The Outsiders were an early British punk rock group from Wimbledon, England. Their debut LP, Calling On Youth, was the first self-released punk album in the UK.[1]
Adrian Borland was central to the group, manning vocals and guitar. Bob Lawrence was on bass, and Adrian 'Jan' Janes manned the drums. Their debut LP, Calling On Youth, was self-released on their Raw Edge label in May 1977,[1] and won them unfavourable reviews: "apple-cheeked Ade has a complexion that would turn a Devon milkmaid green with envy", reported the NME.[2][3]
An EP that November, One To Infinity, was labelled as "Tuneless, gormless, gutless...I like them a lot." by Tony Parsons in the NME,[4] but was praised in a less contradictory manner elsewhere.[5]
It was followed by a second album Close Up in 1979. This received better, but still cautious, reviews from the press;[6] the NME concluded that it was a patchy album, but from "a band with a future."[7]
After this album, Lawrence and Janes left, and Borland went on to front the post-punk group The Sound.[8][9][10]