The Observers are one of those punk bands that existed only in a short window of time, but left us with a game changing album. Their critically acclaimed record “So What’s Left Now” was released twenty years ago and turned a lot of heads in the underground punk and hardcore world.
Deemed “Album of the Year” by reviewers at Maximum Rocknroll, Razorcake and other magazines, these ten songs changed the conversation and ushered in a new direction for the DIY scene. Their sound harkened back to the early days of American and British punk, while also offering something new.
Douglas Burns and Colin Sanders formed the band in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Ian Kashani and Mike Warm joined the group. Over the next few years they toured constantly, playing mostly small clubs, basements and squats. Sadly, they called it a day in 2005 just as the band was gaining in popularity. Members of The Observers went on to play in Red Dons and Defect Defect.