Tributes have been paid to the guitarist and founding member of influential 1970s Bristol band The Pop Group, who has died at the age of 63. John Waddington’s death comes just two months after the passing of the band’s singer Mark Stewart.
The current members of The Pop Group, which reformed in 2010, described John as having ‘unforgettable musicianship’, and said his ‘energy and friendship’ would be sorely missed.
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John formed The Pop Group in 1977 with Mark and Simon Underwood at the age of just 17, while they were still at school. The group were enthused by the energy of punk, but more influenced by the music of the jazz, dub and reggae clubs in Bristol, and The Pop Group line up was completed by Gareth Sager and drummer Bruce Smith.
The group were signed and appeared on the front cover of NME, and released two albums, ‘Y’ and ‘For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?’ in 1979 and 1980. The group were heavily involved in radical politics too, and their last gig was in front of hundreds of thousands of people packed into Trafalgar Square for a CND rally.
The group split in 1981 - when John was just 21 - and he and Mark Stewart joined the On-U Sound and the dub collective the New Age Steppers. That Bristol mix of punk, rap, indie, dub and dance music was heavily influential in what evolved into the Bristol Sound of the late 1980s, and bands like Massive Attack and Portishead.
A tribute from The Pop Group, which reformed in 2010 with three of its original members, said: “An influential musician, and an integral member of the group, John contributed to some of the band’s most iconic recordings. John played on ‘Y’ and ‘For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?’, the first two albums by The Pop Group, and later joined Maximum Joy for their debut album ‘Station MXJY’.
“John continued to make memorable appearances on records by Judy Nylon and by On-U Sound affiliated projects including New Age Steppers and African Head Charge. His energy and friendship will be sorely missed, and his unforgettable musicianship will always be remembered,” they added.
The record label and collective On-U Sound also paid tribute to John. “All of us at On-U Sound are sad to learn of the passing of John Waddington, notably of The Pop Group, and a member of the On-U Sound family having played with New Age Steppers and African Head Charge,” they said.
