter with them. Then they said. Oh, whilst youre here, take this lot wi' you and gave us the boxes of records back." Their idiosyncratic brand of spikey punk had nontheless been captuerd on vinyl. The song titles themselves summarise Toxik's view of contempary life: Always Skint, Nothings Permissive and Fallout Shelter offer an alternative opinion of Maggies let-them-eat cake arrogance.
Meteoric success continued on Green Vomit with the Mad As Fuck LP, shared with Oi Polloi. The album defined Toxiks music as an equitable balance of politically-driven protest and aural cartoon pop-punk, encompassing such gems as Akanamynithingawizbleezin and a mad take on the Wild Side Of Life. The latter was your ma's Alexander Brothers cheapo Marbel Arch label version played through o food blender at 78rpm.
1988 sees Toxik in Newport Wales with propreitor of the Words Of Warning indie label, resulting in a shared WOW EP 7" split with welsh pogoists Shrapnel.
The 1-Up funded album The Adventures Of Nobby Porthole Cock Of The North, recorded in 5 days Leith in 1989, saw the band getting ripped into contemporary problems as unemployment, with pointedly barbed reworking of the traditional Irish air Maggie, directed at the wicked witch of Downing Street...The Other Half Lives, an impassionaed diatribe on the equalities of life, rocket fuelled with demented, twiddly guitar: The bright lights of London are glowing, thats where all the profits must be going, in restaurants the prices are rising, outside on the pavement someones dying. They have created a jungle where the law says the fattest survive. Caring, sharing and musically appealing but not the stuff of mainstream record contracts. Nobby Porthole set the scene for a soon to develop Aberdeen folk-punk movement, but local gigs at the east neuk and the venue became repetively unchallenging. Fred leaves to play elsewhere, he was soon followed by Chiz. Before long the Ephex wore off.... de-toxified.
Toxik do randomly pop up for one-off gigs etc always seems with yet more line up changes, also puttin out the Punk As Fuck triple cd set, playin their 25th anniversary gig at cafe drummonds, the forum with Dead Kennedys, lemon tree with slf, uk sub support slots and with the odd gig here and there, the moorings, glow, at the Chernobyl Children Lifeline charity Allday gig last april in Glasgow, am sure you can find them playin atleast 1 date a year somewhere or other, something tells me we still havent heard the last of Toxik and with the their 30th anniversary looming no doubt the loons will make an appearance.
2006 saw Runnin feart realease Toxik Ephex first new release for 15 years! brand new 7" - civilised, land of opportunity. recorded in 1990 but previosly unreleased.
Plus Toxiks ultra rare 7" split with Shrapnel 1988 Does someone have to die, Life Is For Living being released as a cd on Green Vomit Records with bonus material - civilised - an altenative version of the 7" single on runnin feart plus, johnnyboy/barnyards o delgaty - live 1991
plus a track "nothings permissive" on the anti state cd from the anarcho compilation cd series 2005
2007 Punk as two fucks double disc discography of everything released over the years plus live disc of an early aberdeen show, released through topplers joint with green vomit records. now available, £6 which will save you on the ebay vynil cost and perfect for the toxik newcomer and its better than a slap n the face and cheaper than heroin.
IF YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOS, STORIES, RANTS, VIDEOS ETC THAT I COULD USE SEND US A MESSAGE.
No Toxik members are runnin this site directly, but i did ask to do this and any messages etc will be passed on to the members im n contact with.
if you want any certain TE songs put up jist ask.
This 14 track album by Dan Melchior is out now on the Topplers Record Label.
Dan Says... It's a good one I think, very loud and blasted out like the more 'punk' moments on 'Thankyou very much' , but with a good dose of mangled pop too.
Available from good independent dealers in the US and UK or direct from Topplers.
Hey, I've got a new acoustic demo up of my song "Snapshot Chronicles" up now. Feel free to listen, comment, and if you like it tell your friends. If not, that's cool too.
CLICK THE COVER TO BUY THE TOXIK DOUBLE DISC DISCOGRAPHY INC AN EARLY LIVE ABERDEEN GIG, FROM TOPPLERS £6
