The Outsiders formed in
Wimbledon, London, England in 1975 . They were originally called "Syndrome" but changed their name to the Outsiders in 1976, inspired by
Albert Camus' novel
The Outsider. Their debut studio album,
Calling on Youth, was self-released on their Raw Edge label in May 1977, It was the first self-released punk album in the UK. The band released an
EP in November 1977,
One to Infinity.
NME writer
Tony Parsons commented: "tuneless, gormless, gutless... I like them a lot". The EP was praised in a less contradictory manner by other critics, including
Mick Mercer. A second album,
Close Up, was released in 1979. This received better, but still cautious, reviews from the press. A
NME review concluded that it was a patchy album, but from "a band with a future". After this album, Lawrence and Janes left, and Borland went on to front the critically successful post-punk group
the Sound. Borland died 26 April 1999. In 1993, Three Lines Records issued the
Vital Years compilation. == Discography ==