Twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston began playing music in 1980 when they formed Slav Arian with guitarist Ian Hudson and a drum machine. Though the Astons grew up in Porthcawl, South Wales, they moved to London in 1981 and renamed the goth-influenced group Gene Loves Jezebel. The trio played several live shows and were quickly signed by Situation 2. In May 1982, the label released Gene Loves Jezebel's demo single, 'Shavin' My Neck'. The band then added bassist Julianne Regan and drummer Dick Hawkins. Regan left soon after to form All About Eve, leaving Ian Hudson and Michael Aston to alternate on bass until Peter Rizzo joined in 1984. Hawkins also split for a time -replaced by John Murphy and later Steve Goulding- but returned in 1983.
Gene Loves Jezebel released two more singles in 1983 before their debut album, 'Promise', hit number one in the U.K.'s indie charts. In 1984, the group recorded a John Peel radio session for the BBC and toured America with John Cale. After returning to England, Gene Loves Jezebel released the singles 'Influenza (Relapse)' and 'Shame (Whole Heart Howl)', but then waited a full year before second album 'Immigrant' appeared in mid-1985. (It's not very surprising that the album was recorded with a lineup change, this time drummer Marcus Gilvear instead of Dick Hawkins.) 'Immigrant' also hit number one on the indie charts, but during a tortured American tour, founding member Hudson left, and was replaced by former Generation X guitarist James Stevenson.
The year 1986 brought a contract with Beggar's Banquet and, subsequently, chart success for the group. "Sweetest Thing" hit the Top 75 in England, and the resulting album, 'Discover' (which included a limited-edition live album called 'Glad to Be Alive'), reached the expected indie chart top spot and also did well with college radio in America. Chris Bell became the band's fifth drummer later that year, and Gene Loves Jezebel's fourth album, 'The House of Dolls', was released late in 1987, yielding a single, "The Motion of Love", that grazed the U.S. charts. The Astons turned their attention to dance with the single "Heartache", but Michael decided to leave the band by mid-1989.
In a small twist of fate, Gene Loves Jezebel gained their highest-charting American single the following year, when "Jealous", the major single from 'Kiss of Life', reached number 68 in August 1990. Two years later, Jay Aston and company released 'Heavenly Bodies', which did well in Europe and on American college radio; the group's American label folded one year later, though, and after a few sporadic live shows, Gene Loves Jezebel called it quits.
As early as 1992, Michael Aston had been working with a new band called The Immigrants. Two years later, he re-formed the band as Edith Grove and released a self-titled album. Michael and Jay began working together again that same year, and later recorded two songs with Stevenson, Bell, and Rizzo for a GLJbest-of compilation released in September 1995. While Jay performed occasional acoustic shows under his own name, Michael played with members of Scenic and released a solo album, 'Why Me Why This Why Now', in 1995. Gene Loves Jezebel re-formed in 1998 for 'VII', released in 1999 on Robinson Records. The reunion proved to be short-lived, and through much of the 2000s, Jay and Michael each recorded and toured with bands calling themselves Gene Loves Jezebel; Jay's was based in the U.K., while Michael's largely worked in the United States. Michael Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel was responsible for the albums 'Love Lies Bleeding' (1999), 'Giving Up the Ghost' (2001), 'Exploding Girl' (2003), and 'Dead Sexy' (2009), while Jay Aston's edition of the group issued the discs 'Accept No Substitutes' (2002), 'The Thornfield Sessions' (2003), and 'The Anthology, Vols. 1-2' (2006). In 2008, the Aston brothers ended up in a lawsuit over the legal rights to Gene Loves Jezebel before reaching a settlement that allowed both to use the name in different parts of the world. In 2017, Michael Aston's GLB issued the album 'Dance Underwater'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The work of controversial performance artist Monte Cazazza has been sampled in numerous books, films, and recordings over the years. Hailing from Oakland, CA, Cazazza spent the early '70s experimenting with his art, often indulging in such gross-out acts as burning a partially decomposed, maggot-infested cat, which would often shock his audience to the point of physically illness. Cazazza caught a break when members of industrial rock groundbreakers Throbbing Gristle came across an issue of the appropriately titled Vile Magazine in 1974, a Valentine's Day edition which modeled Cazazza on the cover, holding up to the camera a bloody heart that was made to look as if it was torn out of his chest. The up-and-coming artist befriended industrial rockers Throbbing Gristle, as it was Cazazza who supposedly coined the band's now-trademark phrase, "Industrial Music for Industrial People." In 1977, Cazazza traveled to England, where he recorded several songs (which featured the sounds of roaring chainsaw, as well as hammers beating on the insides of a piano), including such titles as "Busted Kneecaps" "Hate" and "P.S. (Plastic Surgery)". Cazazza also starred in several obscure films around this time as well (including one in which he and a young boy are electrocuted), and contributed to such books as "Pranks", "Modern Primitives", and "The Industrial Culture Handbook", all of which explore his outlandish antics. In addition, Cazazza was an early member of the Throbbing Gristle off-shot group Psychic TV, and has issued several full-length solo albums over the years, including the 1996 compilation, 'The Worst of Monte Cazazza'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Organum is the project of elusive composer and visual artist David Jackman. An artist who began his career in the U.K. with experimental group Scratch Orchestra alongside Cornelius Cardew. This seminal improvisational group was also the breeding ground for AMM and the New Zealand percussion composer Phil Dadson.
Jackman's work as Organum was documented on limited-edition vinyl LPs in the '80s, and in the '90s he released numerous CDs. The albums 'Submission', released by Complacency in the U.S., and 'Veil of Tears', on Matchless, exhibit a strongly minimalist aligned music, with an attention to the sonic effects of massed string drones and metal percussion. Many Organum recordings were made as location specific happenings, taking advantage of unusual reverberant spaces to enhance the music performance, such as tunnels, caves, and a highway overpass, as well as many outdoor natural environments.
Highly regarded in avant-garde music circles, he has worked with members of Nurse With Wound, Jim O'Rourke, Robert Hampson of Main, and Christophe Heenmann of H.N.A.S. This dark ambient drone music that at times recalls the minimalist violin drones of Tony Conrad or the electronic soundscapes of Mophogenesis, although it is often called post-industrial, it is far from the futuristic imagery conjured by such a tag. In fact, this music has roots in Medieval and Eastern ritual music, hence Jackman has titled one of his works "Kammer", which references the early music genre of the same name.
On the collaboration CD 'Crux + Flayed' on Matchless, Jackman and percussionist Eddie Prevost used electronics to transform sounds of a drum and cymbal improvisation that results in a dense drone alive with overtones and harmonics. This approach differed from the heavily reverberated strings improvisations of prior works. Akin to the work of David Toop and Max Eastly, in that it is inspired by British minimalism, free improvisation, and sound sculpture, the music is Zen-like and can be simultaneously elating and dark. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Before Thalia Zedek was in Live Skull, Uzi, Come or performed as a solo artist, she co-led early-eighties new wave band Dangerous Birds. I will leave it to the vociferous Thalia Zedek following to tell you more about her later more "violent" music but I'm gonna quickly rave about "Smile on You Face". That song is Zedek's half of the sole Dangerous Birds release. The A-Side, "Alpha Romeo", is a pleasant pop tune in The Bangles vein (written by bandmate Lori Green) which later appeared on the 'D.I.Y. Boston compilation, Mass. Avenue'. However, Thalia's intricate, psychedelic but hook-laden B-side, which showed up on on 'Sub Pop 100' four years after the fact, is the real colossus here. [SOURCE: MUSIC RUINED MY LIFE]
Nigel James & Peter Oldroyd formed Camera Obscura in the winter of 1982. 'Destitution b/w Race in Athens' became the duo's first single on Small Wonder Records in the spring of 1983, followed by "Village of Stars" and "Insect" for the B-side, in London, at the Atmosphere studios on Wardour Street . These tracks were never released and sadly the masters have not survived. Camera Obscura played live extensively at this time and they soldiered on into 1985 with a 4-piece line up (Gary Scargill and Rob Gospel were added). Nigel left in '87 and was replaced by Steve Wright from Fiat Lux. Sadly the band ended there. However, Camera Obscura never actually split up. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
The Batfish Boys (later simply called Batfish) were a gothic rock/garage rock/rockabilly band from York and Leeds, England, active between 1984 and 1990. The band was formed by former March Violets vocalist Simon Detroit (b. Simon Denbigh) and ex-Skeletal Family drummer Martin "Bomber" Pink, initially assisted on their first single, 1985's 'Swamp Liquor' (their first release on their own Batfish Incorporated label) by Denbigh's ex-bandmates in March Violets, bassist Loz Elliott and guitarist Tom Ashton. Their goth tendencies evolved into a more Stooges-influenced garage rock sound, and debut album 'The Gods Hate Kansas' prompted comparisons to the likes of The Cramps and The Gun Club. By that point, the band had added bassist Bob "Diablo" Priestley