Named after the iconic Italian Lambretta scooter brand popular among Mods, the band was formed in Brighton, England.
[1] Their original line-up consisted of Jez Bird (singer/guitarist), Doug Sanders (guitarist/vocalist), Mark Ellis (bassist) and Paul Wincer (drummer).
[1] Their biggest hit was in 1980, with a cover version of the 1950s Leiber and Stoller song "Poison Ivy", which reached No.
28 on the UK Albums Chart, and scored another minor hit single, "Another Day (Another Girl)" (hastily renamed from "Page 3" after complaints from The Sun newspaper).
[1][2] After the mod revival faded, subsequent singles, which included a 1982 cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love", and a second album, 1981's Ambience, did not chart.
Dressing in matching mohair suits, the band named themselves after one of the mod-favoured motor scooters.
The band's next recording was a cover version of the 1950s song "Poison Ivy", which had been suggested to them by Pete Waterman, the business partner of their producer Peter Collins.
The newspaper The Sun objected to the reference to its Page Three pin-up girl feature and forced a change of title, necessitating the destruction of all the manufactured sleeves.
[1] The album did do reasonably well, however, and due to this the band secured a spot supporting Madness on their European tour.
[1] Jez Bird re-formed the band in the 1990s, performing at small venues in England, and recording several demos for a new album that was never issued.