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Artist
Department S
12+ albums
post-punknew wavepunk80sbritish
about
Department S are a British post-punk band formed in 1980, who took their stage name from the 1960s TV series Department S. They are best known for their debut single, "Is Vic There?". Department S evolved from a previous punk/ska combo, Guns For Hire, fronted by Vaughn Toulouse and also featuring former Madness drummer John Hasler. Mike Herbage joined them on guitar and wrote Guns For Hire's only single - "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight" - which emerged on the Korova record label. The group then became Department S, with the addition of Eddie Roxy (later replaced by Mark Taylor) and Stuart Mizon. They debuted at the Rock Garden, London, on 24 September 1980. Demon Records subsequently released their debut single, "Is Vic There?", in December 1980 (re-issued on RCA a few months later - The single then began to climb the charts and the band appeared on Top of the Pops). Vaughn Toulouse died in 1991 from an AIDS related illness. In February 2007, Department S recorded their first new single for twenty six years, a cover version of Alvin Stardust's 1973 hit "My Coo-Ca-Choo". It was released on Sartorial Records in October, and included a guest appearance by Mark Bedford of Madness on bass guitar. A re-recording of "Is Vic There?" and new tracks "Wonderful Day" "God Squad Saviour" and "Outside" were also recorded, and included contributions from Glen Matlock, Marco Pirroni, Michelle Brigandage of Brigandage, Susie Honeyman of The Mekons, with John Keeble
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