Actives has been played on NTS in shows including Yesterday's News, featured first on 30 January 2019. Songs played include Kick It Down.

The Actives, hailing from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland were formed in 1981 by friends & roadies of already established anarcho-punk band, The Alternative. The inaugural line-up was Budgie, (Alan Burgess), on bass; Paul Kirky Kirk on drums & Lewis (Kennedy) on vocals. Main influences were the Damned, The Ramones & Motorhead. A number of temporary guitarists came & went until Graeme Smed Smith, (aka Smedley Feedback), joined in 1982. They quickly recorded a couple of demos, the second of which impressed enough to see them secure a publishing deal with Strategy Music in London co-helmed by Charlie Casey, bass-player w/ Menace. A recording deal w/ Quiet Records, a subsidiary of the larger Illuminated Records, followed shortly after. (see discography below).

In 1984, after two e.p.s and a (very badly recorded) LP, Lewis departed to sunnier climes, i.e., Spain. Rice, (Eric Beveridge) ex-The Alternative, joined on vocals. 6 months later Kirky upped sticks & joined legendary Edinburgh punk/goth band, Twisted Nerve. He was replaced by ex-Skeptix/Shattered Family drummer, Mole, (Craig Harrower). Taking over on vocals was their, by-now-infamous manager, Sconey, (Stephen McKeown). They continued intermittently until late 1986. Kirky re-joined on a temporary basis in mid 1985 & then Mole stepped in once again. Memorable highlights include almost fusing the electrical supply @ the Venue in Glasgow in 1983, (dont ask!), whilst supporting the Abrasive Wheels and blowing the Toy Dolls off the stage of the Metro in Rosyth, Fife in 1985. Numerous support slots with more well-known British punk bands of the time were attained, and certainly a fun time was had by all. When they were sober/ straight enough to remember, that is.

Honourable mentions must go to the Winchburgh Rodents, esp. Massive/Smack/Pug & Danish, Pano, Richard Bentley, Derek Cunningham, Charlie Casey, Lee Scott, Linda Bentley, Patrol, Willie Pretzel, Davie Lennox, The Alternative, Wulf Surman, Johnny Crass, and Wee Bill for supplying the cheap sherry.

Discography; RIOT 7" e.p. - Quiet Records. 1983. Riot / Out of Control / Life / Attack (pints of special). QS001 WAIT & SEE 12" e.p. - Quiet Records. 1984. Wait & See / Words / I Don`t Need / Actives. QS004T KICK IT DOWN LP - Quiet Records. 1984. QSLP 001. RE-ACTIVATED LP - Intimidated Records. 2004. (Marbled Vinyl).

Paul (Thomsen) Kirk later re-appeared on the musical radar in 2003 w/ a solo release, "Trace Elements", under the moniker, AKATOMBO, on Colin Newman`s, (WIRE front-person), SWIM label. He still records & releases under that name. He resides in Hiroshima, Japan.

Sconey drives very large trucks in Canada.

Smed, Lewis, Budgie & Rice are still in the Dunfermline area.

Mole was last seen in Edinburgh playing a mean game of pool.