Shithammer - Demo

Many years ago this was posted on Avalanchers forum (Godflesh related groupies forum), and since then I've seen it circulating only around Soulseek, so here it is.

"Dave Cochrane (Bass, "choppy guitar", vocals on 3 tracks) & Paul Neville (Drum programming, "droning guitar", vocals on 2 tracks)"
A very lo-fi demo for die-hard fans only. If you're into this blog than you probably know these names, and if you know the names you can probably guess what this sounds like.
5 untitled tracks, track 2's line sounds like a slowed up version of Sweet Tooth's Soul Shark opening bass, if you need a general idea of what you're going to hear.
Wish we could get to hear more of this with better audio.

Gotta love these Brummie folks

Exit - Exit

Charles Holmes, a Brixton fella, recorded two albums, I've heard only this one, pure drone. If you're into that, enjoy..

If you feel like sharing the second one (called Set), the stage is yours.

1. To Hyena

2. Infinite Gain

3. Horsa

I also included Turn Me On Dead Man (taken from '96 V/A compilation called Disco Sucks), here's the link.

Earth Mother Fucker - Let Him Go Up

Sludgy/garage noise rock group from Ipswich, this is their 2001 compilation album of tracks recorded around 1989-1996. Only the bold ones are in the link, since the rest are available on their 2019 compilation- I Fuck Therefore I Am.
For fans of anything remotely like Brainbombs, Terminal Cheesecake, Birthday Party, The Stooges..

1. I Fuck Therefore I Am
2. Rock
3. Suffered Enough
4. Lost It All
5. Happy Shopper
6. Money Is Shit
7. Lightning's Girl (Nancy Sinatra Cover)
8. The Trials of An Everyday Schoolboy [retitled as Give Me Strength]
9. Teenage Pricks
10. Do It Again
11. Marking The Wall
12. A Good Man Is Hard To Find
13. The Big Mistake

Partial Fuck

Eftus Spectun - Eftus Spectun

British group from Bristol/Bath, Kieran Sheehy on drums, Sam Langley on lead vocals, bass and Oliver White on guitar and vocals. On this one I think they were a duo.

This album is like a transition album between their first era of 'angular math pop', short songs (with madness vibes a-la Cardiac Arrest, Karl Blake, Mother of Inventions, etc..) to the later more abstract style (minimalistic Glenn Branca, Derek Bailey, etc..). First track is the best one, gives a lot of This Heat's vibes. The other two are solo efforts I think, sound collage/noise/dungeon synth/chamber, done well, not the boring kind.

1. Untitled (Eftus Spectun)
2. The Orient (Oliver White)
3. Lagoon (Sam Langley)

Download Here

Streaming links for the rest of their discography:

Era I:
200? - Come And Spoil The View
200? - At The Saveloy
200? - Nat Atley presents
2005 - The Tocks Clicking (a compilation including the first two of those above, plus some other tracks, like this one)
Era II:
2008 - The Talons Snag Binary
2012 - Turtus
2015 - Rutger Hauser / Eftus Spectun 
2016 - In Speeches Thorms Kelm In Pulm Atherol (unavailable for me but maybe that's cause I don't have a spotify account ?)
2020 - Eftus Spectun Live (recorded 2014)

Think I got it all right.

Infected - Breathe

Infected Mushroom (not the trance duo) was formed in a small Israeli town called Nahariya, released an album called Don't Panic in 1993 and broke up. Pretty soon after some of them moved to London and started Infected.
If you want to check that first incarnation you can get the album's re-released CD version (shorter than the original cassette) in this awesome dead blog (please come back).. personally I always had a mixed feeling about that one, it's a weird one, even for me. Avantgarde goth/post punk/funk metal idk, Bauhaus-Primus-Cardiacs, they didn't stop there, pretty diverse. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Shachaf Barkai, Amir Shoat, Jon Acker at Bull & Gate , 1994
Photo by Mick Mercer*

