Wild colonial boys: A Belfast punk story

by Thomas Paul Burgess

Ruefrex were one of Northern Ireland’s most popular and uncompromising punk rock bands.

Emerging from the Belfast street-gang culture of the late-1970s, the group, inspired by The Clash, enjoyed a turbulent, decade-long career. They played for millions on CNN and Channel 4, toured with The Pogues and recorded the controversial ‘The Wild Colonial Boy’, which attacked American donations to Northern Irish terrorist organisations.

Throughout it all, founder member, songwriter and spokesperson Thomas Paul Burgess ensured the band remained faithful to their Protestant, working-class origins. This candid memoir takes us on a journey from the streets of Belfast to encounters with U2, Shane MacGowan, The Cure, The Fall and Seamus Heaney.

From strife-torn 1970s Belfast to bohemian London, Wild colonial boys tells the story of a punk band who refused to give up and stayed true to their punk roots.

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Dr. Thomas Paul Burgess holds degrees from the University of Ulster, Cork and Oxford and has been published widely in the areas of cultural identity and community. He is a songwriter with his critically acclaimed band, Ruefrex. He has worked as a commentator for a number of national newspaper publications and broadcasters and is currently a senior lecturer at University College, Cork, Ireland.

Reviews

[Mike Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book.

A brutally honest account of the trials and tribulations of starting and running a band in Belfast in the 70’s and 80’s. Had me invested from the outset and I found myself only putting the book down to look up Ruefrex and their peers on YouTube.

Key take-outs:

- Belfast was a truly scary place to be 40-50 years ago
- Paul REALLY doesn’t like the Good Vibrations founder
- Elvis Costello could be a right git
- Lead singers are high maintenance, in any band, in any era.
- That Petrol Emotion were republicans (I didn’t know that)
- The music industry has always been full of chancers and bullshitters.

And the best bit? I too had a faded yellow Vauxhall Chevette that blew its head gasket! Felt like I was there.

[Amy]

Review to come

[Seren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easily readable recounting of the history of Ruefrex and the overarching Belfast punk scene during a specific era (70s-80s). Burgess has a very engaging tone, and covers a broad array of history and thoughts successfully. I found myself tearing through the pages. As a late 90s kid, it was also useful to have a more fleshed out image of the punk scene in Belfast, particularly outside of the narratives more predominantly pedalled these days. (Shamefully, despite my interest in the topic - I hadn’t heard of Rufrex before reading this book!)

However, despite all the positives, I did think it swerved too close into self-aggrandising on Burgess’s part at times. Additionally, reading so much about a man getting in his own way was frustrating. Especially when said man is a top record selling musician who rubbed shoulders with the highest known Irish musicians, and now an Oxford graduate! This small factor prevented it from being a full 5* read for me. (Although, being a memoir, a certain level of self-aggrandising is hard to avoid - a fact the author acknowledges in the prefix!)

Still, I do think this is a very good book - and I’d happily recommend it to anyone who has (even a passing) interest in Belfast punk history.

[Brian Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not many punk memoirs start in Oxford dining with dons. This hybridity is something the book explores all the way through. Challenging cozy narratives of Belfast Punk as a non sectarian TAZ. A unique view point and thoughtful reflection on a scene and what it has come to mean.