First In Line

It was very crowded when we arrived, but she spotted him and took me over to meet him. I liked him instantly … short haired and skinny with a great accent. I asked him if he could play bass. He said he played guitar but could learn bass really fast. I said, “Welcome to The Scavengers”.

– Guitarist Johnny Volume on meeting British born vocalist and bassist Brendan Perry at a party in 1977, AudioCulture

You got to toe the line or you'll be left behind.....

– Lyrics from The Marching Girls' 1980 single First in Line

Next day, Mike and Johnny appeared on Nice One Stu, New Zealand’s premier kids programme, compered by hairy overgrown schoolkid (now sports producer) Stu Dennison. It didn’t start well when Johnny caught Stu smoking while wearing his schoolboy uniform, and grabbed the cigarette from Dennison’s mouth, telling him, “Schoolkids don’t smoke.” 

– Former Scavenger Johnny Volume's notorious behaviour after a punk TV appearance, AudioCulture

Rumours of discord filtered back to New Zealand, including an incident involving a girl, a glass, and 13 stitches, which nearly caused a band split. Still, they were playing, and their notices had improved. Adrian Ryan in Juke: “The Marching Girls give new substance to the term ‘minimal’. They’ve taken the stripped down stance of The Police and the original Talking Heads, made it simpler, and injected a heart-felt energy.”

– Andrew Schmidt on praise for The Marching Girls' 1980 single First in Line, AudioCulture