McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Greater London, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden (voice and guitar) and Tim Gane (lead guitar) with John Williamson (bass guitar) and Gary Baker (drums). Lætitia Sadier later joined the band on vocals for their final studio album. They mixed a melodic style, dominated by Gane's 12-string guitar playing, with Eden's overtly political lyrics, often satirical in tone, which reflected the band's far-left leanings. History Malcolm Eden, Tim Gane and John Williamson met at Barking Abbey Comprehensive School. Gane was originally a drummer, but was initially taught to play guitar by Eden, who also taught Williamson to play bass. Eden and Gane were fans of punk groups such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Buzzcocks, and they covered their songs in small gigs as teenagers. Baker joined in 1984, and with the new line-up deciding on the name McCarthy (a reference to American politician Joe McCarthy), they released a self-financed first single, "In Purgatory" in 1985. The band were signed by the Pink Label, releasing two further singles "Red Sleeping Beauty" and "Frans Hals". The band had a track included on the NME C86 album ("Celestial City"). Their debut album I Am a Wallet was released in 1987. DJ John Peel featured the album in a BBC Radio 1 session. Because of Eden's Marxist political views, the band were frequently brought up with other left-wing acts like Billy Bragg and The Redskins. I Am a Wallet has since been described by Nicky Wire as "the most perfect record, a Communist manifesto with tunes", and was rated by James Dean Bradfield as his top British album of all time. Two further singles were issued in early 1988, followed by the album, The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth. A year later, they released a third album Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today, with Lætitia Sadier (Gane's partner at the time) on vocals. Eden stated that there was no need to continue with the band, believing that their creativity peaked with the album. The band's final show was at the London School of Economics in 1990. The band had two songs in John Peel's Festive Fifty: "Frans Hals" in 1987 (#35), and "Should the Bible Be Banned" in 1988 (#38). After their disbandment, Gane and Sadier immediately formed Stereolab, while Eden formed the short-lived Herzfeld. Baker went on to a