Sulphur - Demo Tape

Sulphur were a generic punk trio hailing from the Rhyl and Denbigh area, featuring Patrick Senier on vocals and guitar, Chris Homer on drums, and Gaz White on bass (who later went on to play with Floaters Revenge, Fudged, and The Asbos - after relocating to Brighton). Originally starting out as a four-piece with guitarist/vocalist Paul Jones, they drew early comparisons to the UK Subs. They put out a six-track CD titled Aristocracy - which spawned the well-reviewed track Three Dead Words - though their second demo, It’s A Long Way Home, didn't fare quite as well with the local music press.

I recently unearthed a seven-track demo of theirs that isn't listed in their main discography. I suspect it was either a speculative punt sent over for my website or an attempt to land a gig at The Bistro, though whether they were successful on either front remains a mystery. Judging by the sound of it, the session was captured live in a rehearsal room. It is exceptionally raw, but it captures their snotty energy well - the short, to-the-point track Shredded is a particular highlight, which, I'm told was written by a huge Oasis fan who hated punk! It’s a real shame I don’t have any proper studio recordings of these tracks, as a cleaner desk mix would have done much more justice to the songwriting. Gaz did mention they had recorded some material back in 1996 or 1997, so hopefully those tapes may surface eventually.

I actually caught Sulphur live twice back in 2001 at The Breeding Ground in Rhyl. Looking back at my archives, they had come in for a fair amount of flak from local camps at the time, but when they hit their stride and got their punk rock right, they were genuinely good.