Anyways, we're here to talk about the London trio, which I have much more sympathy towrads. Amir Shoat (vocals) and Jon Acker (bass, synths and drum programming) were both the founders of the original group, they were joined by Shachaf Barkai (guitar) who also participated as a guest on Don't Panic. The three were a bit more focused this time, and embraced the goth-industrial influences to the end (I don't mean they've gone straight up Skinny Puppy by saying that). It's still weird, still very unusual, and great all the way doing their own thing.
They were active mostly around Camden Town, especially The Bull & Gate club, between 1993-'96, and recorded a couple of tracks which were compiled to their sole release, Breathe. I think it was released on tape in 1996, but I only have a CD version which says 1999, so I ain't really sure.

I need to get a new scanner..

1. Shake [1993]
2. Breathe [1993]
3. Happy [1993]
4. Grey [1994/95]
5. Toxic [1993]
X. Winelight [bonus track I added, taken from Fuckin' Hardfloor Volumes 1+2 Compilation, 1995]

"Breathe" (Lossless rip)

*That awesome pictures up there by Mercer was stolen from the Bull & Gate facebook group page, where, if you bother to search, you'll find many more by him and some flyers. Mercer actually published a photo book of them.

Various Artists - The Mercy Killing of Tarantula Pie

An excellent compilation featuring bands affiliated with London's Bull & Gate during late 90's. Lots of alternative british bangers on this one, I liked it a lot.

1. The Courtesy Group - Roll Out The Man

2. The Brain of Morbius - I'm A Busy Bee & I'm Loaded

3. Malowski - Sour Crutches

4. The Beale - Manns

5. Reverend Pike - I Lost My Coat

6. I, Ludicrous - We're The Support Band

7. Normal - Ton O'Bricks

8. Treatment - Under The Lie

9. Probing Cranks - Tuxtla

10. Nero Burns - River Of Sleaze

11. Diary - Central Line Arseholes

12. Pence Eleven - I Cried When I Hurt My Mouth

13. Gertrude - X-Ray

14. The Bigots - Margarine Man

Loseless with full artwork scans
Thanks to Saint Zager for providing me his copy.
Posted more The Bigots last year, you can find it here.

The Bigots - Artificial Head

Not dead yet, and not in a very chatty mood, but hadn't post in quite a while so a short one as usual.
These folks were a trio active around mid-late 90's, London, mostly the Bull & Gate venue scene. 

The group consist of two Israeli fellows, Dotan Cohen (gtr, vox) and Shmil Frankel (bass), and a mystery drummer who's identity I do not know (sry). 
This here is their only (unreleased) full length album, I assume recorded around '99-'01, sent to me with the blessing of Dotan, so thank you sir. They also recorded (and released) an EP called Silence (which I never got) and participated in compilation called The Mercy Killing Of Tarantula Pie (which I'll post soon).

Some pretty sweet post hardcore noise rock, Scratch Acid-Jesus Lizard thingy, done pretty well.

Shmil Frankel, Dotan Cohen, ???

1. The Hit

2. Eye Ball

3. Margarine Man

4. Night Walk

5. Artificial Head

6. Dead Or Alive

7. Collect The Prize

8. Jump Up

9. Intention To Kill

10. Sweet Sister Paranoia

Lossless rip, thank you Dotan

If you have anymore info, or a rip of the Silence EP, share with us. 

They deserve to get some digital recognition. Enjoy.

Oh, and on a different note: FUCK YOU BLOGGER for changing your editing option. It has now became a bigger pain in the ass to write posts. Good job morons.

Thule

Graeme Milton, Graham Perkins, Simon Doling, Martin Byrne
1993

With all due respect to both Norwegian groups (which there isn't much actually), the only one trve Thule that matters were this London group formed around 1987.
Now, while they didn't got much name outside local Camden scene, let alone England, they deserved much more appreciation for their unique experimental leftfield big beat/dub/industrial post rock. Yap, that's pretty much how they sounded like, making a brilliant british link from the 80's to the 90's, while performing mostly in western european countries and leaving not much recorded audio out there to document that.
Their old myspace page credits a long list of musicians in the line up, though I believe only the first five listed here were the main core, correct me if I'm wrong:
Graeme Milton - Drums, Programming, Percussion
Graham Perkins - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Percussion
Martin Byrne - Bass, Guitar, Keys, Vocals, Percussion, Programming
Simon Doling - Bass, Percussion (also played drums for World Domination Enterprises for some time, later to join Terminal Cheesecake and be replaced by Charlie Finke)

Perkins, Doling, Byrne, Milton
1993

Dave Smith - Vocal, Percussion
Mick Ritchie - Keyboards, Percussion
Kev Poree - Live Sound, Keyboards (from FOH mix position)

Their first 12", 1988's Dr. Lloyd, I've never managed to get, but two tracks out of it were featured on later releases, leaving us with only two tracks missing from their discography. Here's what I first thought of them before even knowing about Simon Doling's connection- "Terminal Cheesecake joining forces with WDE trying to mimic how Bark Psychosis would sound playing big beat records". Really, they fuse it all through industrialish very early big beat with dub touches plus heavy/ noisy rock tracks (Disko Beach, Dynamo, Murderball and few more).
Influences on myspace said to be Chrome, Kraftwerk, Tackhead, Can, 23 Skidoo, Cabaret Voltaire.. (and if I may add Finitribe, Slab!, Meat Beat Manifesto ?)
Later on Perkins, Milton and Byrne joined forces with Jason White acting as 95 Nil, playing pretty much what they did with Thule.

1989 - La Jamais Contente [160 kbps] (12", Wiiija Records)

1. Springtime (Etched In Ice)
2. Owed To Kreed
3. Looking Backward To See You
4. Disko Beach






1990 - Wheel [128 kbps] (Wiiija Records)

1. World Service
2. Looking Backward To See You
3. Springtime
4. S.G.L.
5. Sharps
6. Good Old Good Olds
7. Robber
8. Concave Bulge

1992 - 321 Normal 2 [Lossless Rip] (Clay Records)

1. While It Lasts
2. Dynamo
3. Idiomatic
4. Murderball
5. Three Legged Race
6. 4/5 Of 5/8 Of F/A
7. King's English
8. Park Keeper
9. Split
10. We Is You Am
11. Skyscraper

As usual, if you have any missing stuff, better quality, or just some nerdy trivia/info/memories, share with us common people.

Slab! - 2nd Peel Session

Dray, Risso, Morris, Jarvis, Davies
(Descension era, late '87)

A follow-up post for the original Slab! rarities post, here's the long sought, (almost) full second Peel Session by experimental industro-metal exceptionals, Slab!
Recorded at February 1987, between Parallax Avenue and Smoke Rings ep's, featuring probably same line up as those, and two unreleased songs, all in all, sounds akin to Descension than to earlier releases.
These tracks were badly edited from a December 1987 show, by your humble servant, missing only one track, which was broadcast only on one show (March 1987), available for listening at the British Library sound archive (item no. B3880/1 in the main catalogue). I've asked for it but it's open for public only in the place itself due to BBC copyrights. So if you manage to get in London and put your sneaky stealing hands on it, I do believe both Sir Peel and Mr. Dray would approve that ;)

2nd Peel Session - Recorded 01.02.1987 [Broadcast on 30.12.1987 Peel Show]

Davis, Dray, Jarvis, Risso, Rawson, Woodger
(Mars On Ice era, late '86)

1. Undriven Snow [Early, slower version than Descension's one]
2. Mining Town In Lotusland
3. Bloodflood [Same lyrics will be used in later track called Gutter Busting]
4. Parallax Avenue [Missing track]

As said, I believe correct line up here will be:
Stephen Dray - Vocals / Tenor Saxophone
Bill Davies - Electrical Bass Guitar / Effects
Paul Jarvis - Guitar
Dave Morris - Guitar / Bass Guitar / Alto Saxophone
Robin Risso - drums
Hugh Rawson - Trumpet
Neill Woodger - Trombone
I left full instruments credits as they appear on both Parallax Avenue and Smoke Rings, but it's probably much less than that on this session. It's a bit hard to determine exactly what horn instruments are actually playing due to the semi-descent audio quality. Might be even without Hugh or Neil.

