The Urge were Denis Campbell (drums), Richard Pendry (guitar and vocals) and David Scott (bass and vocals). Formed in Denis’s attic off the Lisburn Road, Belfast in 1978, they began by attempting to drown out Pete Shelley by singing over the “Love You More” vocals of The Buzzcocks 45 using the recording function of a rectangular push button tape deck. It was likely loaded with a cassette bought from Dougie Knight’s. Scottie and Denis got into punk via John Peel, like so many others, with the said tape deck primarily employed to record Radio One from ten to midnight on weeknights.

Denis and Scottie actually folded the covers of a couple of the early Good Vibrations singles in exchange for records at the Great Victoria Street shop. Subsequently, one of their early gigs was when Terri Hooley booked them to play The Harp as 14 or so year olds. Surviving unscathed, The Urge also played a collection of churches and chapels, schools and youth clubs more befitting their tender ages.

Originals included “Things To Make”, “Time Flies”, “Teenage Rebellion” and at least one rip off of an Idiots song. Someone had to. Denis later wrote for, amongst others, the NME, where he was Assistant Editor. Richard is a respected news journalist, film-maker and academic. Scottie went on to play in Pig Awful, The Motorcycle Boy (Rough Trade; Chrysalis; and Forgotten Astronaut Records) and Riverhead (Avalanche Records).

Thanks to Stephen Noble for the photographs, taken on an ‘Adventure Kit’ camera, hence the high quality!

If anyone has any further photographs of this band, then please DO get in contact via spit77to82@aol.com