Nick Jones (vocals)
Bill Napier-Hemy (guitar)
Gord Nicholl (keyboards)
Tony Bardach (bass)
Ian Tiles (drums)
Ken "Dimwit" Montgomery (drums; replaced Tiles)
Scott Watson (bass; replaced Bardach)
John Farano (sax)
The Pointed Sticks (named after a line in the Monty Python skit 'Self-Defense Against Fresh Fruit') came together in 1978 in Vancouver. They won a Battle of the Bands contest and started releasing singles like "Real Thing", "Out of Luck" and "I'm Numb" on the tiny local independent Quintessence label.
The band then signed to British label Stiff Records at the same time as Madness, and recorded an album with Police producer Nigel Gray. But Stiff was having financial problems, didn't hear a hit and never released the album.
Instead, they recorded Perfect Youth for Quintessence. They also made a cameo appearance in the 1981 Canadian/US cult film "Out Of The Blue" starring Dennis Hopper and Linda Manz.
The band split up in 1981 with Nicholl moving on to Los Popularos (with Art Bergmann); Ken Montgomery (aka Dimwit) would become the drummer for The Four Horsemen; Jones would join Buddy Selfish & His Saviours with Ian Tiles (aka Johnny Dee Fury) and ex-members of U-J3RK5
Several attempts to bootleg the band's material was made during the '80's with 'Waiting For The Real Thing' actually making it to the test pressing stage. The band's material was finally re-issued on CD in 1995 by Zulu Records. Joey Keithley (of DOA) took another stab at re-issues in 2005 on his own Sudden Death Records.
Jones runs merchandise for elite touring acts like the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd; Napier-Hemy is a music teacher; Nicholl owns a recording studio; Tiles works for Radical Entertainment; Bardach has been finishing a degree at UBC.
The band reunited after the re-issues began selling extremely well in Japan leading to the five original members performing in Japan in July 2006. Two shows in Vancouver occurred in January 2007 and others are planned.
with notes from Dale Wiese, Alex Waterhouse-Hayward and Jen Wold.
Singles
1978 What Do You Want Me To Do?/Somebody's Mom (Quintessence) QS-101
1979 The Real Thing/Out Of Luck (Quintessence) QS-103
1979 Lies/I'm Numb (Quintessence) QS-104
1979 Out Of Luck//What Do You Want Me To Do?/Somebody's Mom (Stiff - UK)
1981 American Song/American Song [promo remix] (Quintessence) QS-002
Albums
1979 Out Of Luck/Out Of Luck Again//What Do You Want Me To Do?/Somebody's Mom [12"] (Stiff - UK) BUYIT-59
1980 Perfect Youth (Quintessence) QLP-002
1995 Part Of The Noise (Zulu)
2005 Perfect Youth [CD re-issue] (Sudden Death)
2005 Waiting For The Real Thing (Sudden Death)
Video
Compilation Tracks
1979 "Marching Song" on 'Vancouver Complication' (Pinned)
1980 "Apology" on 'Waves: An Anthology Of New Music Vol.2' (Bomp - US)
Official Pointed Sticks Website.
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