About The Nips

The Nips (short for The Nipple Erectors) were a British punk rock band formed in The Arsenal, London in 1977 and notable as Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan's first musical group. Initially consisting of vocalist/songwriter MacGowan (known at the time as 'Shane O'Hooligan'), bassist/songwriter/original Punk Artist Shanne Bradley (later, a member of The Men They Couldn't Hang), guitarist/ Artist Roger Towndrow and drummer Arcane Vendetta; the band released four singles and there was one bootleg live album between 1978 and 1981. Although initially inspired by the Sex Pistols and The Stooges, the Nipple Erectors split from traditional 'punk sound' by establishing elements of rockabilly, R&B and pop into their music. The band renamed themselves The Nips following the release of their first single, "King of the Bop" -- as many radio stations had refused to play their music and several venues had refused to book them due to the allegedly sexist nature of the band's name. It was also at this point that Towndrow and Arcane departed, replaced by an ever-changing series of musicians -- most notably future The Pretenders drummer Gerry Maccleduff, Pogue James Fearnley, Skrewdriver drummer Grinny, and The Damned and Culture Club drummer Jon Moss.