Bad Manners are the English 2 Tone ska band fronted by the outlandish, larger than life Buster Bloodvessel (A.K.A Douglas Trendle). The band formed in 1976 whilst the members were all in attendance of Woodberry Down Comprehensive School in North London. They had previously gone by the names of Standback and Stoop Solo and the Sheet Starchers.

The band was at their most popular during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s during a period when lots of similar ska bands filled the charts such as The Specials and Madness. Bad Manners are perhaps most renowned for their single ‘Special Brew’; a love song dedicated to the famous alcoholic beverage. They also had notable hits with the singles ‘Lip Up Fatty’, ‘Lorraine’, ‘Walking in the Sunshine’, ‘Can Can’, ‘Ne Ne Na Na Na Na Nu Nu’ and ‘My Girl Lollipop’.

Bad Manners have been banned from appearing on certain music television programmes due to Buster’s bad behaviour. On one occasion they were even banned from Italian T.V when Buster decided he should moon the crowd at a particularly successful concert after being informed that the Pope was watching!

In 1986 Bad Manners decided to split, but after only a year Buster re-formed the band with members Louis Alphonso, Martin Stewart, Winston Bazoomies and Chris Kane. As of 2007 Buster Bloodvessel is the only original member left in Bad Manners, with Winston Bazoomies being an ‘honorary member’ of the group.

For the last two years Bad Manners have headlined their own music festival ‘Badfest’. The festival features ska, punk rock and mod-related bands from the 1980’s to the present. The band are currently working on their new album and this year Warner Bros. Records have announced the re-issue of their first four albums on compact disc for the first time. Bad Manners will be performing live at Manchester Club Academy on Friday 28th November.