This Poison!

RECORD TURNOVER 80s HITS #68

It’s about time we mentioned one of the finest UK groups ever to exist during the 80s. It’s a wonder to me that that labels like Optic Nerve haven’t given these guys a vinyl reissue of their own. This Poison! from Perth consisted of  Scott “Saigz” Taylor on vocals and guitar, Derek Moir on guitar and backing vocals, Alistair “Lites” Donald on bass and Steve Gray on drums. They were no doubt influenced by the feverish guitar strum of The Wedding Present, but also had similarities to Josef K and bIG fLAME in the surprising twists and turns of their songwriting.

“You;- Think!!” in particular is one of their best songs – all trebly guitar, throbbing bass and a melody that soars skywards. It came out on a 45 in 1987, not surprisingly on Wedding Present’s own label Reception. In fact, the group were among the only non-WP releases on the label. It was quickly followed by the equally brilliant “Poised Over the Pause Button”, which was compiled on Rough Trade Shop’s indiepop compilation. If you can find the 12″ version of the single, it also includes both sides of their first one.

The revived Scottish label Egg Records once released a cd retrospective with all of the group’s demos (of varying fidelity). It’s worth checking out on streaming platforms if only for the octane rush of “Question Mark”, which is one of the best singles that never got released.