Skupina první anglické punkové vlny, vznikající pod vlivem newyorské new wave a londýnských Sex Pistols v Manchesteru v r. 1976.
Už po realizaci prvního EP Spiral Scratch (leden 1977) odchází H. Devoto a zakládá Magazine. Krátce na to dochází...
Rita spits out her laurel leaf
and grabs a piece of my pie
she's gonna lead me up the mountain path
as the crows fly
Claudette's pretty quick off the mark
like a polaris missile in heat
she smiles at a hundred miles an hour
and rushes you off your feet
There's all these friends of mine
they've got me suffering
they don't take a line
they keep me pissing adrenalin
Ratty is nearly unique
looks like a Pre-Raphaelite barb freak
wears dangerous jewellery
got a cast iron personality
Sandie wears an awful lot of silk
says she's a friend of Mr Acker Bilk
she's going out of my mind
wants to live on milk
There's all these friends of mine ...
I was musing on the pool outdoors
about foreign matters and fancy affairs
Betty trimmed my nails with pliers
while eating avocado pears
Norman's sobbing cos his make-up's
running away with itself
he's heading for an early grave
scared to death about the state of his health
There's all these friends of mine ...