And major thanks for the John Peel Wiki for helping me with info and links, beautiful site.

World Domination Enterprises - Live at Tegen Tonen Festival

Keith Dobson & Digger Metters at Paradiso
Picture taken by Bauke Koster

Just another short one, in honor of Steve Jameson, bass player for WDE who passed away. Only a few bass players could get as heavy as he did in the 80's.
Found this bootleg last year, thought now's a fine time to upload it, than saw it was already uploaded here, which I assume is the fellow who originally taped or ripped it, so kudos. Anyway, no reason for this incredible documentation not to be shared again.

A fine demonstration of Steve's talent and pounding muddy sound and in general for this group's unique chemistry. Abusing their instruments to create their abrasive dense sound.

Steve Jameson at Paradiso
Picture taken by Bauke Koster

1987.05.29 - Live at Tegen Tonen Festival, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Track 1-5 are soundcheck recording

1. Hotsy Girl
2. Look Out Jack
3. Look Out Jack
4. Look Out Jack
5. The Bullit Man
6. Funkytown (Lipps Inc. Cover)
7. Asbestos Lead Asbestos
8. The Bullit Man
9. The Stack Blew Jack
10. Look Out Jack
11. I Can't Live Without My Radio (LL Cool J Cover)

Both pictures were snatched off a fantastic facebook photo album by Bauke Koster. So thank him too.

Perennial Divide - Purge

Keep'em coming with the short posts, I think this one is quite difficult to find in this version these days.
Perennial Divide were a short living five lads group hailing from Swindon, active for about only two years before dissolving. They managed to release two 12"s and a great full length in 1986 by Sweatbox.
What I meant by "this version" is that it was re-mixed instrumentally in 1988, version which stayed unreleased up until 2007, when it was given to the world as a second cd for a compilation called Archive Things / Purged by Meat Beat Manifesto.
What do MBM have to do with this ? well, MBM started as a side project for two PD man, John Corrigan (aka Jack Dangers) and Jonny Stephens, and for some reason Corrigan thought this album sounds better in it's instrumental version... Well I very disagree on that, vocals are a major upgrade for that one, so uploaded it here.

l-r: Ward, Stephens, Corrigan, Freegard, Searly
(though am not really sure, so if anyone can confirm)

Among the two I've mentioned, were also Paul Freegard, Andrew Ward and I don't know his first name Searly. Even though this is usually referred as proto-MBM, musically, it's more similar to a link that no one looked for between the aforementioned and seminal experimental industrial/post punk groups reigning England that decade. Album of pure distinctive british sound, upbeat rhytm, noises, dub vibes.. everything from 23 Skidoo, Hula, Cabaret Voltaire, Coil and on and on, to the fully electronics sounds of early MBM.

YOU TO TUGGY TOO TOO / AW VS CARPETS

Toll - No Doubt

In 1984 Ramleh took a break willing to discover more musical areas and gathering new ideas. That's when Toll were formed and served as a first step for Gary Mundy's evolution from the "conservative" early power electronics. This evolution will continue in various forms like playing in Breathless, participating in Anne Clark's albums, and creating the eccentric Hole In The Heart (which is in a way a missing link between early and late Ramleh), thus experiencing and experimenting different aspects and musical forms.
Well.. that's at least how I see it..

Croydon based Toll were Mundy, Tim Soar and Matthew Frith (which for my understanding was initially a recording guest), and together they released Christ Knows (cassette and LP) and No Doubt (cassette only), both in 1986, featuring wide vary of directions within the noise-industrial-ambient-soundscape spectrum and even some minimalitic post punk vibes, and while some is as harsh as early Ramleh, it is much more "musical".
Recordings of the "studio-written tracks with no pre-planning" included few other guests (mostly of the Broken Flag rooster) such as Tim Gane (Stereolab, than- Uncommunity), Paul Lemos (Controlled Bleeding), Pierre Jolivet (Pacific 231), Zag Ring and Gavin (thank you for your violin whoever you are).

