Major Accident
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 in Darlington, England |
| Headquarters | Darlington , England |
| Products | Punk music albums and singles |
Major Accident—sometimes simply called Accident—is a punk band originating from the North East region of England.
Formation and Early Phase
Established in late 1977 in Darlington, Major Accident's initial studio output emerged in the early 1980s, beginning with the single Terrorist Gang alongside an early cut of Massacred Melodies, which was later re-recorded for their first full-length album. Prior to their contract with Step Forward Records, known for signing acts like Chelsea and Sham 69, they prepared to release "Warboots," advancing as far as test pressings.
Their debut single under Step Forward was "Mr Nobody," after which they embarked on a UK tour supporting Chelsea to promote their inaugural album. They gained traction on the UK Independent Chart with singles such as "Fight To Win" (peaking at no. 24) and "Leaders of Tomorrow" (reaching no. 19). These featured drummer Evo, formerly associated with The Angelic Upstarts and The Blood, who later went on to form the NWOBHM band Warfare. Later releases like "Respectable," featuring drummer Garteh Jones ("The Big G"), were issued through Flicknife Records, alongside the album A Clockwork Legion. By this stage, the band had abbreviated its name to "Accident." Their live record, Tortured Tunes – the Official Bootleg (1984), climbed to no. 24 on the UK Independent Chart. During this period, they also appeared live on BBC2.
In 1985, their follow-up album ...Crazy! was released by American label Toxic Shock Records shortly before the group initially disbanded.
Reformation and Later Years (1996–2012)
In 1996, Major Accident reunited, reinstating their full original name. This revival included releasing the studio album The Ultimate High through We Bite Records and a 1999 seven-inch single titled Representation Not Reality, issued by Upstart Productions. Their last recorded work was a split album with Welsh street punk outfit Foreign Legion, called Cry Of Legion.
The band continued performing live, notably playing at New York’s CBGB in 2001 with a show themed around "clockwork punk." However, activity diminished significantly following drummer Laze’s motorcycle accident, culminating in their final performance around 2012.
2025–present
Major Accident made an unexpected comeback with a warm-up concert at The Forum in Darlington ahead of two eagerly awaited appearances at Los Angeles’ acclaimed LA Punk Invasion festival.
Clockwork punks
Major Accident helped define a punk subculture inspired by the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, characterized by attire such as bowler hats, white shirts and trousers, and black boots. Fans—and occasionally band members—also incorporated fishtail coats or black leather biker jackets into their look. This "clockwork punk" identity extended to an appreciation of Beethoven’s compositions, visible in their adaptations of his Ninth Symphony in tracks like The Glorious 9th and The March. Nonetheless, beyond these pieces, the band showed minimal further involvement with classical music.
Their album artwork reinforced this motif: early covers featured stark black-and-white visuals with characters dressed in Clockwork Orange-inspired costumes; after their 1996 return, red tones were introduced. The 1985 album ...Crazy! portrays the film’s protagonist Alex restrained within a laboratory chair.
Other prominent clockwork punk bands from the late 1970s to 1980s include The Adicts, Die Toten Hosen (notably with their themed album Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau), Blitz, and The Violators—all exhibiting variations of this distinct style.
Discography
The following list features the original release editions; alternative versions are available under various labels.
7 inch singles
| Year | Title | Label | Vinyl colour(s) | Cat. No. |
| 1983 | Mr Nobody / That's You | Step-Forward Records | Black | SF 23 |
| 1983 | Fight to Win / Freeman | Flicknife Records | Black | FLS216 |
| 1983 | Leaders of Tomorrow / Breakaway / Dayo | Flicknife Records | Black | FLS 023 |
| 1984 | Respectable / The Man on the Wall | Flicknife Records | Black | FLS 026 |
| 1994 | Warboots / Terrorist Gang (Unofficial release) | Combat Rock | White / Black | CR 012 |
| 1999 | Representation Not Reality / Step By Step | Upstart Productions | Clear Burgundy | Up7001 |
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Tracks | Label | Format | Vinyl Colour | Cat. No. |
