By August 1976, Perry and Perrett had found drummer Mike Kellie, formerly of Spooky Tooth, and bassist Alan Mair, who previously had huge success with the Scottish beat band the Beatstalkers.

The band's follow-up studio album, Even Serpents Shine, was released the following year in March 1979, and was produced by Perrett and Mair.

Guesting on the album would be Penetration's lead vocalist Pauline Murray, who sang a duet with Peter Perrett on the Johnny Duncan cover song "Fools", and also provided backing vocals for "Me and My Shadow".

The studio album marked the only time that the band had released a cover version with the aforementioned "Fools", which was later released as a single, and Baby's Got a Gun also marked the only time that a guitarist other than the band members Perrett and Perry had been credited, with Barrie Evans providing rhythm guitar, in addition to playing percussion.

The 1975 titles — "Watch You Drown", "My Rejection", "Don't Hold Your Breath" and "I Only Wanna Be Your Friend" — also feature the contributions of Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook, Gordon Edwards, drummer Alan Platt, and John Perry playing bass guitar.

In an interview published in the 10 November 2006 issue of the tabloid newspaper, the Daily Record, Alan Mair commented that he was set to reform the Only Ones after "Another Girl, Another Planet" was used in a Vodafone ad campaign in 2006, and picked up as the introduction theme to Irish DJ Dave Fanning's radio show.

[6] On 21 February 2007, Perry confirmed via his MySpace page that the band would reform for a five-date UK tour in June.

The band also played other new songs including "Is This How Much You Care" and "Magic Tablet" live on a Canal+ TV special in Paris and an acoustic/unplugged session for Radio 6 Queens of Noize.

Sony BMG announced a January 2012 release date for an Only Ones box set in the "Original Album Classics" series.

In August 2014, Perrett began playing solo shows (Felipop Festival, Spain) using his sons' band Strangefruit, followed by more dates in 2015 (Hebden Bridge, Bristol, London etc.)

The band ceased activity after the death of drummer Mike Kellie, but Perrett, Mair and Perry reunited to play a three-song set in the summer of 2019.

[12] The band officially reformed as the Only Ones to perform at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool in August 2023, after playing gigs in London, and Hebden Bridge.

More recently, he has written several well received music biographies on the Who's seminal hits compilation Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy,[15] the Rolling Stones' double album Exile on Main Street and in 2004, Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland.

Several bands have covered their song "Another Girl, Another Planet", including the Libertines (at London Forum with Perrett guesting),[16] The Replacements and Blink-182.