In late 1977, Barry boys, Bryn Merrick and Andy Johnson made the musical transition from playing early seventies rock to playing out and out punk. Merrick, Johnson, & another hard-rock gutarist who soon left, started putting together some original material together, with their limited musical talent, and roped in a 15 year old Mike Rudman on drums, whose previous experience was playing snare in the local jazz band. The next recruit was Andy James on vocals.
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In late 1977, Barry boys, Bryn Merrick and Andy Johnson made the musical transition from playing early seventies rock to playing out and out punk. Merrick, Johnson, & another hard-rock gutarist who soon left, started putting together some original material together, with their limited musical talent, and roped in a 15 year old Mike Rudman on drums, whose previous experience was playing snare in the local jazz band. The next recruit was Andy James on vocals. His lyrics were typical of the time Grunwick, Headlines, This is The Age, Baby Buyer, (Hi Rising Failure-1 of a few writen by their roadie) and Where Did The Money Go. The bands first gig was in early 1978@The Memorial hall Barry under the name of Red Alert & The Rejects, the gig turned into a stage frenzie started by 'Jamezy' vocalist ending up with the police stoping the gig & the band being banned, & the name change :Victims of Society, Victims, finally- The VICTIMIZE.... With quite a following they did regular gigs in anywhere they could hire cheap, the members would walk or public transport to the gigs & equiptment would arrive via their only roadie 'SAL' in a old green escort van customized with lime green &pink fur interior (allways late, on purpose, to raise the atmosphere. They continued to gig and soon gained a reputation as a hardcore punk outfit on the Cardiff pub scene building a strong army of followers throughout 1978. In late 1978 they were signed by local business man Richard Haines first as The Victims then as Victimize to avoid confusion with a band already existing with the same name. He financed the first single Baby Buyer/Hi Rising Failure. The band were now supporting bands like the Adverts, SLF, UK Subs, Skids and The Damned. The single sold well, locally and the b/sHi Rising Failure, was liked & played by John Peel. If not for 'jamezy's' bigheadedness & all the fallings out VICTIMIZE could have done quite good, well on par' if not better than the bands they supported...... With no second single forthcoming various members came and went including one Roman Jugg who later joined the Damned with Bryan Merrick for a while. Round about 1980 for all intents and purposes the band folded. Strangely Richard Haines then released Where Did The Money Go a/ Innocence allegedly with no original members of the band which seems a little off as the vocals are remarkably similar. Mind you the riff seems remarkably similar to the Ramone's Blitzkrieg Bop! Phil from 'Really Free Punk' wrote the following to me "Nice to see Victimize get a mention, saw them twice ' back then', though they were called 'The Victims'....They used to have a really mental following - all Barry punks and Cardiff football hooligans. When they played with my brothers punk/metal band Mad Dog at the Great Western in Cardiff there was trouble all night"
