The Zips
Jon Zip McNeill - vocals/guitar
Brian Jackson - lead guitar
Joe Jaconelli - drums/backing vocals
Phil Mullen - bass guitar/vocals
The Zips were born in Glasgow in February 1978, John and Brian, veterans (at 20) of the Glasgow Pub Rock circuit satisfied a yearning to join the new Punk/New Wave explosion by splitting previous outfit ‘Road Angel’ recruiting Joe and Phil and launching The Zips. After four weeks of rehearsal they had enough material (a mixture of original material and choice covers) for their debut gig in a pub called ‘The Peel’, Their reputation as an energetic live act meant that soon they moved into support gigs in the city’s Art School and Universities. In an effort to reach and under 18 audience they also pioneered Saturday lunchtime gigs at the rarely used Custom House Quay bandstand beside the river Clyde. Many embryonic bands were given the opportunity to support them in most cases using The Zips equipment. By the end of 78 they had amassed enough original songs to be performing almost exclusively Zips material and in November booked a four track recording session in The Burns Howff in Glasgow, four songs ‘I’m In Love’ ‘Over and Over’ ‘Take Me Down’ and ‘Don’t Be Pushed Around’ were recorded in almost as many hours and became the basis of their eponymous EP, which was finally released in April 1979 with the funding from local record shop owner Charlie ‘Hannibal’ Hayes. The Zips EP soon became a favourite of Radio Clyde and also won favour with John Peel on Radio One. the five hundred copies swiftly sold out but due to delays in retrieving all the monies owed, a second pressing was abandoned in favour of a new single on their own label ‘Tenement Toons’. Meanwhile the band had won Scottish heats of a competition organised by a company called ‘Vitavox’ and appeared at The Venue in London, undeterred at coming fourth of four bands they used the trip to visit record companies and although some ‘Island’ in particular, were positive about the band’s music, no contracts were offered. Back in Glasgow, they set about planning for a new single, ‘Radioactivity’ c/w ‘I’m Not Impressed’. it was recorded in Sirocco Studios in Kilmarnock in an eight hour session in January 1980 and its one thousand pressings were released on ‘tenement Toons’, In April, this time funding was by Brian’s Granny, as a vote of solidarity with the A side’s ‘anti-nuke’ message. Although the single received a fair amount of airplay and despite support slots with, amongst others, ‘Cockney Rejects’ plus exposure at CND / Anti-Nuke rallies, the single did not match the success of the EP and this was reflected in poor sales. The band were now caught between two movements, New Wave and Ska. and the cracks were beginning to show, gigs were becoming fewer and far between and depts were mounting. The Zips last gig was on 11th December 1980 at The Sandrianne Hotel in Kilmarnock. After the band split, Brian decided to quit the music biz and emigrate to Australia. As well as the singles, two live recordings were made, The Atlantis Clydebank in 1978 and The Sandrianne Hotel in 1980. The story would be incomplete without paying tribute to Carry On/Carry Off team (roadies) George Watson and Eric Jones, who stuck with the band through thick and thin, sleeve artist, Colin Watson and Zips fans everywhere/anywhere.
John McNeill - November 2000
