The Dead 60s hailed from Liverpool, England. The combo was led by vocalist and guitarist
Matt McManamon, and featured guitarist
Ben Gordon, bassist
Charlie Turner, and drummer
Brian Johnson. After forming out of high school the combo perfected a patchwork of post-punk, dub, and ska influences, with touchstones like
the Clash,
Specials, and dub legend
Lee "Scratch" Perry. By 2004
the Dead 60s had signed with local imprint Deltasonic, home to U.K. indie sensations like
the Coral and
the Zutons. The insistent, boppy "Riot Radio" single appeared in September of that year, the dub-inflected "Last Resort" followed in February 2005, and a self-titled full-length dropped later that summer. By that point
the Dead 60s had enjoyed plenty of positive press, as well as high-profile gigs with bands like
Garbage,
the Killers, and
the Bravery. They also headed out to woo the U.S. with dates on the Warped Tour. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide