The Prats

The Prats were a Scottish punk rock group from Edinburgh, active from 1977 to 1981. Formed by Paul McLaughlin, David Maguire, Greg Maguire, and Tom Robinson, the group quickly produced a demo tape that secured a deal with local independent label Fast Product. Their debut tracks appeared on the split EP Earcom 1 (1979), followed by the singles “Die Todten Reyten Schnell” (1980) and “General Davis” (1981). The latter gained renewed attention when featured in the opening credits of Jonathan Demme's film The Manchurian Candidate (2004). In 1980, the band released the EP 1990s Pop EP, which reached number 31 on the UK Independent Chart and included the track “Disco Pope”, a song that received significant airplay on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. The group disbanded in 1981 as members pursued other paths. Bass guitarist Jeff Maguire died from cancer in July 2020. A compilation album titled Now That's What I Call Prats Music was released in 2005.