"Court Martial was a minor fixture on the punk circuit in 1982, scoring an indie hit that year with the first of their two Riot City singles, the scampering 'Gotta Get Out' EP. Musically they were more 77-style but without any discernible talent. Although vocalist Alex was suitably snotty, he was a hopeless singer. Originally called The Zeds, they changed to Court Martial when Ian replaced John on drums.
They were formed in late 1979 while they still were at school. The first few gigs they played were at local youth clubs, before branching out to support Vice Squad and Chelsea at larger venues. Court Martial were also present at the Trinity Hall Bristol punk festival. Shortly after they recorded their demo tape they got signed with Riot City Records. The line-up was Alex: Vocals, Simon: Guitar, Richard: Bass, and Ian: Drums, and also a guy called Brian Wright (who is their manager and does the job well).
They recorded three demo tapes. Three tracks from the third demo were used for the 'Gotta Get Out' EP, with a fourth track used on the Riot City compilation LP 'Riotous Assembly' in a slightly different mix. A second single, No Solution EP, did not fare as well as the first and proved to be their last."
