About Infa Riot

The North London band's rise to fame began with a live review in Sounds, written by none other than Mensi of the Angelic Upstarts, who was so impressed by the group that he raved about them for weeks after, and this was only their fourth gig. While supporting Chelsea and The Dark at the Lyceum, they apparently blew both bands off the stage, getting rave reviews inserval fanzines of the time. Garry Bushell who then wrote for the music paper Sounds, asked the band to appear on the second Oi! album "Strenght Thru Oi!" and the group contributed two tracks, in the form of "Riot Riot" and "We Out Number You". Infa Riot found themselves on the Oi! map, both songs echoed the feeling of what was happening to the country at the time and "We Out Number You" was especially poignant. The lad's first 7" release, "Kids Of The 80's" appeared in October 1981 and reached number 10 in the indie chart. Originally the band were due to release "Five Minute Fashions" on a different label, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour. The group then embarked on a short tour with the BUSINESS. While "Each Dawn I Die" featured on the classic "Carry On Oi!" album. They followed this with another tour of the UK, this time with punk band The Exploited. By the beginning of 1982 the band were once again back on the road playing the opening night at Skunx, the now almost mythical punk club in London. By May 1982 the group had played various venues around the UK and released their second single "The Winner". The single failed to impress the fans and for a moment it looked as if the band had run out of steam, but in September the group released their debut LP on Secret Records. "Still Out Of Order" hit the national charts reaching number 42. The album once again reasserted the fans' faith in the band, but don't take my word for it, check it for yourself. "Feel The Rage" was inclued on "Britannia Waives The Rules", a 12" single that featured Chron Gen and The Exploited. Secret records called it a day after this release, the band needed to find another label and at the tail end of 1983 they signed to Panache. The band slightly changed their name to THE INFAS and under this name they released "Sound And Fury" in February 1984, which was followed by a single of the same name. Whether it was bad promotion, poor distribution, or the name change, I don't know but many thought the band had sold out. The album failed, the group gave up the struggle and called it a day, although a year later the band played a one off gig in Leeds which was recorded by Link Records.