About The Molesters

Line up Mk II:
Paul Hayward - guitar/backing vocals
Wayne Calcutt - drums
Paul Martin - bass
Tom Maltby - lead vocals

The first and most important line up of course was the one that recorded the two singles for Small Wonder and had the two girls (Tracey and Leoni) in it.

Molesters Mk.II: This line up lasted for the second half of 1979 at most. Line up was Paul Haywood guitar, Wayne Calcutt drums, Paul Martin bass, Tom Maltby vocals (ex Wrist Action). We never recorded but undertook a 'worm around the UK' tour. This comprised of pub and college venues in the North of England (between Manchester and Newcastle Upon Tyne). We also played locally of course. 

I was briefly replaced by another bassist (in late 79, whose name escapes me) and John Ellis returned shortly afterwards to replace Tom Maltby on vocals for a couple of gigs before the group disbanded entirely as far as I know.

Incidentally, Mark Gresty, the bass player from Line Up Mk I, subsequently formed a local Brighton band the Relatives. He was lead singer, songwriter and bassist. He then left to become an English teacher in Greece and I took over the bass playing role whilst guitarist

Charlie McLenahan became the singer.

We changed the name to Life Size Models shortly afterwards. We recorded a track under that name (Have You Seen My Friend) which appeared on the Brighton label Vaultage 80 compialtion LP.

Mario Panciera -"45 REVOLUTIONS (UK Punk, New Wave and Indie singles In The Years of Anarchy, Chaos and Destruction - 1976/1979)", (March 2006)

The Molesters
1. Disco Love
2. Commuter Man
04/79 - Small Wonder Rec. SMALL-14 ps - 7”

Not to be confused with the Dutch Punk band of the same name, the Molesters were a six-piece Punk/New Wave combo from the Brighton area formed by Stella Anscombe (vocals), Leoni Nicol (vocals), John Ellis (vocals, NOT the John Ellis of the Vibrators!), Paul Hayward (guitar), Mark Gresty (bass) and Wayne Calcutt (drums, ex-Cruelty/Poacher) in 1977.

Active mainly on the local live circuit, in mid-’78 the group recorded a demo tape which was sent to many labels and to John Peel who invited the Molesters to record a BBC session for his radio show on October 4 (tracks: Commuter Man, Disco Love, End Of Civilizaton

and Girl Behind The Curtain).

A few days later Nicol and Anscombe quit to be replaced by Carole Brooks and Tracy Spencer. After a second Peel session, recorded on January 31, 1979 (tracks: Miss USA, What’s The Time, Latex Darling and P.M.W./Young And Rich), the band were finally signed by East London’s premier indie label Small Wonder Records and a single, produced by Bill Sargeant, was issued late in April.

Despite its misleading title, the A-side Disco Love is an enjoyable punky song with nice vocal harmonies, while the flip is a solid rock number with a long instrumental intro. Mediocre reviews and unspectacular sales - the awful flower power flavoured picture sleeve must have been an insurmountable deterrent to anybody remotely into the New Wave - led the combo to change line-up in May. For a few weeks the Molesters performed as a three-piece with Ellis, Gresty and Calcutt, but finally called it a day at the end of June 1979.

“Concise summary of disco horrors expressed forcibly over hard, dark instrumentation by the band who did a rather good session on the Peel show a while back”. Alan Lewis, Sounds, Apr 28

“Mischievous guitars chug lethargically behind humdrum vocals that do get catchy here and there” Half-Cocked, Slash, Jun ’79

Wriiten by Paul Martin


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The Molesters John Peel Sessions

Molesters first Peel session loading...





Disco Love b/w Commuter Man

Molesters second Peel session loading...





End Of Civilsation b/w Girl Behind The Curtain















click to enlarge


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Molesters scrapbook


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More Molesters & Gig list

The Molesters
1- End Of Civilisation (The Molesters)
2- Girl Behind The Curtain (The Molesters)
07/79- Small Wonder Rec. SMALL-18 ps - 7”

A second 7” was posthumously released by Small Wonder at the end of July 1979, once more sporting a picture cover that failed to visualize the musical content of the record. Lack of live promotion helped to guarantee a complete commercial flop despite the reasonably good quality of the single’s two melodic Punky-Pop songs. Before the end of 1979, The Molesters re-formed (with an altered line-up featuring former Fan Club bass player Paul Martin) but failed to release any record, splitting in 1980.

“Half-cooked social commentary, as done by Peter, Paul & Mary and a heavy metal guitarist” Sandy Robertson, Sounds, Aug 4

“The Molesters are deceptive: at first hearing the voices seem mixed too low into a plodding bass sound, but as the chorus becomes effective the musical logic comes clear The band are striding purposefully to the apocalypse” Simon Frith, MM, Aug 4

Paul Martin - Some of the gigs played with The Molesters (Mk.2)
The Molesters Line up 1979

Tom Maltby – lead vocals
Paul Hayward – guitar and backing vocals
Paul Martin – bass and backing vocals
Wayne Calcott – Drums

Resources Centre 15/9/1979. This was in the evening after Punky Pete’s wedding reception! Support acts Chefs, Smeggy & The Cheesy Bits, Patrick Fitzgerald
Court Hope Youth Centre, Portslade 3/10/1979
Hangleton Youth Centre 4/10/1979
Fleece Hotel, Blackburn 6/10/1979
Balhambras, Newcastle on Tyne 8/10/1979, Support bands Arthur 2 Stroke, Fan Heater, Noise Boys
Accrington Youth Centre, Lancs 9/10/1979
Colne Youth Club, Lancs, 10/10/1979. Support band Tiger Tails
Union Hotel, Colne, Lancs 11/10/1979. Support act: a punk poet
Buccanner, Brighton 13/1/0/1979. Support band: The Kemptown Rockers
The Resources Centre, 14/10/1979

Set List
Too Many Strangers
Go With The Flow
Worms
Girl Behind The Curtain
Breakin’ Loose
End of Civilisation
Ghost SongCommuter Man
Murder Plot
Maybe I’m Wrong
This Town
We’re The Fucking Loonies
What’s The Time (never played live)
Parasite (never played live)

“This close-to-catchy duo of songs is smothered alive by a mechanical sterility that can’t have been in the plans on their mental drawing boards”
Chris D, Slash, Dec ’79

Read more:
The Molesters Version 2.0 (June 1978 - June 1979) By Mark Gresty (pdf)

The Molesters August-October 1979

by Paul Martin (pdf)





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This site is dedicated to the memory of Rick Blair
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