Originally formed in early 1970, The Haize were little more than a jobbing band on the London pub-rock circuit when the right-wing Conservative Government of the time passed the infamous "Danger To Morals" Act (1970), effectively outlawing music of a "...sedicious nature, liable to corrupt and deprave..."
Hot on the heels of the DM Act came the Festival purges of 1971, and after 15,000 audience members were either killed or injured at the Ipswich "Carnival of Rock", all rock and pop groups in the UK were faced with the choice of either becoming respectable or disbanding. Rather than break up or change their musical style to comform to the strictures of the DM Act, The Haize (and a few other rock bands) took the third option, and continued to play their own music illegally on the London pub circuit.
Initially Haize sets revolved around a mixture of old Rock 'n' Roll numbers, parodies of current commercial songs, and heavy jamming, but soon a more polished post-psychedelic style began to emerge, and by 1972 the band had enough of their own material for an album. Unable to get any kind of legitimate record deal The Haize took to pressing limited runs of their own LP records (copies of which now fetch very high prices on the collectors market). Their first album, "Living in the War Zone" was released in June 1972, and by the end of the year all copies had been sold. Later that year The Haize undertook a small mini-tour of the Midlands, and in December released their first single - a one-sided, two-track flexi-disc "One Night Magic/Compendium".
By 1973 The Haize had been through at least 10 lineup changes (due in part to the uncertainties of their "outlaw" existence) but still managed to press and release a second album - "Don't Fight City Hall". Rather than use a stock "live" photo or artwork for the album cover, The Haize decided to go for something more contentious, involving a staged attack on the Houses of Parliament using live ammunition. However, the subsequent album cover (featuring photos of the band exchanging small arms fire with armed police outside the Palace of Westminster) resulted in a charge of High Treason being levied against The Haize.
Then later in the same year a group of Frenchmen were seen filming the various bands around London for a forthcoming movie - "Vive L'Anarchie" - documenting the UK "Rock Underground". Although The Haize refused to allow themselves to be filmed, when the movie premiered in Paris that December it appeared they had been filmed by a concealed camera. Using footage from the movie for identification, the London Metropolitan Police made several arrests, and the next 6 months saw many bands on the underground scene vanish - Straw Dogs, The Mutual, Meridian, to name but a few. The Haize also appeared to disappear from the South London scene, with at least two members of the band confirmed killed (drummer Shep Sheppard) or deported (keyboard player Pete Kolarczyk).
However The Haize had survived, and resurfaced in November 1974 with a new lineup and a new album ("In Case of Fire...Piss Faster!"). This was quickly followed by a second flexi-disc single ("Mix Me A Molotov/Traffic Jamming"), as The Haize realised that as they had no real existence outside of the Underground scene there was very little chance of them ever being arrested.
In June 1975, after the threat of sanctions by the United Nations, the UK Government was pressured into holding a General Election. Intervention by UN observers ensured that balloting was free from rigging, and two days later the Labour Party won in a landslide victory. Several MPs on the far Right lost their seats, and ex-Prime Minister (and by now universally reviled) Sir Hamilton Wallace was shot and killed by an unknown assassin three weeks later.
The Haize Treason charge was officially dropped in July 1975, and The Haize celebrated by releasing their 4th album "Future Daze". Then in November the Danger-to-Morals Act was repealed, and The Haize marked this occasion by performing their first ever open-air gig at Mansion Park, Surrey.
In January 1976 The Haize were granted their first License to Perform, and formed their own limited company "Private Plastic" to continue pressing their own records - their first legal release being the single "Hellandback/The Muse". The live album of the July '75 Mansion Park concert was released in April ("End Of An Era - Live at Mansion Park"), and in June '76 The Haize embarked on their first national UK tour (supported by Sigma-Z). This was followed by the release of their 5th (and 1st legal) album - "Omegalpha". The Haize rounded off the year with a 5-hour Christmas extravaganza at the Hammersmith Palais, supported by Marauders, Sigma-Z, Nouveux Riche, and Starship Earth.
March 1977 saw The Haize playing Wembley Arena, supported by the Rolling Stones (returning from Canadian exile), and in June they headlined the first of the Knebworth Park Festivals. In August of that year the first 3 Haize albums were re-released by Private Plastic, and a month later the single "Smack/Nightwinger". November and December were taken up with The Haize's first 20-date American tour, supported by American Heavy Rock combo The Gene Hawkins band.
In April 1978 the last single produced by the "classic" Haize lineup was released - "Five Years On/Taste My Mind" - and in May Gene Hawkins joined The Haize as full-time vocalist at the Rosemere Park open-air gig in North London (together with ex-Gene Hawkins Band guitarist Geoff Stringer). Two months later saw the first performance of The Haize's magnum opus "The Techronomicon Road Show" at Earls Court, followed by the 12 date "Techronomicon UK Tour" in September.
The live album "Techronomiconalive" and single "Technorock/Hyperwave" was released in November of 1978, followed by a Christmas gig at London's newly-reopened Rainbow Theatre. 1979 saw the release of the studio album "In The City", followed by The Haize's appearance at the 1st Stonehenge Free Festival in June, and the band's first World Tour (30 dates covering Europe, America and Australia).
By 1980 the band's popularity ensured that they were ripe for exploitation, and the first of two non-Haize sanctioned albums was released. The soundtrack to the 1973 film "Vive L'Anarchie" surfaced in January, with three live tracks from the band, while in February The Haize took out an injunction against RCA to prevent the release of a live album recorded prior to 1976. The injunction failed as the band were technically illegal prior to this, and so copyright on the recording was owned solely by whoever released it - in this case, RCA. The live album "The Haize Tapes" was released in March. And that brings us up to date. The Haize are currently completing their 7th studio album, tentatively for an August release, to be followed by an Autumn UK Tour.
Stay high, stay free!
- Sue Markham (Melody Maker)
THE HAIZE DISCOGRAPHY (1972-1980)
The Illegal Pressings
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"Living In The War Zone "(1972)
"One Night Magic\Compendium" (1972)
"Don’t Fight City Hall" (1973)
"In Case Of Fire...Piss Faster" (1974)
"Mix Me a Molotov\Traffic Jamming" (1974)
"Future Daze" (1975)
The Legal Pressings
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"Hellandback\The Muse "(1976)
"End Of An Era - Live At Mansion Park" (1976)
"Omegalpha" (1976)
"Living In The War Zone" (re-release 1977)
"Don’t Fight City Hall "(re-release 1977)
"Music For The People" (re-release of "In Case of Fire..Piss Faster" 1977)
"Smack\Nightwinger(Live)" (1977)
"Five Years On|Taste My Mind (Live) "(1978)
"Techronomiconalive" (1978)
"Technorock\Hyperwave" (1978)
"In The City" (1979)
"In The City\Pizzaland Shuffle" (1979)
"The Haize Tapes" (1980)
"Vive L’Anarchie - Original Soundtrack" (Polydor-France 1980)
Includes three live tracks by The Haize: Riding the Storm/Motorway Madness/War Zone
Notable Bootlegs
----------------
"Live - On The Streets" (DJT Label 1972)
(Stereo - Recorded at the Albion Club, Brixton, Spring 1972)
"Psychodeon" (SUBZERO Label 1973)
(Stereo - Recorded at the Dog & Duck, Peckham, December 1972)
"Live Mothers" (ANARCHRIST Label 1975)
(Mono - Recorded at the Goose & Firkin, Bermondsey, July 1974)
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