The Presidents Men

Left to right: Don MacDonald: Bass

Jeremy Thoms: Vocals

Roy Ingram: Guitar

John Watson: Drums

The Presidents Men were an Aberdeen based indie band signed to Oily Records and in existence between 1979 and 81.

Originally formed in late 1979 by Jeremy Thoms and Roy Ingram from the ashes of popular local outfit Splitting Headache. With the line-up completed by Don MacDonald and John Watson, The Presidents Men’s rise was swift.

Initial gigs attracted the attention of Howerd Gemmell and Jim Allardyce of Aberdeen based indie label Oily Records and by March 1980 they were demoing material at Storm Studios for their debut single.

Settling on “Out in The Open” as the A side with “State Of Mind” and “When Someone Says No” on the B, the band travelled to Edinburgh in the summer of ’80 to record the single at Barclay Towers with Rezillos producer Tony Pilley at the helm.

Released in November 1980, the single instantly attracted good reviews in the music press and extensive radio play on Radio One, including the breakfast show hosted by Mike Read, which was a rare achievement for a Scottish indie band.

Consolidating on the first record’s success, the band returned to Barclay Towers in December 1980 to record the follow up “Reasons For Leaving”. With “Cry” and “I’ve Got My Best Suit On Today” on the B side, the single was released in March 1981 and this time attracted radio play in the USA, most notably Radio WKDU in Philadelphia.

Despite this early success, guitarist Roy Ingram decided to quit in June 1981, with the remaining trio continuing until October that year before deciding to call it a day.

The two EPs have been reissued by Stereogram to celebrate their 40th anniversary. See Music Store for more information.