There were several bands in the 70s who enjoyed success with a slightly kitschy vintage rock’n’roll image. Whether fairly or not, they were generally scorned by more clued-up music fans. Darts were not one of these bands. The name of their second album Everyone Plays Darts was well chosen because they seemed almost universally respected. “Well, that’s not quite right,” corrects Griff Fender, the baritone voice in the squadron of lead singers on the LP, the others being Rita Ray (alto), Bob Fish (tenor) and Den Hegarty (bass). “We once played a show at the Cat’s Whiskers in Streatham, which was being recorded for TV. We were doing R&B stuff and the Teds in the audience started bottling us, shouting, ‘Play rock’n’roll!’ Freddie ‘Fingers’ Lee, who was top of the bill, came out to try to calm them down, but they had to stop the filming.”
Such hostility didn’t hold Darts back. The stats say they sold more UK concert tickets than anyone in 1978, the year of Everyone Plays Darts. Between November 1977 and July 1979 they had six UK Top 10 singles (three of them reaching No.2), at a time when such feats really were a big deal and got you nationally recognised, and three big-selling albums. Remarkably talented, however much Griff (real name Ian Collier) modestly underplays their musical talents, there was an authenticity about them which makes it puzzling that today they seem almost forgotten.
Hitting the bullseye: The nine-piece Darts were one of the biggest-selling UK acts of 1978 with a total haul of eight UK Top 40 hits, six of which made it into the Top 10
© ALAMY
EVERYONE PLAYS DARTS DARTS 1978 – MAGNET
Side 1
The Boy From New York City (Taylor) Honey Love (McPhatter/Gerald) My Friend’s Wife (Hegarty/Pike) It’s Raining (Collier) Make It (Thomson) Hammy’s Boogie (Howell)
Side 2
Who’s That Knocking? (Kirkland/Johnson/Jones) My True Story (Pitt/Waltzer) Late For Work (Hegarty/Pike) Bones (Trubridge/Thomson) Late Last Night (Dummer) I Gotta Go Home (Freed/Sayer) Why I Cry (Hegarty/Pike)
EVERYONE PLAYS DARTS DARTS 1978 – MAGNET
Side 1
The Boy From New York City (Taylor) Honey Love (McPhatter/Gerald) My Friend’s Wife (Hegarty/Pike) It’s Raining (Collier) Make It (Thomson) Hammy’s Boogie (Howell)