UNDERRATED: APB

I'm not sure how to describe the band APB.

This tight rhythmic trio didn't really fit in with the punk or synth bands of the day, and weren't pop enough to get MTV airplay, so let's just call them "post-punk" with a little funky bass thrown in. Though they hailed from Scotland, they became almost exclusively a greater New York City area cult favorite in the mid 80s, due to heavy radio airplay of their singles in dance clubs and on Long Island's famous 92.7 WLIR. A compilation of their singles was released in 1985 entitled Something To Believe In, and after a good run their popularity probably peaked around 1986 with this show, one of several they headlined at the Ritz in Manhattan.



Ahh, 80s concerts. I couldn't help but watch the kid who dances on stage and yells into the mic near the end of the song, as I regularly rocked that same outfit (acid washed jeans/denim jacket/t-shirt). I actually never saw them play live, and they had called it quits by 1990 having made only 2 albums. I still have my vinyl copy of their singles collection, and recently began to wonder what had happened to them and why their CDs were out of print. As it turns out, not only was the album given a 20th anniversary re-release in 2006, but the band actually reunited after being broken up for 17 years to play a few area shows (and even recorded a third album).



You won't find them on any cheesy "80s new wave" compilation albums or cutesy retro movie soundtracks, and I kind of like that. They were a very underrated band of pecularly local interest (they probably don't have as many fans back in their native Scotland as they do here), so it's interesting to see them back playing again after all this time. I wonder if they can be hired to play at high school reunions . . .

APB - Official Site
APB "What Kind Of Girl?" - Live At The Ritz, NYC, 1986 [YouTube]