Social Security

Social Security

Social Security is a Bristol group associated with the late 1970s UK alternative scene. The name is also used by a separate Dutch new wave group, but the Bristol act is the one described here.

Bristol punk band

The Bristol Social Security forms in the late 1970s and is part of the city’s punk-era circuit. Two of the central figures, Simon and Dom, know each other from the age of around 12 and later form the band after being expelled from local private boys’ schools and then moving through a comprehensive education. Their tastes are rooted in 1960s music and culture, including Mod, The Kinks, The Small Faces, The Who, scooters, Ealing cinema, sixties clothing, and the sound of AC30 and Selmer amplification, Hofner and Vox guitars, including a 12-string Vox teardrop-style guitar.

The group begins by playing covers of artists such as The Who, The Small Faces, The Animals and Van Morrison before moving on to original material. Their early rehearsals take place in a mansion house overlooking Durdham Downs, then used as a free school. They also receive guitar lessons from an older local musician who had played in The Rat Bites from Hell and later leaves Bristol to form The Only Ones. The band’s first performance is in the back room of the Bear Hotel, and a journalist at the show leads to a review and photograph in NME.

At an early stage they play regularly in Bristol and the West Country, including the B.Q. in St Pauls, where they support The Primates, and a performance at the Anson Rooms. Their singer Pete leaves after being offered work with The Stingrays, and Phil, formerly a roadie for The Cortinas, joins as replacement. The band also plays on the back of a lorry for the Bristol branch of the Right To Work campaign, with The X-Certs performing at the same event. That performance leads to a reported disturbance on Bristol’s streets and is covered in the late edition of the Evening Post.

They are described as a band that is more about enjoyment and local momentum than long-term ambition. Their time together lasts around 14 months. A review sums them up as “the kind of band your mates are in.” They also share a support bill with The Pop Group at the Anson Rooms, an appearance that becomes a notable local clash between different Bristol scenes.

Sound and scene

The Bristol group sits between punk and new wave, with the members presenting themselves as more “pod than punk” and more “monk than mod.” Their references remain tied to sixties pop and rock, but they emerge through the energy of punk and the local Bristol scene, alongside acts such as The Pigs, The Cortinas and The Glaxos. Their story also reflects the social setting of Bristol in the period, including record-shop culture, squat and party circuits, local fanzines such as Loaded, and the city’s venues and street politics.

Dutch group of the same name

A separate Dutch new wave Social Security forms in February 1980 with drummer Joop Mols, bassist Bob Schaafsma, and guitarist/vocalist Harrie Zandstra, all three previously in Pavane. Keyboardist Martin Ploeg later joins, followed by Jos Haijer of Top Hole. The group records the single Hate/Dancing for Top Hole and plays widely across the Netherlands. Its sound is described as new-wave influenced, with a heavy tone and comparisons to The Stranglers, Echo & the Bunnymen and The Cure.