Post Punk band from Mansfield. Formed in 1979/80.

From their discogs page:
Spawned from the dying belly of punk, New Apostles formed in Spring 1980 and made their first live appearance to rapturous acclaim at Sheffield University in December of that year. Adopting a guerilla approach to recording they released material sporadically through the years on cult Italian anarcho label Compact Cassette Echo. After 18 years and a multitude of line-up changes the band split in 1998. Although rumours of a reunion involving their three core members were circulated over the years, they amounted to nothing until this year when they dramatically announced their return with the promise of their first new material of the 21st century. Now they are back with West Bank and new album Apparatchiks (released March 2016).

Hear and see them here: Bandcamp, Facebook

Current members 2016 – present:
Andy Pidluznyj: Bass, Programmed By,
Andy Whitehurst: Lead Guitar, Programmed By, Percussion,
Phil Pidluznyj: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion.

I caught up with Phil Pidluznyj in June, 2022 and asked him about his early inspirations. Born in 1962 and from Mansfield in Notts, Phil was 15 when punk rock exploded onto the scene in ’77 but as with many the inspirations we take come from many sources.

“I kept trying to learn the guitar but couldn’t get the hang of it. I keep hammering away at making a noise but could never sound like anybody I saw on TV. I know now that’s not a bad thing. One time I saw a band called the Climax Blues Band on the TV show “Rock goes to College” and it was the first time I could play along correctly and sound like them. I was a massive Thin Lizzy fan too with the Brian Robertson, Phil Lynott and Scott Gorham line up.  However, as I started playing I inadvertently started writing music which was closer to the early seventies krautrock sound. I’m a big Neu fan”.

Not far from Mansfield was the Retford Porterhouse, a club that had bands from the worlds of rock, soul and punk.

“I made many visits to the Retford Porterhouse. I saw the Buzzcocks and The Slits in March 1978.

In 1979, at 17 Phil and his brother Andy formed a band with friends and called themselves The New Apostles.

“Our first gig was in 1980 at Sheffield University. We sounded like post punk bands Echo and the Bunnymen and Joy Division. We stayed mainly local but played a few other towns. Along the way we got to know a few bands. We became friends with the London band Wasted Youth, on the fringe of punk scene, a bit like the Only Ones”. Early demo tapes were made.

“We had some music released on an Italian cassette label and a German vinyl compilation.

Apart from a minor side project that Phil was in called “Submarine” in the early nineties the band stayed together for nearly 20 years but by 1998 “we stood on stage and with the same faces looking back up at us we decided to call it a day. We took a break for 17 years”.
Phil started a kids project called “Reluctant Readers”. It was during that time that he was asked to reform the New Apostles for a gig.
Phil, his brother Andy and Andy Whitehurst formed a trio of original members. They tried a couple of old numbers but without a drummer it was decided to write new material and used programmed drums, something they had tried before, and it worked. The new line up recorded an album at Psyrex studios, Perry Road, Nottingham and are still recording and playing today.