Small World formed in November 1979 when Chris Philpott and Mick Cohen, who were already mates, met up with John Wratten who was looking to get into a band. The three had common musical influences/tastes based mainly on post-punk new wave (Jam, Clash, Buzzocks etc...) and sixties guitar-based bands (Small Faces, Kinks, Beatles). Initially the band had trouble getting a permanent drummer and it wasn't until August 1980 that an advert in the local paper resulted in Andy Orr joining the band. From that point on the band were ready to start doing some live work. ...show more

Small World formed in November 1979 when Chris Philpott and Mick Cohen, who were already mates, met up with John Wratten who was looking to get into a band. The three had common musical influences/tastes based mainly on post-punk new wave (Jam, Clash, Buzzocks etc...) and sixties guitar-based bands (Small Faces, Kinks, Beatles). Initially the band had trouble getting a permanent drummer and it wasn't until August 1980 that an advert in the local paper resulted in Andy Orr joining the band. From that point on the band were ready to start doing some live work.

With a set consisting of originals such as "Memories", "Gangland Warfare", "Last resort" and a smattering of covers the band played their first gig at the ford Social Club on a Sunday afternoon in November 1980. The audience was made up mainly of "flatcap" Sunday drinkers and a few Mods from Collier row that John had met up with at an 'Upset' gig at the Marquee the week before. The band got a good reaction but had to compromise their set by playing "Nights in white Satin" in order to keep the grannies happy! At the start of 1981 the band began to attract quite a large following. Although mainly made up of mods the bands raw energy also attracted a diverse non-mod audience.

Several residences at the Seabright Arms, Greyhound, Clarendon Hotel and Hope and Anchor further increased the band's popularity. One memorable gig was at the Seabright Arms, when the pub was packed to the rafters. there were three bands on that night, with Small World headlining supported by 007 and Distant Echo. During 1981 the band headlined at several Mod All-dayer events and played numerous gigs around the country with bands such as Long Tall Shorty and The Purple Hearts. ...show less