Numbers – Alternative Suicide

Bristol new wave quartet the Numbers formed in 1977 with vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick McAuley, bassist Wayne Kingston, drummer Lee Gardener and future Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini. Heavily influenced by Bowie’s Berlin trilogy, early recordings surfaced on compilations issued by the local Heartbeat label in 1979, namely the power- punk-pop ‘Alternative Suicide’ on 4 Alternatives and the funked-up ‘Cross Slide’ on Avon Calling. This excellent compilation pairs those songs with unreleased demos, giving us the complete picture of a band far ahead of their time, with Bruschini already on dazzling form.