Delta 5

Not to be confused with Delta-S or Delta-v.

Delta 5 was an English post-punk band from Leeds.^[1]

Delta 5
Origin	Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Genres	Post-punk, new wave
Years active	1979–1981
Labels	Rough Trade Pre Charisma
Past members	Julz Sale Ros Allen Bethan Peters Kelvin Knight Alan Riggs Graeme High

Career

Delta 5 was formed from the same art school scene at Leeds University as Gang of Four and The Mekons.^[1][2] The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale (vocals/guitar), Ros Allen (bass) and Bethan Peters (bass), formed the band "on a lark",^[3] but soon became a part of the thriving Leeds post-punk scene, and later added Kelvin Knight on drums and Alan Riggs on guitar, both of whom also played in Dead Beats.^[2] Combining feminist politics with a two-bass funk-punk sound (much in the style of another, more famous Leeds band, Gang of Four), they released their debut single "Mind Your Own Business" in 1979.

The members of Delta 5 were important figures in the Rock Against Racism movement and were the subject of a highly publicised assault at the hands of a right-wing group affiliated with rival movement Rock Against Communism.^[4]

After the release of second single "You", the band went on a successful tour of the United States, and soon thereafter left Rough Trade for Charisma Records imprint Pre.^[5] They recorded their debut album See the Whirl, which suffered from overly clean production and received low marks both critically and commercially.^{[citation needed]} Due to the commercial disappointment of the album, the group disbanded.

Post-breakup

Apart from bassist Bethan Peters playing on Fun Boy Three's second album Waiting and performing with them live to support its release, the members of Delta 5 were mostly musically inactive. Meanwhile, Delta 5's recorded output was finding a posthumous fan base internationally. The band Shonen Knife recorded a cover version of "You" with Japanese lyrics and renamed "Saboten" ("Cactus") for their 1982 debut album Minna Tanoshiku.

In 2006, Kill Rock Stars released a compilation of early Delta 5 material titled Singles & Sessions 1979-1981,^[2] capitalising on the re-emerging popularity of post-punk bands such as Gang of Four and Wire. The set included unreleased material, along with BBC radio sessions and live cuts.^[6]

Delta 5 drummer Kelvin Knight died on 2 December 2015 from liver and kidney failure at the age of 56.^[7] Singer and guitarist Julz Sale died from cancer in Thailand on 20 September 2021.^[8][9]

Legacy

"Mind Your Own Business" is the band's best-known song, having been covered by Chicks on Speed, Le Shok, R. Stevie Moore, Pigface and Dum Dum Girls. It featured in episode 5 of the series Sex Education in January 2019,^[10] an episode of the 2020 BBC TV series The A Word,^[11] and in an Apple commercial in 2021.^[12]

Discography

Albums

• See the Whirl (1981)

Compilation albums

• Singles & Sessions 1979-1981 (Kill Rock Stars; CD; (2006)

Singles

• "Mind Your Own Business" / "Now That You've Gone" (1979, Rough Trade Records)
• "Anticipation" / "You" (1980, Rough Trade Records)
• "Try" / "Colour" (1980, Rough Trade Records)
• "Shadow" / "Leaving" (1981)
• 6 (12" EP, first three singles) (1981, Base Records)
• "Powerlines" / "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (1982)