Twisted Nerve

Here's the last post for this month.
Twisted Nerve from Edinburgh, Scotland are one of the most underrated but one of the best goth punk bands there were.
Started in 1978 as The Insults, the band played full on punk back then. First recordings of Twisted Nerve can be heard on the 'Mint Sauces For The Masses' comp. 7" on local label Playlist. The band released another two 7"s, 'Caught In Session' and 'Five Minutes Of Fame', on which you can hear their transition from punk to a darker sound.
After some line-up changes, the band released the 'Eyes You Can Drown In' 12" on Criminal Damage, followed by the 'Séance' mini album, a record they released themselves. Both these records are very hard to find now.
It's a shame that Twisted Nerve never got reissued until now. Maybe because they weren't from London or Leeds or so? Well, here's your chance to listen to this cult band.

Eyes You Can Drown In 12" (Criminal Damage-CRI 12-103-1983)
1. Medusa
2. Gargoyle
3. Geronimo

Séance MLP (+1 Records-Nerve 1- 1984)
1. Séance
2. Yes Man
3. Twisted Nevrosis
4. Freak Of Nature
5. Scaramouche
6. It's All In The Mind

Twisted Nerve (320)

Eyes You Can Drown In (FLAC)

Séance (FLAC)

Inca Babies - Rumble

Here's the first album of the Inca Babies. Has a re-recorded version of 'The Interior' from the first 7" and the title track of the 'Big Jugular' 12" (see post below). Last track not credited on the sleeve.

Rumble LP (Black Lagoon-INCLP 005-1984)
1. She Mercenary
2. The Interior
3. Blindman (The Chiller)
4. The Diseased Stranger's Waltz
5. Leucotomy Meat Boss
6. Big Jugular
7. 16 Tons Of Fink
8. Cactus Mouth Informer
9. Grease Ball Mechanic
10. Untitled

Rumble

News!! there is an official Inca Babies website here. And the last track is called 'Rumble', a cover of Link Wray.

The Veil - Surrender

The Veil is another not so well known goth band from the UK. 'Surrender' is their one and only album they released. As with many female fronted goth bands, the band got easily dismissed as another Siouxsie & The Banshees clone. No wild guitars or tribal drumming here; the music is quite relaxed on this album.
The Veil rose from the ashes of Beast, a cult band that had Bryan Gregory(The Cramps) in it's ranks. Beast released 3 singles of which one is 'Love In A Dying World', a song that also appears on this album. I never heard Beast before so I can't compare both tracks.
The Veil released one 7", 'Twist/Sway' (both tracks appear on the LP) and two 12"s: 'Manikin' and 'Heavy Heart'. I will post these later.

Surrender LP (Clay Records-Clay LP 14-1984)
1. Twist
2. Hoax
3. The Rain
4. Love In A Dying World
5. Sway
6. Pale Hose
7. Closet Floor
8. Thy Will
9. Manikin
10. Surrender

Surrender

Inca Babies

Inca Babies formed in 1982 and were from Hulme, Manchester. They were influenced by The Birthday Party, The Cramps and Link Wray. You can hear the influence of The Birthday Party very well on their earliest releases.
The band did 4 sessions for John Peel.
Here are the first 4 releases of the Inca Babies. The 7"s sound quite raw as these are 8-track recordings. For the 12"s, the band got into a real studio this time.
Inca Babies released 4 albums and another 2 12"s. I can post all these in time if people are interested.
There is an anthology CD released just recently on Anagram that has some tracks from the Peel Sessions.

Interior 7" (Black Lagoon-Inc 001-1983)
1. Interior
2. Sense Of Loss

Grunt Cadillac Hotel 7" (Black Lagoon-Inc 002-1984)
1. Grunt Cadillac Hotel
2. No Sacred Sound

The Big Jugular EP 12" (Black Lagoon-Inc 003-1984)
1. Big Jugular
2. Jericho
3. The Brain Cruiser
4. Brother Rat

The Judge 12" (Black Lagoon-Inc 004-1984)
1. The Judge
2. Bus Breaker
3. Cowboy Song

Inca Babies

Something Stirs (The Dead Mourn The Living)

