After the Rezillos split, Sire agreed to release singers Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife from their contract, providing that the pair did not use the name "The Rezillos". Joining up with former bandmate Hi-Fi Harris and Reynolds' brother Rocky Rhythm (real name Nicky Forbes) on drums, they renamed themselves the Revillos, and continued to make music in a similar style to their former band. The Revillos had a longer career than the Rezillos, and toured and released music continually during the first half of the 1980s. The band had an ever-changing line-up, but the focus and only permanent members during this period remained Reynolds and Fife. The Revillos (and Reynolds and Fife's relationship) came to an end in 1985.
Fronted by the distinctive ex-Rezillos vocal duo of Reynolds and Fife, the Revillos looked to continue the legacy of the former Peel favourites, adopting a similar and easily recognisable name, while the musical backbone of the earlier band split off to form Shake with Troy Tate (Teardrop Explodes, Fashion). Both successor groups recorded Peel sessions, but it was the Revillos who enjoyed greater support from the DJ, recording two sessions and gaining multiple plays for their early singles.
Peel also did gigs with them in early 1981, enjoying their goodtime “healthy vulgarity” and proudly relating that Fay Fife had once thrown a drink over him.[1] On 26 March 1981, Reynolds and Fife were interviewed by Peel and picked records for his show as part of a Radio 1 week in Edinburgh.
Despite the endorsement of the DJ, however, the Revillos failed to replicate the swift chart breakthrough of the Rezillos and were dropped by Virgin subsidiary DinDisc after just one album. The band continued until the mid-1980s but failed to regain their early momentum.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
None
Sessions[]
Two sessions only. Both released on Wireless Recordings (CD, 1999, Vinyl Japan) and Stratoplay The Box Set (6xCD, Cherry Red, 2020). Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds also two sessions with Rezillos (1977, 1978).
18 August 1980: Voodoo (7" b-side Hungry For Love) Dindisc (Plays both sides of the Revillos single, having met singer Fay Fife during his visit to Edinburgh at the weekend.)
09 February 1981: (JP: 'Now the Revillos and a bit of healthy vulgarity. God bless them, I'm doing a gig with them next month and looking forward to it immensely – I say all this in the hope that Fay Fife won’t pour things over me this time.') - Hippy Hippy Sheik (LP-Rev Up) Dindisc
16 March 1981: (Peel in a generally good mood at the start of the week and returning from "an invigorating weekend cruising round the West of England with gigs (jigs rather) in Bristol and Plymouth and a great deal of accompanying merriment". The weekend also had "two low points" however, firstly having trouble with the Peel racer on the way home (he had to "recourse to the AA" not once but twice), and secondly "The Revillos played both of the gigs but I didn't get to see them either time".) - Scuba Scuba (7") Dindisc / Snatzo Recordi
26 March 1981: (Revillos interviewed and pick records for Peel show as part of "Radio 1 Week in Edinburgh".)
19 August 1981: She's Fallen In Love With A Monster Man (7") Superville SV1001
