999

A rarity among surviving punk bands of the '70s, 999 actually sports three-fourths of its original lineup — and the missing fourth is filled by Arturo Bassick, a founding member of fellow British sneer pioneers the Lurkers. Then again, 999 never achieved the kind of fame or velocity that tore contemporaries like the Clash and the Sex Pistols apart. Funny enough, drummer Pablo LaBritain was a fleeting early member of the Clash, but he left in 1976 to join the fledgling 999, which continues to specialize in a mid-tempo, unapologetically rock-fueled punk that's high on riffs and low on flash. As evidenced in the 1981 concert film Urgh! A Music War — for which 999 plays a sloppy yet spirited rendition of its chugging, sub-AC/DC anthem "Homicide" — the group has always seemed happy being one of punk's best sing-along party bands, which should make for a fun-as-hell pit when 999 headlines the Old Skars and Upstarts Tour at the Marquis.