Scottish guitarist Brian Jackson was already an established player on the pub scene in Glasgow when he became interested in the new, brasher, and louder sounds of punk. He was soon one third of a combo called the Zips, also featuring vocalist and guitarist John McNeill, drummer Joe Jaconelli, and bassist Phil Mullen. Following a debut at a typically sleazy club, the Peel, the group began the all important task of building up a younger audience, innovating the idea of lunchtime gigs on a bandstand along the River Clyde. The group's first recorded set of four songs, including the swaggering "Don't Be Pushed Around," was recorded in 1978 but not released until the following year. Disc jockey John Peel of the BBC was crucial in pushing the group's music, not surprising considering Peel's acceptance of all things punkish. Additional support came from a more unlikely source: one of the bandmember's grandmothers coughed up the loot to fund a new recording. The competing trends of new wave and ska were a negative pressure, however, effectively cutting back the supply of available gigs. Jackson emigrated to Australia in 1981, zipping the Zips story shut. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide