Anti-Pasti

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Anti-Pasti
Origin	Derbyshire, England, UK
Genre(s)	Punk Rock
Years active	1979–1984, 1995
Label(s)	Anagram Captain Oi!

Anti-Pasti (not to be confused with the Italian Hors d'œuvre antipasti) was a British punk band founded by vocalist Martin Roper and guitarist Dugi Bell in 1979, featuring Kev Nixon on drums and Will Hoon on bass guitar. Later they were joined by a second guitarist, Olly Hoon. Their first LP, The Last Call, spent seven weeks in the UK Albums Chart, placing at a high of 31. Roper left the band in 1982, and Anti-Pasti effectively ended.

[edit] History

From Derbyshire, England, Anti-Pasti were part of the third wave of punk of the early 1980s. The group were formed from local outfit the Scrincers, and comprised Dugi Bell (guitar), Martin Roper (lead vocals), Russell Maw and Eddie Barke. Barke and Maw soon quit, the latter going on to play for the Allies, Aftermath UK and the Egyptian Kings. With the addition of Stu Winfield (bass) and Stan Smith (drums), they released a debut EP, "Four Sore Points", on their own Dose record label.

Winfield and Smith were then replaced by Kev Nixon and Will Hoon before the group signed to Rondelet Records in 1980, releasing "Let Them Free" in January 1981. Later that year, Anti-Pasti released their debut album, The Last Call, which reached the UK Top 30. Their growing profile was confirmed when a third single, "Six Guns', appeared at the end of the year and reached number 1 in the UK Independent chart, as did the successful joint venture with The Exploited on a 12-inch single EP, "Don't Let "Em Grind You Down".

"East To The West", released in 1982, preceded the final Anti-Pasti album and single, both titled "Caution To The Wind", which featured Will Noon's brother Ollie on guitar. A self-titled singles retrospective surfaced a year later, but the group split in 1984 following the firing of Roper. There was a reunion in 1995, leading to mini-tours of the UK and Germany.