Christ Knows was re-released on CD in 2006 by Cold Spring Records, and you can and should get it through their bandcamp or the online shop. Remastered and with three bonus tracks off of the second Toll cassette titled No Doubt.
For a reason which is beyond my knowledge (please enlighten me), both cassettes, shares pretty much the same tracks, some in different versions, so I've left out of the file all the tracks that appear (with better sound) on the Christ Knows' re-release. So don't act surprised, the file is only partial!:

1. Broken Frame (Instrumental version)
2. There Must Be More Than This [Released on Ohrenschrauben compilation, Also re-recorded for Ramleh's Grudge For Life]
3. As We Live And Breathe
4. Forge
5. Parch (Parched instrumental different version)
6. Out From Your Shell
7. Matter of Fact (Instrumental Version)
8. Perfecting Naivety
9. Radio Moscow
10. Unfinished (A bit longer version, ends different)
11. Matter Of Fact
12. Christ Knows
13. Broken Frame (Dub)
14. Brute Freeze (Dub)
15. Out From Your Shell (Dub) [Released on Riposte compilation, titled Out 2]

As said, all bolds are unique for this cassette, the rest of the tracks included in the re-release
No Doubt (128kbps, sorry), enjoy.

Rema-Rema

Michael Allen, Gary Asquith, Marco Pirroni, Marc Cox, Max

I didn't made a 2015 best of list (but be sure it wouldn't be so replicating like all others, jesus, this is the easiest age to find new music by yourself and everyone seems to just get their taste from the same place) nor did I make an 2016's most anticipated, but if I would, Rema-Rema would be on the top of it.

Yap, you read good, Rema-Rema, 2016 ! Legendary short living London group is releasing on upcoming summer a new album, compilation of unreleased studio recordings recorded before Wheels In The Roses (during 1978-1979).
Just so you'll have any clue of what treats are coming up to you ears (not that you don't know it already if you've heard the EP) here are two live bootlegs


1979 - Live at Lyceum, London (not quiet sure it's really at Lyceum)

Marco Pirroni, Max, Mick Allen

1. Short Stories
2. Christopher
3. Feedback Song
4. Laurence Harvey
5. Why Ask Why ? (Cut in the end)


1979.04.26 - Live at Acklam Hall, London

1. Feedback Song
2. Laurence Harvey
3. Why Ask Why ?
4. Short Stories
5. Christopher
6. Entry
7. Rema-Rema


The last two years have already saw some unreleased Rema-Rema recording, released as 7" and 12" by Inflammable Material.

Slab!

Mentioning Scott Kiehl's drumming on last post regarding Sweet Tooth, made me want to post some rarities by the band which caused him to move from Illinois to England, Slab!
This post is for Slab's enthusiasts.. if you don't know Slab!, just go listen to Descension before you check this.. and if you do know, and don't like, than just get the fuck out.

Dissatisfied with Robin Risso's unable to improvise, the one who drums on their maverick debut Descension, experimental industrial metal (which is the only way I can think which won't offend Stephen Dray to describe Slab!) decided to find a new fellow to join in. Chris Baker who also contributed drums before, suggested his friend Scott, saying he is the only man who can fit that job.
Eventually, Scott flew to Chicago just to come back with a native friend, Lou Ciccotelli, to record Slab's second album Sanity Allergy, which saw Scott playing bass, and Lou drumming.

