All Hits

Formed in 1980 in South London, The Direct Hits emerged from the remnants of their earlier incarnation, The Exits. The original drummer, Steve Warburton, played at early live shows and recorded a handful of demos with the band. He was briefly replaced by Ian “Griff” Griffiths, who left after a few months, after which Brian Grover took over. Eventually, Ralph Millington became the band’s final drummer, playing through their later period and at subsequent one-off reunions.

After meeting Dan Treacy in 1981, the band began recording for the Whaam! record label. Following the release of their debut single and album, future material was issued on their own imprints, with the exception of Speed Over Berlin.

Despite regular gigging across the UK and Europe and a string of acclaimed releases, The Direct Hits never broke into the mainstream and disbanded in 1987. They reformed for one-off performances in autumn 1988, 2004, and 2017.