One Way System


One Way System are an English punk rock band formed in the Fleetwood, Lancashire, in 1979.
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Career

One Way System's initial line-up consisted of Craig Halliday, Gavin Whyte, Bob Grant and Gaz Buckley. A demo of the song Jerusalem, recorded by that lineup, was later included on the A Country Fit For Heroes compilation album, released in January 1982 - Catalogue number Oi3 - which reached No. 4 in the UK Indie Charts. David Ross of Poulton-Le-Fylde band Zyklon B joined as second guitarist and in 1981 Blackpool's Lightbeat/Beat The System label released the No Entry EP: A-side Stab The Judge, B-side Riot Torn City and Me and You, featuring all 5 musicians.
The first ever record released by One Way System was "Stab the Judge", financed by Craig Halliday
After some early personnel changes, the line-up settled down with Gav Whyte on vocals, Dave "Crabby" Ross on guitar, Gary Buckley on bass and Tommy Couch on drums.
The Give Us A Future 7-inch was the first release on Cherry Red's Anagram Records in 1982. In the same year, Anagram also re-released No Entry as the Stab The Judge EP and the single version of Jerusalem. One Way System became Anagram Records's first signing with the release of the All Systems Go LP, following the Give Us A Future 7-inch indie chart success and the band being featured on the front cover of UK national music paper Sounds.
Between 1982 and 1984, the band had five Indie Chart hit singles and two Top Ten albums. A U.S. West Coast tour alongside Circle Jerks in 1984 was abandoned when Circle Jerks vocalist Keith Morris broke his neck, although the band managed to salvage one date with Suicidal Tendencies. In 1985 Gav Whyte was replaced on vocals by Andy Gibson of Preston punk band The Genocides and the band remained signed to Anagram until they split in early 1986 with enough songs written for an unreleased third album.
Tom Couch then spent two years with the U.K. Subs and has since been voted one of the best punk drummers of all time. One Way System was resurrected in 1995 with Gavin Whyte returning after Captain Oi! re-released All Systems Go and Writing On The Wall in CD format. Gaz Buckley left the band to be replaced by Dave Brown for a ten date European Tour. Brown was replaced in turn by Andy Wilkinson and, in 1996, Cleopatra issued a Best Of collection. In 1996, whilst working on a new album, Gavin Whyte left the band and was replaced by longtime fan Lee Havok and it was with this line-up that undertook a tour of Japan.
A new CD, Waiting For Zero was released through GMM in 1998 and Cherry Red released a Singles Collection in 2003. The 2005 various artists compilation CD Give Us A Future took its name from the One Way System single of that name.
More recently, White South African Lee Havok was replaced by ukNige on vocals and ukNige was then replaced by Jay Susel. In 2011, Couch and Wilkinson, while remaining in One Way System, joined singer Dunk Rock and guitarist Tony Mitchell in gothic psychobilly band Boneyard Zombies, releasing the Death Rattle and Roll album in 2012. Both bands appeared at the 2012 Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. The band toured the U.S. West Coast in 2013. Gaz Buckley is currently in Aussie punk band The Terraces.
The release of Car Bombs in Babylon sees One Way System continue to tour worldwide.

Selected discography

Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.

Albums

  • All Systems Go No. 11
  • Writing On The Wall No. 6
  • The Best of One Way System
  • Forgotten Generation
  • Return In Breizh Live
  • Waiting For Zero
  • Singles Collection
  • Gutter Box Album Collection )
  • Car Bombs In Babylon )

Singles

  • "Stab The Judge / Riot Torn City" '
  • "Give Us A Future / Just Another Hero" No. 28 '
  • "Jerusalem / Jackie Was A Junkie" No. 22 '
  • "Cum On Feel The Noize / Breakin` In" No. 11 '
  • "This Is The Age / Into The Fires" No. 21
  • "Visions Of Angels" No. 39
  • "OWS Live In Rennes"
  • "Believe Yourself / Search Your Soul"
  • "Leave Me Alone"
  • "Not Your Enemy / Shut Up
  • "Masks of Society"

Compilations

  • A Country Fit For Heroes ''Jerusalem - 1982
  • All Systems Go, Live in Manchester - 1983
  • Punk And Disorderly vol. 3 - 1983
  • Singles Collection
  • Give Us A Future Give Us a Future, Jerusalem - 2005
  • The Ugly Truth About Blackpool Jerusalem - 2005
  • The Ugly Truth About Blackpool, Vol.2 This Could Be You - 2006
  • Still Our Future You`re Messing Up Kick In The Head & This Could Be You - - 2010
  • Masks of Society'' - 2011