Garage Punk
Ireland

“Christian band formed at Bath University by students Adrian Wylie (from Northern Ireland) and guitarist Matt McArdle, ex of The Killjoys, the Birmingham punk band who released a fantastic single on Raw Records and are best known for harbouring future Dexys Midnight Runners leader Kevin whatshisname.

What of the Night recorded a demo at BBC Radio Bristol Studios in 1979 which won the Best New Gospel Band in the UK award that year. They spent most of the year recording their excellent LP which was released during christmas 1979.

The album is an inventive mix of punk and garage rock in interesting arrangements and with psychedelic edges – it could be seen as an early example of neo-psych – but it's let down by poor production. It was released on the Ballymena-based xian label Budj Records. It's difficult to track down but not expensive and is recommended.”

(from http://www.irishrock.org/irodb/bands/whatofthenight.html)

“Adrian Wylie, an old school friend of John Coutler's (founder of Budj Records) from their days at Ballymena Academy, had formed a Christian punk band called ‘What of the Night’ while studying at Bath University, England. The band line-up was - Wylie (lead vocals), Jem McKay (rhythm guitar), Hugh Betteridge (bass), Trevor Marshall (drums) and Matt McArdle (lead guitar). Back in ‘77, before being ‘born again’. McArdle had been a member of legendary Birmingham punk band The Killjoys, whose singer Kevin Rowland went on to find fame and fortune with his band Dexy's Midnight Runners! McArdle was also heavily involved in the London, Manchester and Coventry punk scenes, and regards several members of The Buzzcocks, The Clash and The Heartbreakers as personal friends. John Coulter recalls “I had originally suggested that What Of The Night be called The Clergy. It was intended that they would walk slowly on stage dressed as clerics, complete with traditional religious dog collars. It would be to the sound of monks’ chanting with a single spotlight focused on the drums. The band would take their places and then suddenly launch into a full-blown punk number. In the end, the idea and name were dropped as it was thought that it would be too blasphemous”.

In early ‘79, What Of The Night recorded a demo tape at the BBC Radio Bristol studios. This helped them to win the title of ‘Best new gospel band in the UK’ after entering a competition to find the best new gospel bands in the UK on Anne Nightingale’s BBC Radio One show. Their reward, to gain exposure through national airtime on Radio One. The rest of '79 was then spent recording material for their debut album, at a studio near Glasgow, in Scotland.

Their self titled album was released on Coulter’s newly formed Budj label, amid a flurry of publicity in the local press, at Christmas ’79, and immediately came under fire from Christian fundamentalists who believed Punk and Heavy Metal to be the ‘music of the devil’, so they waved placards and boycotted the shop selling the records in Ballymena. The band also came under attack from punk purists who regarded it with suspicion due to its Christian sentiment! Despite the opposition, the three thousand copies of the album which were made (50% on vinyl and 50% on cassette) sold enough copies to enable Budj to record and release more artists.”

(from http://www.spitrecords.co.uk/budj.htm)

1979 Independent

1979 Budj Records

Adrian Wylie – Lead vocals
Matt McArdle – Guitar, vocals
Jem Mackay – Guitar, vocals
Hugh C. Betteridge – Bass
Trevor Marshall – Drums

1. Soaked Right Through (McArdie / Wylie)
2. M.T.I.'s (McArdie / Wylie)
3. Show Me a Love (McArdie)
4. Black Satin Lovers (McArdie / Wylie)
5. Fighting Solo (Mackay / McArdie / Wylie)
6. Dying World
7. Summer Lament
8. Cure for Death
9. The Wall
10. Caught in the Firing Line