| 1982 | Massacred Melodies | Schizophrenic / (Standing On The) Sidelines / Last Night / Psycho / People / Terrorist Gang / Warboots / Mr Nobody / Self Appointed Hero / That's You / Brides Of The Beast / Classified Information / Middle Class Entertainment /Clockwork Toys | Step-Forward Records | Vinyl | White / Black | SFLP 9 |
| 1984 | A Clockwork Legion | Respectable / Twisted Mind / Affliction / Cue The Dead / Leaders Of Tomorrow / Intro / The March / Sorry / Fight To Win / Bad Company / Vendetta | Flicknife Records | Vinyl | Black | SHARP 016 |
| 1985 | '...Crazy!' | 'Crazy' / 'Get Ready' / 'Valerie' / 'Camouflage' / 'Band Played On' / 'Get Ready (Dub)' / 'Bad Co.' / 'Leaders' / 'Sorry' / 'The Man On The Wall' / 'Respectable' / 'Twisted Mind' / 'Cue The Dead' | 'Toxic Shock Records' and 'Massacred Music' | 'Vinyl' | 'Black' | 'SACRED3' |
| 1996 | 'The Ultimate High' | 'Wired' / 'The Ultimate High' / 'Better Off Without You' / 'Stay Away From Me' / 'Lies' / 'Your Worst Enemy' / 'Pervert' / 'Nightmare' / 'They're Gonna Kick To Kill' / 'Gang Warfare' / 'Joy Rider' / 'Snap' / 'Crazy' | 'We Bite' | 'Vinyl/CD' | 'Black' | 'WB1-160-1/WB1-160-2' |
Studio split album
| 'Year' | 'Title' | 'Split artist' | 'Major Accident tracks' | 'Label' | 'Format' | 'Vinyl Colour' | 'Cat. No.' |
| '2001' | 'Cry Of The Legion' | 'Foreign Legion' | 'Outta Control'/'Step By Step'/'Wasted Years'/'Déjà Vu'/'Ghost In My House'/'Representation Not Reality' | 'DSS' | 'Vinyl/CD' | 'Black/White' | 'DSS025/DSS024' |
Live album
| 'Year' | 'Title' | 'Tracks' | 'Label' | 'Format' | 'Cat. No.' |
| '1984' | 'Tortured Tunes (Live-The Official Bootleg)' | 'Cue The Dead/Fight To Win/Brides Of The Beast/Schizo/Freeman/Mr. Nobody/Sorry/Respectable/Bad Company/M.C.E./Warboots/White Riot/Oxo/Hokey Cokey/Breakaway/Headbanger/Dayo' | 'Syndicate Records' | 'Vinyl' | 'SYN LP 9' |
Compilation albums
1996 Crazy / Tortured Tunes Two albums Crazy, Get Ready, Valerie, Camouflage, Band Played On, Sherwood Rangers, Bad Co., Leaders, Sorry, The Man On The Wall, Respectable, Twisted Mind, Cue The Dead, Tortured Tunes, Cue The Dead, Fight To Win, Brides Of The Beast, Freeman, Mr. Nobody, M.C.E., Warboots, White Riot, Hokey Cokey, Breakaway, Headbanger, Dayo Dojo Limited CD LOMACD43 1998 Clockwork Heroes Best of compilation Warboots, Terrorist Gang, Mr. Nobody, That's You, Schizophrenic, Brides Of The Beast, Clockwork Toys, Fight To Win, Freeman, Leaders Of Tomorrow, Dayo, Breakaway, Glorious 9th, Twisted Mind, Cue The Dead, Sorry, Bad Company, Respectable, Man On The Wall, Crazy, Valerie, Band Played On, Sherwood Rangers Captain Oi! Records CD AHOY CD 16 2004 The Clockwork Demos Demo recordings Terrorist Gang, Standing On The Sidelines, People Like You, Suzy Is A Headbanger (originally by the Ramones), Headline Story, That's You, Self Appointed Hero, Black And White, Wasted Life (originally by Stiff Little Fingers), White Riot (originally by The Clash), Alternative Ulster (originally by Stiff Little Fingers), Borstal Breakout (originally by Sham 69), Oxo Song, In The World Today, Blitzkrieg Bop (originally by the Ramones), Garageland (originally by The Clash), Crazy, The Radio Interview Captain Oi! Records/ Durty Mick Records CD/ Limited White Vinyl AHOY CD 56/ DMR0008-1| Year of release | Title | Type | Tracks | Label | Format | Cat. No. |
| 1985 | 'Pneumatic Pneurosis' | 'Singles collection' | 'Mr Nobody', 'Fight To Win', 'Leaders Of Tomorrow', 'Respectable', 'The Glorious 9th', 'That's You', 'Freeman', 'Dayo', 'Breakaway', 'The Man On The Wall' | 'Flicknife Records' | 'Vinyl' | 'SHARP 027' |
| 1994 | 'Massacred Melodies / A Clockwork Legion' | 'Double album set' | 'Schizophrenic', '(Standing On The) Sidelines', 'Last Night', 'Psycho', 'People', 'Terrorist Gang', 'Warboots', 'Mr. Nobody', 'Self Appointed Hero', "That's You", "Brides Of The Beast", "Classified Information", "Middle Class Entertainment", "Clockwork Toys", "Respectable", "Twisted Mind", "Affliction", "Cue The Dead", "Leaders Of Tomorrow", "A Clockwork Legion (1. Intro 2. The March)", "Sorry (We Can't Help You)", "Fight To Win", "Vendetta"' | 'Captain Oi! Records' | 'CD' | 'AHOY CD 27' |
Video
| Release Year | Video Title | Song List | Record Label | Media Type | Catalog Number |
| 1997 | Live In Munich '96 | Mr Nobody / Crazy / Warboots / Worst Enemy / Respectable / Schizophrenic / Wired / Joyride / Phycho / Fight To Win / The Ultimate High / Bad Company / Cue The Dead / Brides Of The Beast / Last Rough Cause / Leaders Of Tomorrow | RF | VHS, PAL | RF113 |
Bibliography
- Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984 authored by Ian Glasper, published by Cherry Red Books (2004).