EVERYONE loves a good rock reunion, and now classic Kendal band The Paps are coming out of retirement with a (potentially) one-off gig at Bootleggers and a double CD of old and new material.

The trio formed in 1985 and made five cassette-only albums of their inimitable ‘thrash punk’.
The Paps pulled the plug on themselves in 1991 because, as Kevin Butler (guitar/vocals/keyboard) explained, “It was joke-based music with ridiculous lyrics and there’s only so far you can go with a joke before it gets boring.”

But Kevin, bassist Rob Robinson and drummer Pat Driscoll are reuniting in order to raise money for the Nicky Dent Fund – in memory of the late South Lakeland footballer, who died from Motor Neurone Disease in 2011.

“The idea came when me and Rob were at a gig together,” said Kevin, “and a few people came up to us and asked if we were going to do The Paps again.

“Because you can record cheaply nowadays by doing it at home, we decided to do a double disc – one with old material and one with some new songs.”

On the new material, penned by himself and Rob, Kevin said, “We’ve kept it pretty much where it was.

“It’s very Kendal humour and there are people from the town who appear in the songs.

“I was a bit naughty back in those days, with it being before political correctness, whereas Rob was more clever and political.

“For me the idea of The Paps was three lads talking – musically - in a bar.”

He added that it was the ‘daft lyrics’, evident in songs such as ‘Rushdie In My Bathroom’ and ‘I Fell In Love With a Nuclear Bomb’, that have made the band stick in Kendal audiences’ minds and hearts.

“People like to have a laugh and there were a lot of indie bands around at the time that were a bit wishy-washy – we were doing something different.”

The band’s first gig in 25 years will be at Bootleggers on July 12.

The CD ‘Brothers in Farms’ is also available to buy over the counter from Bootleggers – any proceeds raised will go to the Nicky Dent Fund and Motor Neurones Disease Association.

The Paps originally intended the show to be a one-off but Kevin said, “Doing this has been nostalgic and fun for the three of us so we might do something else in the future.”