| 1976 |
Shane MacGowan appears on the cover of Sounds after someone reportedly bites his ear at a Clash gig, giving him a taste of fame. In June he encounters the Sex Pistols and is immediately converted. He begins working the Rock On record stall in Soho Market and produces one issue of his fanzine Bondage. On December 1, the Pistols swear at Bill Grundy on tea-time TV and punk goes public. |
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| 1977 |
January: Shane recommends The Jam to Polydor A&R man Chris Parry; the Jam are signed as a result.
March: Don Letts films what will become The Punk Rock Movie, featuring Shane in a Union Jack jacket playing drums and making a nuisance of himself; photographer Ian Dickson shoots the London punk scene.
December: Shane and Shanne Bradley form The Nipple Erectors (the name is Shanne's idea). The original three — Shane, Shanne, and future NME writer Adrian Thrills — record demos in Shanne's bedroom. Guitarist Roger and drummer Arcane join later for gigging. |
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| 1978 |
January: Gavin Douglas ("Blondie") auditions in a Covent Garden basement studio with Shane, Shanne, and drummer Grinny, and joins as guitarist. His first gig is supporting The Jam at the Rainbow Theatre.
May: Sounds runs an early feature on the band — "the band where punk meets Ted and lives" — by Ruth Putrid. See the full article in the Press Archive.
June: Debut single "King Of The Bop" / "Nervous Wreck" recorded and released on Soho Records (SH 1/2). Produced by Stan Brennan.
August: The band shortens its name to The Nips. Guitarist Larry Hinrichs joins. Second single "All The Time In The World" / "Private Eye" released (Soho SH 4). |
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| 1979 |
The drum seat rotates through Phil Rowlands (Eater), Grinny, and Roger Williams ("Ringo Watts"). Larry Hinrichs is replaced on guitar by Gavin Douglas (returning under the nickname "Fritz") in May.
October: "Gabrielle" / "Vengeance" released (Soho SH 9 as tour copy, then Chiswick CHIS 119) — Chiswick picks it up for distribution. The single reaches number one in the NME indie charts and gets Radio 1 airplay. The Nips tour with the Jam (Paul Weller is a vocal champion and discusses producing them), Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the Purple Hearts. ZigZag describes Shane as resembling Plug from The Bash Street Kids. |
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| 1980 |
February: Soho Records releases a second pressing of "Gabrielle" (SH 9) with limited "Licensed To Cool" stamped sleeves. Final lineup: James Fearnley (guitar), Mark Harrison then Jon Moss (drums), alongside Shane and Shanne.
March: ZigZag runs a major interview (see the full article). The live LP Only The End Of The Beginning is recorded at Wolverhampton. The band also films a session for German TV. The Nips play their last dates and break up.
October: Only The End Of The Beginning released posthumously (Soho Records HO HO 001). |
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| 1981 |
Final single "Happy Song" / "Nobody To Love" released (Test Pressing Records TP 5, also credited Burning Rome Records), October 1981. A Paul Weller-produced demo session had taken place at Bond Street studios; "Happy Song" and "Nobody To Love" were among the recordings. (These later circulated as bootlegs; the band never received royalties.) |
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| 1982 |
Shane MacGowan and a friend play Irish rebel songs on an improvised stage at Cabaret Futura on Wardour Street — the event that plants the seed of his next band. Later in the year, Shane, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacy form Pogue Mahone (later the Pogues), playing their first gig in October at the Pindar of Wakefield. James Fearnley becomes their accordionist. |
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| 1984 |
Shanne Bradley co-founds the Men They Couldn't Hang — using the band name that Shane had originally intended for his new group — debuting at the "Alternative Country and Western Festival" at the Electric Ballroom in Camden alongside the Pogues. Jon Moss joins Culture Club. |
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| 1987 |
Big Beat Records releases Bops Babes Booze & Bovver (WIKM 66), December 1987 — a budget-priced compilation collecting the first three Nipple Erectors/Nips singles and other material. Shane's growing profile with the Pogues draws some attention to the record, but it still sinks. |
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| 2000 |
The Tits Of Soho / Only The End Of The Beginning released on LP (Bovver Boot Company BB-ST-8247) in multiple label and vinyl variants (green labels, blue labels, white vinyl). |
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| 2003 |
Ace Records/Big Beat reissues Bops Babes Booze & Bovver on CD (CDWIKM 66), September 2003, with bonus tracks including "Venus In Bother Boots" and "Fuss 'N' Bother" from 1978. |
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| 2008 |
The Nipple Erectors reform briefly for a performance at London's 100 Club. The lineup consists of Shanne Bradley, Shane MacGowan, Eric "Le Baton" Baconstrip, and Fritz Douglas. Bradley's daughter Eucalypta sang backing vocals on the final number "Gabrielle". |
