The Carpettes never reached the giddy heights of the Pistols or Clash but they made their mark on punk as one of a handful of bands from the North East.

My investigations into the margins of punk have led me to The Carpettes, a punk band from Houghton-le-Spring in Tyne and Wear.

Like all the best bands, they burned brightly and faded away in double-quick time, forming in 1977 and splitting up in 1981, leaving behind a slender musical legacy and an OGWT appearance.

In between the trio of Neil Thompson (vocals, guitar), George Maddison (bass) and Kevin Heard (drums) recorded two Peel Sessions – Heard being replaced by Tim Wilder after the first – and released two albums on Beggars Banquet Records.

Their first release was this, the Radio Wunderbar EP, released in December 1977 on Small Wonder… which was also the name of their follow-up single, paying tribute to the Walthamstow-based indie label.

Like so many of their ilk, they had been a different band before punk came along, playing since 1974 as Brown Sugar.

Also like so many, they subsequently re-formed, and in 2011 The Carpettes toured the US for the first time.