has always been in the thick of things starting in the early '70s, when he watched fellow Cambridge native
band Stars go through its paces. Thus inspired,
They made one single and played numerous gigs on the eve of punk -- until personality conflicts scuttled the band.
Unruffled,
Shaw and
Latter hatched the
Maniacs with bassist
Robert Crash, a German who'd moved to join London's punk scene. The
Maniacs issued one classic single, "Chelsea '77," a withering swipe at the fashion influences overtaking the scene. Two tracks also appeared on the
Live at the Vortex compilation before
Shaw folded the band in January 1978.
Shaw's next band, the
Physicals, drew on glam and proto-punk roots for its All Sexed Up EP (1978) and "Be Like Me"/"Pain in Love" single (1980), which featured former
Sex Pistol Paul Cook's sturdy drumming and production. All Sexed Up sold 5,000 copies, and "Be Like Me" got airplay, "but it didn't take off big-time,"
Shaw said. "It's a case of having a hit." (Overground has since reissued the
Maniacs' and Physicals' output on separate CDs.)
Casting for direction,
Shaw joined
Damned guitarist
Brian James in the Brains, who released one EP during a blink-and-miss-it lifespan (March to June 1979). Sadly, "lots of demos were made, but nothing was released,"
Shaw said. The pair's next band, the
Hellions, lasted longer (July 1979 to September 1980), but made no records, and no headway. A disenchanted
Shaw worked briefly with
Kirsty MacColl before quitting music.
He resurfaced in 1987 with Heaven & the Angels; in keeping with his previous lucky streak, the band released only one EP. He hooked up again with
James for a 1990-1991 album and tour as the
Brian James Gang, and a film soundtrack as the
Dripping Lips. In 1993,
Shaw joined a reconstituted
Damned with founders
Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies, and
Captain Sensible. Shaw also played a major co-writing role on the resulting I'm Alright (Jack & the Beanstalk) album (1995).
Shaw remained in the lineup until 1995, when the
Damned's ever-fractious internecine politics left him the odd man out. He then formed the power trio
Mischief with bassist Paul Gray (
Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods, UFO) and drummer Jim Simpson (
UFO). The band didn't play out, but its 12-track album later saw release as Hubble Bubble (2003).
Shaw spent the summer of 2003 gearing up for a new
Maniacs album (with
Crash, but not
Latter). "I've also been in touch with
Brian, and might do a project with him,"
Shaw said. "I might sit down and jam with him, and something might come out of that." But
Shaw wouldn't have it any other way.
–
Ralph Heibutzki, Rovi