While some bands tried to pose as punks and failed miserably, others carried it off with aplomb – like Cardiff’s one-hit wonders The Table with their minor classic Do The Standing Still.

The group was formed in Cardiff by two cartoonists, Russell Young and Tony Barnes, way back in 1971. In some ways they were punk before punk even existed.

Originally calling themselves John Stabber, they performed an idiosyncratic brand of DIY music to bemused local audiences, playing all the instruments themselves.

Although they performed at the Windsor Free Festival in 1974, their publicity material at the time stated that they did not own any musical instruments, refused to tour, and were not a “real” band.

Soon after, they did become a real band with the addition of guitarist Mickey O’Connor and drummer Len Lewis and changed their name to Do You Want This Table.

As punk began to take off, a demo they recorded in 1975 earned them a one-off deal with Virgin Records who shortened their name and released it in 1977.

Even now, Do The Standing Still (Classics Illustrated) is something of a punk classic, with lyrics culled from comic books, and it made the NME Single Of The Week. They even played the occasional gig, notably with XTC (who let them use their PA) and The Police… who heckled them.

Their interviews in the music press did little to further their cause, especially when Young told journalists their debut album would feature him reading a shopping list.

For their second and final single they moved on to Chiswick Records who released Sex Cells in 1978. It received little in the way of radio airplay thanks to its lyric – “I’m obsessed with a mad desire for sex with schoolgirls” – and they rapidly disappeared from view.

Young reflected later: “We were not punks, not hippies, just too arty-probably-for-our-own-good writers primarily. And certainly not disco either.” But there were some good times.