The Lloyds: Lost and Found in San Francisco

A new compilation brings light to a criminally underrated New Wave band

June 26, 2023June 27, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2023, Attitude Check, Blondie, Dead Kennedys, Flipper, Liberation Hall Records, Lulu Lewis, The Avengers, The Go-Gos, The Knack, The Lloyds, The Nuns

The Lloyds (Image: Liberation Hall Records)

California’s San Francisco Bay Area in the late 70s/early 80s was teeming with young Punk and New Wave bands making the scene in radical and righteous ways.

But where you might have heard of such famous regional acts as The Nuns, The Avengers, Flipper and the Dead Kennedys, there was no shortage of local bands vying for stage time at such notable clubs of the era as Mabuhay Gardens, The Farm and the Deaf Club back then. The Lloyds were one such group, who in fact were one of the top draws on the circuit during their time together between 1979 and 1984.

Led by the lovely Lulu Lewis, the band had a sound perfectly in tune with the times, utilizing an energized combo of girl group panache and power pop punch that should have landed them on the Billboard charts alongside such like-minded artists as Blondie, The Knack and The Go-Go’s. Sadly, the Lloyds never secured a record contract, leaving one magnificent debut album without a home until they ultimately called it quits.

This excellent new compilation from the folks at Liberation Hall Records aims to ensure Punk and New Wave fans will never forget the group again. Attitude Check brings together all nine studio tracks from their debut LP (released on vinyl last year by Projectile Platters as Let’s Go Lloyds) in addition to 11 pristine live cuts from 1980 gigs at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf and The Cpatalyst in Santa Cruz that capture the Lloyds’ frenetic stage presence (four of which appeared on the vinyl). Among the highlights include the band’s signature song “And That’s Why (I Don’t Like You),” which they performed in the 1980 San Fran-based Robby Benson comedy Die Laughing, and “Rock and Roll Made Me What I Am Today,” which was later covered by Lita Ford and appears on her 1983 album, Out for Blood.

The Lloyds Attitude Check, Liberation Hall Records 2023

In addition to Lewis, the band members that appear on Attitude Check are David Martin (lead guitar, piano, synthesizer), Ronnie Jay (guitar, harmonica), Alan Thiele (drums), Peter M. Heimlich (original bassist), and Dan DeShara (later bassist).

“Lloyds, a double-guitar quintet fronted by a lead singer who calls herself only Lulu, turned in a fabulous set that proved the group to be one of the best ensembles on the local scene,” wrote music scribe Jack McDonough in his 1981 review of the band for Billboard. “The sound is a penetrating, exciting mix of ’60s girl group passion and ’80s New Wave attitudes, with Lulu delivering a string of superlative original tunes with a voice that would stand up in a hurricane.”

Attitude Check is presented as part of Liberation Hall’s “Sounds from the San Francisco Underground” series.

All of the songs, except for a cover of the Exciters’ 1962 hit “Tell Him,” were written by the Lloyds.

* Recorded live March 30, 1980, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, CA

** Recorded live at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA, 1980

# Originally appeared on the ‘Attitude Check’ vinyl EP released by Trotter Records in 1984