In 1981, four Welsh lads decided to form a band, play some gigs, record a single and release it on their own label Cheek to Cheek (A Porky Prime Cut!). As the sole output of a short-lived band, Violin Sect’s “Highdays and Holidays/Rivals” is one of those ultra-rare post punk 7” singles that has become a fetish object for collectors. It is by no means the most expensive or sought-after record ever, but for all the strip mining of obscurity, Violin Sect have never made an appearance on any of the many compilations of DIY, post punk and experimental pop singles released over the years. In 2022 singer and bass player Steve Walker dug out the old tapes and had them remastered along with two demos not heard since the original session. New Jersey label Minimum Table Stacks have now sent them out into the world, probably to a mix of joy and chagrin from the cratediggers collective.
All this begs the question, origin story aside, is it any good? Well yes actually. Walker and his bandmates, Steve Jinks on guitar, Phil Rimell on drums and Hywel Pontin percussion and backing vocals, were clearly fans of Scritti Politti and Swell Maps and with their DIY mix of dubby rhythms, scratchy post punk guitar, whimsy and skepticism made a record that can stand with “Skank Bloc Bologna” and “Read About Seymour.” It’s a little undercooked but has an immediacy and enthusiasm that goes a long way to overcoming the band’s technical deficiencies.
Walker’s bass provides the focus of the four tracks on Vile Insect. Whether laying down a rubbery counterpoint to the cowbell skank of “Holidays and Highdays” or the bouncing over cobblestones riff on “MILK” it forms the spine around which the voices, guitar and percussion are free to wander, occasionally tripping over each other like capering puppies. Walker’s voice which ranges between Dan Treacy’s willful amateurism, and the warbling eccentricity of Ivor Cutler is something of an acquired taste, but it suits the looseness of the music. ”Fit & Anxious” is the outlier, an echo laden rhythm with Hywel Pontin’s sprechgesang and Jinks’ guitar creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that sounds both completely of its time and presciently modern.
Violin Sect are one of many who had a moment and disappeared. It’s taken 40 odd years but happily for us, their music has a new life and hopefully will get a little of the attention it deserves.
