Nick Cash, Pablo LaBritain and Guy Days of 999


ABOUT

Formed in London in the closing days of 1976, just thirteen months after the Sex Pistols had made their live debut, 999 rose from the ashes of the UK’s “pub rock” scene. Nick Cash had been the guitarist for Kilburn and the High Roads, one of the leading proponents of pub rock, and the group in which legendary punk-poet Ian Dury originally found fame. “The bones of punk were happening, Joe Strummer’s 101’ers were doing things,” Cash recently told Vive Le Rock Magazine. “I was already working with Guy writing songs when I left Kilburn and the High Roads.” Cash would soon be sharing songwriting and guitar duties with his brother, Guy Days, in 999, and the group was rounded out by bassist Jon Watson and drummer Pablo LaBritain.  

 By July of 1979, when Emergency at the Old Waldorf was recorded, 999 had released a pair of classic punk LPs for the United Artists record label. The self-titled debut album featured Cash’s vocals on the bristling, sneering singles “I’m Alive,” “Nasty Nasty” and “Emergency.” Second album Separates was retitled High Energy Plan for the U.S. market. Lead track “Homicide” quickly became the band’s signature tune, featuring its melodic, irresistible refrain of “I believe in Homicide!”

999 continues to record and perform. They most recently visited the U.S. in May 2024 to play a show at the Punk Rock Bowling Festival in Las Vegas.

MEDIA BREAKS

SCENE POINT BLANK (Interview with 999 frontman Nick Cash)
THERE’S SOMETHING HARD IN THERE (Interview with 999 frontman Nick Cash)
THE MIDLANDS ROCKS / UK (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 review)
INK 19 (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 review)
FEAR AND LOATHING / UK (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 review)
THE VINYL DISTRICT (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 announcement)
SCENE POINT BLANK (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 announcement)
THE PUNKSITE / UK (Emergency at the Old Waldorf 1979 announcement)

VIDEOS