Fire Dept
The Fire Dept (1987–2004) were a British punk rock group. The main core of the band over the years comprised Neil Palmer on guitar and vocals, Neale Richardson on bass and Robin Taylor on drums. Johnny Johnson of Thee Headcoats (and also of The Cannibals) played bass on stage from 1995 to 1997, and on the Fire Dept's Elpee for Another Time (1996). History The Fire Dept were a punk rock group started in 1987 in Cambridge, England, that played in the same garage rock or garage punk genre (also known at that time as 60s punk) as many other bands in the British Isles during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably Thee Headcoats and The Thanes. In 1988, the Fire Dept moved to Brighton and mainly performed locally and in London, where they played most often at the Wild Western Rooms, in the back room of the St John's Tavern, Archway, which was the monthly home of Thee Headcoats throughout the 1990s. It was there that they supported many 1960s beat groups rediscovered and encouraged to reform by the promoter, Slim Chance. Billy Childish released the Fire Dept's second single, "Last One There" b/w "She Saw Me",