Endgames

Endgames were a Glasgow pop band tuned to the new wave's sleek, synthetic promise, started by David Rudden on bass and vocals and David Murdoch on keyboards. They cut their teeth on the city's club and college circuit, and by late December 1979 they were opening for Simple Minds, earning a shrug of a notice from the NME for their trouble: some promising ideas, not yet fully formed.

In the second half of 1980 they took the act south to London with drummer David Wilde behind them, and their early sound was caught on a handful of various-artists compilations: Beyond the Groove and Live Letters, both on Polydor and both documenting acts from the South London club 101, plus Heat from the Street on Charisma. John Peel took an interest, and their first session for his Radio 1 show went out in March 1981.

"First-last-for Everything", from 1982, is the song the countdowns remember, a nervy, glossy slice of new wave pop with a pulse that never settles. Brian McGee joined that year and stayed until the end in 1985. Two albums came out along the way, but the commercial breakthrough never came.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.