The Yobs were the alter-egos of The Boys, adopting the pseudonyms of H J Bedwetter, Noddy Oldfield, Kid Vicious, Baron Von Bratboy and Ebenezer Polak.
Having released an album and two singles on NEMS, The Boys decided to rearrange the 'B' and 'Y' and became The Yobs for their Christmas 1977 single "Run Rudolph Run". In the summer of 1978 The Boys went into dispute with their record company and bootlegged themselves as The Yobs for their Christmas 1978 offering of "Silent Night".
After signing for Safari in 1979 "Little Drummer Boy" was given The Yobs treatment and appeared as "Rub A Dum Dum" in time for Christmas. To promote "Rub A Dum Dum" The Yobs appeared live at the 1979 Safari Christmas Party at the Music Machine with Gary Holton as MC. They were supported by fellow Safari stablemates Toyah and The Boys! The Yobs came on with stockings over their heads to conceal their identities but only managed to play a few songs before the stage was invaded by punks. The over-enthusiastic stage invaders wrecked all the equipment so the gig had to be abandoned - it was to be the only time the five original Yobs appeared live on stage together.
"The Yobs Christmas Album" followed in 1980. In true Yobs style the album was written, recorded and mixed in two days at Pete Townsend’s Eel Pie Studios.
