The FUs are a hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. They formed in 1981 as a three-piece band, released three records and appeared on the compilation This Is Boston, Not LA before changing their name to Straw Dogs in 1986 to market themselves as a heavy metal act. In 2010 The FUs reformed under their original moniker.
History
Formation and early records
The FUs formed as a hardcore punk band in Boston late in 1981. The band initially consisted of John Sox on bass and lead vocals, Bob Furapples on drums, and Steve Grimes on guitar. This line-up recorded a four-song demo which received airplay on the numerous college radio stations in the Boston area.
The FUs started out playing fast, thrashy hardcore punk. In 1982 Wayne Maestri was recruited to take over bass guitar, and this four-piece line-up recorded tracks for the Modern Method compilation, This Is Boston, Not LA, which also featured tracks by Gang Green, Jerry's Kids and The Freeze. A companion 7-inch EP, Unsafe at Any Speed, included another FUs' track.
Later the same year, FUs‘ debut album, Kill For Christ, was released on Xclaim Records, featuring cover artwork by Septic Death frontman Brian 'Pushead' Schroeder, depicting Jesus with a machine gun. Drummer and songwriter Bob Furapples noted that MRR's negative publicity had adversely impacted the band's record sales, particularly in Europe. As Straw Dogs, the band released an EP followed by two albums.
The FUs performed a reunion show in the Boston area on August 29, 2010, along with fellow Boston pioneer hardcore punk bands DYS, Jerry's Kids, and Gang Green as well as New York City's Antidote. The show was in support of xxx ALL AGES xxx, a documentary about the original hardcore punk scene in Boston in the early 1980s, being produced in association with Stone Films NYC.
The reunited band has followed the Club Lido show with gigs in New England, and returned to the studio to record a song for a compilation called Cashing in on Christmas Vol. III for Black Hole Records.
The reborn FUs continue to play extensively in New England and have completed tours to Europe including the festivals Rebellion and Bloodstains in the UK and Ieper Hardcore Fest in Belgium, and in the US to the mid-atlantic states and the West Coast including an appearance in the Punk Rock Bowling Festival, held annually in Las Vegas.
The current line-up is John Sox, vocals, Steve Grimes, lead guitar, backup vocals, Ian King, second guitar, backup vocals, Jimmy Foul, bass, backup vocals, and Bob Furapples, drums.
Wayne Maestri died in January 2026.
Discography
The FUs
- Kill For Christ (1982), Xclaim
- My America (1983), Xclaim
- Do We Really Want to Hurt You? (1984), Gastanka/Enigma
- Death Squad Nostalgia(2022), Yankee Vandal
Straw Dogs
- Straw Dogs EP (1986), Restless
- We Are Not Amused (1986), Restless 1986
- Your Own Worst Nightmare (1990), Lone Wolf
Footnotes
External links
- Flipside Interview – The FUs interview from 1984
- Maximumrocknroll Interview – The FUs interview from 1983
- Reflex/Wolfpack Records page on Discogs