Special Duties

Special Duties began in Colchester, Essex, in October 1977, formed by schoolfellows Steve Green (later Steve Arrogant), Steve Norris and Nigel Baker after they saw The Adverts play locally. None of the three owned instruments or could play, but they split up vocals, guitar and bass anyway. Their name came from a stash of stolen "Special Duties" schoolbadges, cheaper than getting new ones printed.

A 1980 demo, made with new recruit Bart Povah, brought a deal with Charnel House Records, and the band soon moved to Rondelet Records, adding drummer Stuart Bray. Their "Police State" EP spent two months in the independent chart, prompting Rondelet to send them into the studio for a debut album, '77 In '82.

In 1982 Steve Arrogant turned the band's fire on anarcho-punk group Crass, whom he saw as declaring punk dead while making music he found tuneless. The result, "Bullshit Crass", became their biggest-selling single, complete with a Crass-style sleeve and opening chants of "Fight Crass, not punk". Distributors Rough Trade and Small Wonder responded by refusing to stock the band's records.

A further single, "Punk Rocker", struggled for distribution in 1983, and the band split that year. Captain Oi! Records reissued '77 In '82 in the mid-1990s, and the response encouraged Special Duties to reform. They have not split again since.

The reunited band kept working: recording a 1997 single tied to a Colchester United cup run, playing New York's CBGB in 1998 and releasing a live album from that show, and re-recording a football terrace song with local band Koopa in 2007, featuring vocals from several Colchester United players.