By 1973, Kilburn & the High Roads were playing regular gigs all over the London pub rock circuit, becoming more popular than just about every similar band save for Dr. Feelgood and Brinsley Schwarz. That July, they signed a deal with Warner subsidiary Raft; by this time, the lineup now featured guitarist Keith Lucas (who would later join 999 under the name Nick Cash), bassist Ian Smith, and drummer David Rohoman would soon replace Day. The group completed an album in early 1974, but unfortunately it was scrapped when Warner shut down the entire Raft division. Charlie Sinclair took over on bass for the sessions, as did former Eggs Over Easy drummer George Butler. Adrift for a spell, Kilburn & the High Roads eventually hooked up with Pye subsidiary Dawn in late 1974, where they recorded their debut single, "Rough Boys" b/w "Billy Bentley (Promenades Himself in London)." Rohoman was back on drums, and longtime pianist Hardy was replaced by Rod Melvin. Unfortunately, by the time the band's debut album Handsome was finally released in 1975, their momentum had stalled -- a Kilburn & the High Roads album simply couldn't command the attention it would have a year or two earlier. Tired of the music-biz hassles, the group disbanded that same summer. Dury formed a new group by the end of the year called Ian Dury & the Kilburns, but they too broke up in summer 1976 when Dury's doctors advised him to steer clear of live performances. Still, Dury kept writing songs; he eventually put together a new backing band called the Blockheads, signed with Stiff Records in 1978, and became a U.K. sensation. Thanks to his success, Warner finally issued the Kilburn album it had been sitting on for four years, under the title Wotabunch.