Mod-A-Day: The Exits

In 1977 most mod groups were just learning to walk, and such was the case with The Exits. Happily they picked up speed and hit the ground running in 1978 with their first single, "The Fashion Plague" backed with the song featured here "Cheam". For my money, Cheam was clearly the better track with more intensity, and had a sharper sound that was just unpolished enough to make the band sound kind of tough.

The Exits' sound was evocative of Elvis Costello, perhaps because of Geno Buckmasters vocal stylings --which were very much in that angry young man style, even if the songs weren't so much. The band's recordings were lost when their labeled shyed away from the mod/punk sound, after which they soon split up. Then in 2007 Cherry Red Records released it all on one nice CD.

The Exits were the forerunners to the Direct Hits one of the few pure mod bands to find an audience and build a following during the 80s.

The Exits -- Cheam