Draft:Restricted Code

From Easterhouse in Glasgow, school friends Tom Cannavan (Vocals and guitar) and Frank Quadrelli (Guitar and vocals) played together in various school bands before forming Restricted Code in 1978. They recruited Kenny Blythe (Bass guitar) and Robert McCormick (Drums).

The band's first record release in 1980 was a compilation EP alongside Positive Noise and The Alleged. Following this they were signed by Bob Last, Manager of the Human League, for his Pop:aural label. They released two singles on Pop:aural in 1981 and recorded a session for the John Peel^[3] show on BBC Radio. Robert McCormick left the band in 1981 to be replaced by Steve Lironi (Drums).

In 2018 Restricted Code reformed^[4] with all four of the original members including songwriting partnership Tom Cannavan and Frank Quadrelli, and bass player Kenny Blythe. Drummer Robert McCormick now played keyboards, so Les Gaff, formerly of fellow Glaswegian band, Positive Noise was recruited on drums and the band became a five-piece for the first time. Restricted Code released a self-funded E.P. in 2020, singles in 2021, 2023 and 2024, then in 2025 their first album was released by the record label Last Night From Glasgow. The release saw coverage with a full page feature in The Sunday Post^[5] newspaper ('Post-post punk: Band tipped for ’80s star­dom put out album at last'), and was reviewed with four stars out of five in The Scotsman^[6] newspaper ("a natural middle ground between flinty post-punk and melodic jangling on comeback album Chasing Shadows...they don’t shy away from open sentimentality and melodrama in pursuit of their classy Scotpop."). The band was featured extensively in the Book, 'Hungry Beat The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement 1977 - 1984^[7], and had a track and biography included in Cherry Red Record's Big Gold Dreams - A Story of Scottish Independent Music^[8] ("A taut form of mutant pop.")