Demics - "New York City"

Manchester, England's Keith Whittaker named his London, Ontario, Canada's band Demics after a Manchester, slang insult meaning "wanker". The band started playing in the small clubs of London after meeting in the downtown loft scene. They released an E.P. called "Talk's Cheap" which garnered some airplay on cutting edge Toronto radio station CFNY-FM with this version of "New York City". They played the Toronto club circuit and opened for The Dead Boys and Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. The band split up in 1979 but reformed with new guitarist Steve Koch in early 1980. They recorded a self-titled album with a new version of "New York City" produced by English guitarist/producer Chris Spedding who later covered the song himself over 10 years later. They called it quits again in 1981. In 1996 Chart  Magazine, a Canadian college and alternative radio publication, voted "New York City" the best Canadian single of all time. Demics were Keith Whittaker - vocals, Iain Atkinson -bass, Rob Brent - guitar, Jimmy Weatherstone - drums and Steve Koch- guitar. Weatherstone and Koch would go on to play with country cow-punk Handsome Ned's various band incarnations. Sadly, Keith Whittaker died of cancer in Toronto in 1996.

In 1996, Other People's Music out of Toronto released a compilation CD of Demics material.

This Fall Linus Entertainment is rereleasing the 1980 self-titled album.

Go to the download page to get Demics - "New York City" mp3 here