NOTSENSIBLES SINGLES LP

In the late 1970’s, the northern england punk scene was thriving, particularly in cities like manchester and towns like 

burnley. unlike the more fashion-driven london punk scene, northern punk was grittier, infused with working-class realism and a sharp sense of humour. do-it-yourself venues, 

independent record labels and fanzines played a crucial role in promoting local bands. notsensibles embodied this ethos, 

self-releasing their music and performing in grassroots venues. their concerts were known for anarchic humour, theatrical antics, and a refusal to ‘sell out’, often involving 

playful stunts and a chaotic, communal atmosphere. notsensibles emerged in 1978 in burnley, lancashire. the original line-up included michael 'haggis’ hargreaves (vocals), steven ‘sage’ hartley (guitar), roger c. rawlinson 

(keyboards), gary brown (bass), and kevin ‘ploppy’ hemingway (drums). their stated aim - ‘to make silly records 

and play silly gigs’ - set them apart from the more politically earnest or aggressive strands of punk developing at the same time. 

their first run of releases (1979-1980) established a pattern of cheeky, satirical punk. Their debut single, ‘death to disco’, was a tongue- in-cheek ek jab at the disco craze which showcased a blend of humour, diy energy, and a refusal to take themselves (or the scene) too seriously. later that year, they released ‘(i'm in love with) margaret thatcher’, a mock-adoring ode to the newliy elected prime minister that subverted punk’s usual anti-establishment posture by using irony rather than direct confrontation, which became a cult hit and reached number 2 on the uk indie chart in 1980, held 

back by joy division’s ‘love will tear us apart’. the songs impact lay in how it confused, amused, and 

occasionally irritated both punks and conservatives. it became their signature track and the one that carried furthest beyond the lancashire scene. this framing appears in regional accounts describing how the track was recorded 

with a small independent label and pressed in arun of a thousand copies, positioning it as a local do-it-yourself artifact rather than a political statement. they were seen as five young musicians ‘innocent in the 

world of politics’, which shaped how people interpreted the song’s tone. local listeners tended to treat it as playful satire. their music saw a resurgence in popularity in 2011 when ‘(i'm in love with) margaret thatcher’ was featured in the film ‘the iron lady’. in 2013, the song re-entered public discourse and charted again following margaret thatcher’s death. in 1980, the band released their debut album ‘instant classic’, a title that captured their tongue-in-cheek ethos. the same year, they recorded a bbc radio 1 john peel session. peel’s support helped cement their place in the broader uk punk landscape, giving them national exposure despite their deliberately unserious posture. 

the band had a brief time with paul wright replacing sage on guitar and then split in 1982, after what they later described as four years of ‘organised chaos’. they reunited in 1996 for ‘holidays in the sun’ punk festival 

in blackpool with scott wilkinson on guitar, then re-formed more permanently in 2005 with the original lineup. in 2013, neil taylor (nez) joined on guitar after sage left and gigged regularly together for a number of years until nez’s 

untimely death in 2023. their discography (nine releases including albums, singles and compilations), has since become a small but distinctive 

part of uk punk history, preserved through collectors, archives and periodic live appearances. so endeth the blurb. 

now... just listen!