by Mark Nobes, chief editor
The Silencers never achieved the success they deserved in the 80's. Their debut single, "Painted Moon" was a minor international hit (reaching #57 in the UK singles chart) and invited critical comparisons to Simple Minds and U2. This version of the song is particularly brilliant, and why the band never had a Top 40 hit in the UK, I'll never know!
Although they are a Scottish band, They were actually formed in London by ex-Fingerprintz band members Jimme O'Neill (vocals and guitar) and Cha Burns (guitar). Burns played guitar for Adam Ant's backing band from 1982-1984 alongside Fingerprintz drummer Bogdan Wiczling.
The band continued to released new material during the 90s and are still performing, Their last album Real was released in 2008, although their last single release was "Wild Mountain Thyme" in 1995 which failed to chart.