and guitarists Johnny Burman and Murray Fenton. In 1986, Zero Rek (Martin Herbert) replaced Fenton on guitar. The Batfish Boys' second album, 'Head', also appeared that year, laced with psychedelic blues overtones. With the band's sound getting progressively heavier, they were signed by Motörhead's label, GWR, in 1987, and shortened their name to Batfish. The first release on GWR was 1988's "Another One Bites The Dust" single, a mash-up cover of "Purple Haze" and Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". The third Batfish Boys album, 'Batfish Brew', was released in 1989, but the band split shortly afterwards. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Madrid group formed on 1982 by Pablo Calonge (voice), Alberto Cedrón (guitar), Antonio Cedrón (bass), Tania Copado (keyboard and voice) and Agustín (drums). They played a couple of times in Rockola in 1983 with quite success. They published a single with El Fantasma del Paraíso label titled 'Francotirador' with his last line up: Pablo Calonge, Alberto Cedrón, Antonio Cedrón and Tania Copado. By that time Agustín, the drummer, left the group and they handled a drum machine. In 1984, El Fantasma del Paraíso published a compilation with the bands of the label (Beirut La Noche, Daké, Piter Pank, Vº Congreso, Corazones Blindados, Kaka de Luxe, Extraño Equilibrio, Squash, Talycual, Darwin and Martínez) where Flácidos Lunes included "Francotirador". [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Above Ground was a band from Christchurch, New Zealand formed in 1983. Above Ground developed out of the friendship of the four members: Bill Direen (Guitar/Vocals), Carol Woodward (Keyboards), Maryrose Wilkinson (Bass/Vocals) and Stuart Page (Drums). The group played locally and at the Punakaiki Music Festival (West Coast, New Zealand); and would have been forgotten like a lot of bands had Page not recorded nearly every practice and concert and organised the 'Gone AIWA' cassette (1983), re-released in 2011 on vinyl by Siltbreeze. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
18:e Oktober from Motala, Sweden was mainly a one man band playing experimental yet melodic electronic music between 1984 and 1988. The one man being Tor Sigvardson. During these years a handful of cassettes were released, some gigs took place and 18:e Oktober also contributed to a couple of compilation cassettes at the time. In 1988 the project went into sleep mode and Tor Sigvardson started up two new electronic acts. Short lived space nursery crazies Rymdkapsel Crash, and Lorelei de Lux a more long lasting electronic pop project with female vocals. Currently what was once 18:e Oktober is now one half of the instrumental electro-duo The Quiet Men focusing on improvised concerts in modern old skol style. In 1994 the cassette 'En Sammanfattning' (a summary) was released gathering new mixes of the most popular songs from the original cassettes. Released in an extremely small quantity it’s a hard to get item these days. [SOURCE: MINIMAL WAVE RECORDS]
The Zombies were a Spanish pop band from the early 80s. The group was founded by the precocious Bernardo Bonezzi (Madrid, 1964-2012), who before the age of fourteen had captained a musical project called Morbus Acre. He had briefly been part of the seminal group of the "movida madrileña" Kaka de Luxe. The Zombies combined influences of glam rock (Lou Reed, David Bowie, Brian Eno) and the new wave (Talking Heads, The B-52's). They recorded in RCA, relasing their first single, the catchy "Groenlandia", in 1980, a song that still remains among the best known of Spanish pop of the 80s. Encouraged by the success of the single, they recorded their first album, 'Extraños Juegos', one of the most successful pop records of those years. However, after the release of the second album, 'La Muralla China', Bonezzi decided to leave the group to devote to other projects. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
