Fischer Z – Recorded at The Paris Theatre in London on July 28, 1979 by BBC Radio 1 for In Concert.
While studying clinical psychology and working in psychiatric clinics, John Watts formed Fischer-Z with Stephen Skolnik in 1977. The first performances took place in English punk clubs and the first Fischer-Z album, Word Salad, was released in 1979 on United Artists Records, in parallel with The Buzzcocks and The Stranglers. The band broke through thanks to John Peel playing their first single ‘Remember Russia’ multiple times and championing the band. Thanks to this, Fischer-Z appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test and following the European success of their second single “The Worker”, they appeared on Top of the Pops in 1979. With his second album, Going Deaf for a Living, Watts cemented Fischer-Z’s ability to capture global political themes against the backdrop of ‘quirky’ pop music. The hit single “So Long” was released in 1980. The following year, it found success on the newly founded TV channel MTV. 1981 also brought the release of Fischer-Z’s third and most commercially successful album Red Skies Over Paradise, which featured the singles, “Marliese” and “Berlin”. Due to the success of these albums, Fischer-Z played over 200 shows between 1980 and 1981 across the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. Watts dissolved the original Fischer-Z line up in the summer of 1981, believing that the band had moved too far from their original punk ideals.
In 1987, John Watts decided to re-establish Fischer-Z in a different form. In this line up, the band celebrated further success, with hit singles “The Perfect Day” (1988) and “Say No” (1989) from the albums Reveal (1988) and Fish’s Head (1989).
On 3 April 2020, Watts announced the release of the new EP Choose. Til The Oceans Overflow was released on 8 October 2021. Fischer-Z followed up this release with the Triptych band album. 2025 is the year of John’s music and art project PUNKT!. The album will be out on 14 September and John Watts will be doing a German gallery tour to showcase his new art and music. 2026 will be the 50th anniversary of the formation of the band in 1976 and Fischer-Z’s first tour in Autumn 1976.
So there you have it – if you aren’t familiar, press Play – if you are familiar, you’ve already skipped all this and went straight to the music.
In either case – enjoy.