Bill Davies, Robin Risso, Paul Jarvis
Stephen Dray, Dave Morris (Descension)

Only Slab recording to feature Scott on drums is their 3rd Peel Session, which was recorded between the two albums, included very heavy early version Sanity Allergy's Last Detail, a brutal-fierce version of Descension's Big Sleeper, and two unpublished songs

1988-02-21 - 3rd Peel Session

1. Last Detail
2. Bride of Sloth
3. Big Sleeper
4. Killer For A Country

Stephen Dray - Vocals, Saxophone
Paul Jarvis - Guitar
Dave Morris - Guitar
Bill Davies - Bass
Scott Kiehl - Drums
Hugh Rawson - Trumpet

Later on, after being not satisfied with Sanity Allregy due to some reasons (even though I think it's a great album), the band sort of fell apart, forcing Stephen and Paul too look for new members. This next line up is documented in single Death's Head Soup, and also in a live bootleg which presents some Sanity Allergy songs with a more psychedelic feel

Paul Jarvis, Lou Ciccotelli, Dave Morris,
Scott Kiehl, Stephen Dray (Sanity Allergy)

1989 - Live in Hultsfred, Sweden

1. Land of The Midnight Sun
2. Switchback Ride
3. You're Not Alone
4. Last Detail

Stephen Dray - Vocals
Paul Jarvis - Guitar
Nick Page - Guitar
Boleslaw Usarazewski - Bass
Rob Allum - Drums

Next up Nick left the band, to make place for Graham Sherman an NME journalist, which according to Slab's very informative and well written biography by Stephen Dray, was their finest era, and if by any chance you have recordings of this line up, please share.
I'm also looking for 2nd Slab! Peel Session, which was avilable through Head Heritage forums some years ago and now link's dead.

2019.03.06 Update: I present, 2nd Slab! Peel Session

Sweet Tooth

Dave Cochrane, Scott Kiehl, Justin Broadrick

So you like Head of David.. that's great, me too

Their last album ? yeah I don't like it either

What ?! Justin Broadrick leaving ? no he had nothing to do with the fact they gone crap, he's been drumming for HOD some months and nothing more.. It was their brilliant bass player-founder Dave Cochrane departure that led to such a bummer album.

And while his friends in HOD worked on that boring poppy industrial effort, he was releasing his first album with his new band, which also included Justin Broadrick, if that's what'll make you listen to this.

Sweet Tooth were really brilliant band in my opinion, a Birmingham trio of youngsters, not older than 21, who released a "mini-LP" and a live album during their short existence. Dave provided the same ferocious sludgy bass as he did in HOD, plus being in charge of the vocals, which is sort of whispers being shouted from the abyss of hell. This time they realized Broadrick will contribute much more to the sound if he'll get a guitar in his hands instead of sticks, delivering jarring metal tunes. And so the sticks were held by Scott Kiehl, who came all the way from Chicago circa 1987 to join other british heavy-sound band Slab!

Their sound can definitely be recognized as Post-HOD, but their approach to songs was different, instead of playing repetitive monotonous songs, Scott's jazzy-proggy drumming style leads the songs to a whole other level. And I got to add that's his drums, sound so heavy, and so freakin' good.

Soft White Underbelly, released in August 1990, was their debut, including only 6 "sonic attacks" (that's the promo sheet saying, and damn righteous) recorded at Falconer studios in london and produced by Grant Showbiz

1. Fat City
2. Kitty Fists
3. Sugar Cane
4. Ultimate Muscle Bible
5. Reducer
6. Soul Shark

Get it here (Lossless version can be found in comments, since I uploaded it for someone anyway)





Three years later they released a live album called Crash Live, recorded at Kilburn National Ballroom in London, live mix was done by John Gurney, and although bass is pretty unhearable in the noisy parts, the sound is pretty good, and I enjoy this album as it was their second one (it's even longer than the first)

1. King Carrion
2. Sandman
3. Crash
4. Fat City
5. Sugar Cane
6. Suckerpunch
7. Iceman (Kitty Fists' last part extract)
8. Dragnet

Get it here (Lossless version in comments below)


I am also aware of a live recording of Sweet Tooth in TicToc Club, Coventry, where they support Loop,
but never manged to find that bootleg, so if you have and willing to share with a brother, Shark Bless You

Live at TicToc Club, Coventry