Well, here's an excellent compilation of experimental artists from the UK. There are some well known names on it. It was released on Adventures In Reality Recordings, a label run by the people of Attrition. This label was originally a fanzine/cassette label. I think that the first audio release was the 'Devoid' flexi of Attrition.Other bands who released tapes were Irsol, Stress and Velvet Monkeys. The 'Something Stirs' comp. LP was the first vinyl release.
Attrition is featured here with 3 tracks in the vein of their 'Reason Of Attrition' LP.
The Furious Apples are the least known band on here. They were from Coventry and I just found out that they released the 'Engineering/Belladonna' 7" on a small local label called Sonar Records.
Bourbonese Qualk offers 3 tracks similar to their debut 'Laughing Afternoon' LP.
The Legendary Pink Dots bring us a long track in the vein of their early albums.
Attrition and The Legendary Pink Dots are still around today.
Check these sites for the bands:
Attrition
The Legendary Pink Dots
Bourbonese Qualk
The Bourbonese Qualk site is very interesting as you can download all of their albums which I recommend to do so. You won't be disappointed.

note: the Bourbonese Qualk tracks could not be seperated so I ripped them as 1 track.

V/A Something Stirs (The Dead Mourn The Living) LP
(Adventures In Reality Recordings-A.R.R. 013-1984)
1. Attrition - Something Stirs
2. Attrition - Pain
3. Attrition - The Beginning Of The End
4. The Furious Apples - Ajmer
5. The Furious Apples - Girl On Fire
6. The Furious Apples - Almost The Truth
7. Bourbonese Qualk - Stop The City
8. Bourbonese Qualk - Sunset Sex
9. Bourbonese Qualk - Invocation
10. The Legendary Pink Dots - Jungle

Something Stirs

Screaming Dead

Screaming Dead were formed in 1980 and were a punk band with a strong interest in the dark and morbid. They described themselves as a horror punk band. Guitarplayer Tony Mc Kormak played an important role in the sound and image of the Screaming Dead.
The band released 5 records during their existence of which you'll find the 3 12"s here. The other 2 records are the 'Valley Of The Dead' 7" and the 'Paint It Black' 7" (which I don't own for the moment).
There has been a discography CD released in 1993 called 'Bring Out Yer Dead' but it is hard to find nowadays.
The band reformed in 1997 to do some reunion gigs and recorded the 'Death Rides Out' CD that contains re-recorded old songs and some new ones. The band split up again in 1999.
Tony Mc Cormak plays in pagan goth rock band Inkubus Sukkubus nowadays, that was formed after the demise of Screaming Dead in 1986.
This one goes out to Erik SN at Missionary Penetration.

Night Creatures 12" (No Future-12 Oi 25-1983)
1. Night Creatures
2. Angel Of Death
3. Necroaria
4. Twentieth Century Vampire
5. Ride Of The Crow

The Danse Macabre Collection 12" (Angel Records-Ang.001-1984)
1. The Lovers
2. Serenade Of Suicide
3. The Night
4. Sister Crow

A Dream Of Yesterday 12" (Angel Records-Ang.002-1985)
1. A Dream Of Yesterday
2. Johnnie
3. Tower Of Babel

Screaming Dead

The Smashchords

By request: The Smashchords from Seattle was a band of two members only playing guitar. Expect some lo-fi garage noise without drums and vocals. These guys played on cheap copy guitars and recorded in mono.
Chris Bohn of NME on The Smashchords: "Nostalgic for the day you got your first guitar? Can't relocate the excitement of that first gloriously untutored thrash? Well, if you really can't restrain the impulse, regress along with The Smashchords and experience again the idiot happiness of that early liberating rush of noise."
Smashtrade was a subsidiary of Rough Trade specifically created for the band. As far as I know, The Smashchords released two tapes: 'Deep And Dumb' and 'The History Of'.
My copy is a little warped so you'll hear some background noise, especially on the second side.

