The Blockheads in Hertford

The Blockheads are a British band formed in London in 1977 as Ian Dury’s backing group. Their music draws on funk, pub rock, punk and new wave, and their best-known work with Ian Dury includes “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick,” “Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3,” “What a Waste” and “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.” The albums Do It Yourself and Laughter also established the group’s taut, rhythm-led sound. The musicians who became The Blockheads toured Britain on Stiff Records’ Live Stiffs package in 1977. A 1985 performance at Hammersmith Odeon was filmed for Hold On to Your Structure, preserving the group’s full-band stage set. They later regrouped and performed again with Ian Dury, whose final concert took place at the London Palladium in 2000.