Boxer

The Profile

Boxer were an English 1970s band formed by singer Mike Patto and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Ollie Halsall after Patto. Active from 1975 to 1977, they issued Below the Belt (1975), Absolutely (1977), and the posthumous Bloodletting (1979, recorded in 1976). Their sound leaned toward song-focused pub rock with R&B shading.

Key members: Mike Patto (vocals) and Ollie Halsall (guitar/keys). Later contributors included Tim Bogert (bass) and Chris Stainton (keys). Bloodletting includes a live cover of Leonard Cohen’s Teachers. Keith Ellis died in 1978; Patto in 1979; Halsall in 1992.

Three reviews chart Boxer’s brief 70s run: accessible pub rock powered by Mike Patto’s voice and Ollie Halsall’s sting. Below the Belt marries craft and controversy; Bloodletting collects 1976 sessions and a fierce live Teachers. Absolutely closes the story with a new line-up (Bogert, Stainton) and a soulful but less distinctive punch.