The Wasps were a British punk band formed in 1976. They played at popular punk venues like the Vortex and the Roxy and drew favorable reviews in NME. The Wasps were known for attracting controversy with their wild shows, which featured wanton violence and fireworks, and for clashing with music reviewers in the pages of Sounds. In 77 a fan was beaten to death by the bouncers at one of their UK tour shows, drawing more controversy to the band. Following the release of the 79 single "Rubber Cars", the band was so popular that there were talks of a Wasps cartoon. Legal conflict over the rights to the band's releases caused the single to be pulled, and the group disbanded shortly after. They released seven singles: "Teenage Treats" (1977) "Can't Wait for '78" (1977) "Rubber Cars" (1979) "Can't Wait for '78" also appeared on the "Live at the Vortex" LP. In 2003, Hyped 2 Death's Overground label released a compilation album "Punkryonics", which contains all their vinyl releases plus 7 unreleased tracks. The band is also associated with the punk compilation series Teenage Treats, which includes and takes its name from the Wasps' debut single.
