excerpt from "This Is Mod Volume 1" Source: This Is Mod Volume 1 CD booklet Date: 1995 Author: John Reed Copywrite: © Anagram 1995 THE NIPS Space doesn't allow for the detailed Nips biography here; suffice it to say they were fronted by one Shane McGowan, the legendary poet, Pogue and hedonist. At various times, the London band's lineup also included Shane Bradley (bass), Gavin Douglas (drums) and Roger Williams (guitar). As the charmingly-titled Nipple Erectors (a name that ranks alongside the Suburban Studs and Johnny & the Self Abusers as one of the corniest in Punk), they issued the rockabilly-flavoured "King Of The Bop"/"Nervous Wreck" (the first Psychobilly record, anyone?) on the Soho label in 1978 (SH 1/2). Soho, incidentally, was also home to the Inmates and The Passions among others. Shortening their monicker to the less provocative Nips, the band issued two further 45s for Soho: "All The Time In The World"/"Private Eye" (SH 4, 1978) and "Gabrielle"/"Vengeance" (SH 9, February 1980). "Gabrielle" was also issued on Chiswick CHIS 119, before the band bowed out with the decidedly Jam-influenced "Happy Song"/"Nobody To Love" (Test Pressing TP 5, October 1981) - no surprise, since the producer was none other than Paul Weller. McGowan was arguably the Woking Wonder's earliest fan, in fact - and he must have been chuffed when the Jam lifted a refrain from "Gabrielle" for "Strange Town". And spot the namecheck for Secret Affair's Ian Page. The Nips also issued a rare album, "Only The End Of The Beginning" on Soho HOHO 1 in 1980. By 1984, McGowan had shifted closer to his Irish ancestry with Pogue Mahone... and the rest, as they say, is history.