Instigators

The Instigators are a notable anarcho-punk band from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, formed in 1980 by school friends Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (drums) and Simon Mooney (guitar). Early on, they were influenced by anarcho-punk pioneers like Crass and Flux of Pink Indians, and quickly built a following with energetic performances and politically charged lyrics. Their first EP, *The Blood is on Your Hands*, gained attention on the UK Indie Charts, and their 1985 album *Nobody Listens Anymore* solidified their reputation in the punk scene. The band underwent several lineup changes, with Mooney and vocalist Andy Turner leading a shift towards a more American-influenced punk sound in the mid to late 1980s. They toured extensively across Europe and the US, releasing key albums like *Phoenix* (1986) and *Shockgun* (1988), which have been reissued on vinyl in recent years. The Instigators are celebrated for their DIY ethos, relentless touring, and influence on the punk community, with a significant resurgence marked by their return to live shows decades later.

It is important to note there is also a different band called Instigators from Auckland, New Zealand, active in the early 1980s as a ska-punk outfit with releases on Ripper Records, but this is a separate group from the UK anarcho-punk Instigators discussed above.

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