The band was originally composed of twin brothers and former Gnidrolog members Colin Goldring (vocals / guitar) and Stewart Goldring (guitar / vocals) using the pseudonyms Vilos and Horrendus Styles, respectively – alongside Scabs (aka Rick Kemp of Steeleye Span) (bass guitar), Germun LePig (aka Nigel Pegrum, also of Steeleye Span and previously in Gnidrolog) (drums) (later replaced by Bonk aka.
Combining a Buzzcocks-style pop punk sound with bawdy subject matter, gross-out toilet humour and profanity in their songs, the band released their debut single "Bend and Flush" b/w "Throbbing Gristle" in 1977 on Wood Records, a subsidiary of Caroline Records UK created specifically for the band.
[1] Due to the lyrical content of their recordings, the band struggled for airplay, though BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel was a fan.
[2] The true identities of the Pork Dukes were originally a closely guarded secret, the band playing in pig masks during live performances.
Various rumours circulated amongst fans and in the music press that the band was actually Led Zeppelin, Steeleye Span, The Rezillos, Fairport Convention or Tenpole Tudor in disguise.
[3][4] The controversy surrounding the band and backlash from feminist groups led to them being unable to find a management company to represent them or perform at large venues (gigs were frequently played unannounced at small community centres to avoid protesters).
Towards the end the band were playing gigs at mental institutions (Vilos Styles was training to become a psychiatric nurse at this point) to entertain the patients.
Rocky Rhythm) later played for The Revillos, Tenpole Tudor and The Damned frontman Dave Vanian's Phantom Chords.
[6] In April 2001, the Pork Dukes reformed with Max Styles on drums and Andy Pandy on bass to record "Save the Pigs", following the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK.
Rocky Rhythm) rejoined in 2002 and the band recorded the live album Squeal Meat Again at the Cartoon Club in Croydon, South London.
In November 2002, the Styles/Styles/Styles/Pandy line-up embarked on the band's first US tour taking in eight dates in Pennsylvania and New York supported by The Clap.
New member Vince Santini (ex-The Revillos) joined on bass guitar / vocals in 2003 after Pandy left the UK.
This album was very obscure in the punk industry, but it is noted by most fans of the Pork Dukes for its profane toilet humor.
Alongside the A and B-sides of the first three singles and a selection of tracks from the studio albums Pink Pork and Pig Out of Hell, the album also featured several previously unreleased tracks from the Pink Pork sessions and unreleased material recorded in the early 1990s.
The album was re-issued by Damaged Goods Records in 2007 with four additional tracks from the 2004 Pop Stars EP.
Alongside a first-time-on-CD roundup of tracks from the long deleted albums Pink Pork and Pig Out of Hell, the compilation features several previously unreleased studio rarities dating from 1976−79 and the Filthy Nasty: Live 7-inch EP in its entirety.