Chelsea

Chelsea are an English punk rock band, formedin London in 1976.

Three of the four original band members went on to help foundGeneration X. More than two decades after its release, ‘Right To Work’, Chelsea’s debut single, was included in Mojo magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.

The original line-up was front-manGene October, Billy Idol (guitar),Tony James (bass) and John Towe (drums, who had come fromLondon SS along with James). After a few gigs, the other three left October to form Generation X . October then recruited Carey Fortune (drums), Martin Stacy (guitar) and Bob Jessie (bass), with the last two soon replaced by Henry Daze and James Stevenson (who later joined Generation X). This rapid turnover of band-members was characteristic throughout Chelsea's existence, with October the only constant presence.

Their first single, "Right To Work", dealing with unemployment, was their most popular song. After spending 1977-78 touring in the UK and overseas, they released their first LP, Chelsea, in 1979. Their second LP, Alternative Hits, was released in 1980. At this time the band split and Gene put together a new lineup, including guitarist Nic Austin, which recorded the critically acclaimed album Evacuate. Gene October put out albums sporadically with various lineups throughout the 80s and 90s.