Biography
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Years Active
1976 – 1982 (6 years)
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Founded In
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Members
- Ian Mackay
- John Catto
- John Hamilton
- Mike Lengyell
- Paul Robinson
The Diodes were a Canadian punk/new wave band formed in 1976. They released three albums: Diodes (1977), Released (1979) and Action-Reaction (1980, re-released in 2012 on CD with 6 bonus tracks on Bongo Beat Records).
One of the first Toronto bands playing that style of music, The Diodes helped foster the scene in the city. They opened the first Canadian punk nightclub in 1977, called Crash 'n' Burn, where many of the city's punk bands at that time played. The band put out their first record at this time, a vinyl single featuring Bruce Eves and Amerigo Maras of CEAC; Mickey Skin of all-girl punk band The Curse spews profanity on one side; the Diodes provide musical backing on the other - released on the Crash and Burn label. One side was called "War", the other "Raw", one of the first punk records to come out of Toronto. This single was actually an issue of the CEAC Newsletter (published by the Centre For Experimental Art and Communication, the owners of the building that housed the Crash 'n' Burn club).
In 1981 the band moved to London, England to launch a new version of The Diodes with a new rhythm section consisting of bassist Steve Robinson (ex-Barracudas) and drummer Richard Citroen (ex-Loved Ones). An album of new material was recorded, but remains unreleased to this day. Their final album, Survivors, came out in 1982, a compilation of unreleased outtakes, demos, and live recordings. After that, the group gradually disbanded with each member going his own way and singer Paul Robinson and guitarist John Catto remaining in London, England where they have lived ever since. Paul Robinson and John Catto joined High Noon from 1983-1985; John Catto joined Mayhem Deranged in 2008.
The original Diodes (Robinson, Mackay, Hamilton and Catto) re-united in 1999 to perform one song (Tired of Waking Up Tired) on the Mike Bullard TV show in support of the Sony release of their greatest hits cd, Tired of Waking Up Tired:The Best Of The Diodes. For this appearance, they were joined by second drummer Mike Lengyell (John Hamilton played keyboards, as he did on the recording).
In 2007, the original Diodes re-united to play at the NXNE Festival, Toronto and also The Cavern Club, Liverpool (as part of the International Pop Overthrow Festival). In 2010, The Diodes headlined the Road To Ruins Festival in Rome and also a mini-Canadian tour. They returned to Canada in 2011 to tour in support of the CD re-issue of their Action/Reaction album.
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