The Smashchords 12" (Smashtrade-Smash 1-1981)
1. Brand New Rambler
2. Smashattack Rock
3. Theme From The Discombobulators II
4. Ou La Oui! Park My Car At The Rhumbaparty Dub
5. Caveman
6. Country Ending

The Smashchords

No Trend - Too Many Humans LP

No Trend were one of the most controversial bands to rise out of the Washington hardcore scene. In fact, they didn't play hardcore at all. They had a style of their own with sarcastic lyrics on humanity. There is an interesting article on No Trend here, with explanations from ex-band members themselves on the whole idea of the band. Really worth reading.
Sadly, original guitarplayer Frank Price took his own life in 1989. He is considered to be the architect of No Trend's sound and philosophy.
No Trend went on to release three other albums with different line-ups, with vocalist Jeff Mentges as the only member who stayed from the beginning to the end.
Original pressing on No Trend Records; here the French pressing.

Too Many Humans LP (L'Invitation Au Suicide-S.D.6-1984)
1. Family Style
2. Blow Dry
3. Reality Breakdown
4. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group
5. Fashion Tips For The 80's
6. Do As You're Told
7. Too Many Humans
8. For The Fun Of It All
9. Mindless Little Insects
10. Happiness Is...

Too Many Humans

Pump

Pump was a duo from the UK and released one LP on Final Image. Band members Andrew Cox and David Elliot were already making music before as MFH, who appears on the well known 'The Elephant Table Album' compilation. They also collaborated with Nurse With Wound on his 'Sylvie And Babs Hi-fi Companion' LP.
For the Shock Headed Peters fans; Karl Blake sings and plays guitar on 'Lung', together with Malcolm Lane of Metabolist.
Final Image was a small label run by the people of O Yuki Conjugate.

Note: tracks 1 & 2 ripped as one track.

The Decoration Of The Duma Continues LP (Final Image-FIB 3-1987)
1. Dance Without Music
2. Blind
3. A Veiled Woman
4. Drop
5. Lung
6. Brinkmanship
7. A Sort Of Accident
8. The Hammering Stops

9. Raft

Soon to be re-released! Check it out at Forced Nostalgia Bandcamp page.

Vex

Vex hailed from London and the 'Sanctuary' 12" is their one and only release. It was issued on Fight Back, a sublabel of Mortarhate, run by the people of Conflict. Vex played gigs with Conflict, so they were more associated with the anarchist punk scene than the Batcave fair. But contrary to most anarchopunk bands from that time, they were not influenced by CRASS or Conflict. Soundwise, the band was more inspired by Killing Joke or UK Decay.
Another song called 'Rushing To Hide' can be heard on the 'We Don't Want Your Fucking Law' comp. LP, also on Fight Back.
'It's No Crime' also appeared on the 'Who What Why When Where' comp. LP on Mortarhate (and reissued on Get Back Records).
A great overlooked record, so check it out.

Sanctuary 12" (Fight Back-Fight One-1984)
1. Sanctuary
2. It's No Crime
3. World In Action
4. Relative Sadness

Sanctuary (re-up)

The Leather Nun

The Leather Nun formed in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1979. Their first record is the 'Slow Death' 7" released on Industrial Records. It shows the bands more punky side as well as their experimental one which they would later abandon.
On this mini album, the first side is the 'Slow Death' 7" but 'Ensam I Natt' is featured in it's full version here. Only the intro of that song is featured on the original 7". 'Ensam I Natt' was also released as 7" on Sista Bussen in 1982.
The B side contains a 15+ minutes live version of 'Slow Death' taken from the 'Live At Scala Cinema' cassette also released on Industrial Records. On this track, the band got help from Genesis P-Orridge on violin and Monte Cazazza on synthesizer.
The band went on to release some decent singles and the 'Alive' album, but I lost interest in the band after these. Some people will remember their version of the ABBA classic 'Gimme,Gimme,Gimme'.
The 'Slow Death' MLP was originally issued on the Criminal Damage label in 1984 and was later reissued on Wire Records in 1986.

Slow Death MLP (Wire Records-WRMLP 100-1986)
1. No Rule
2. Slow Death
3. Ensam I Natt
4. Death Threats
5. Slow Death (Live at The Scala Cinema)

New Link!
Slow Death

Cindytalk

I first heard Gordon Sharp doing vocals on some of the songs of the first album of This Mortal Coil. While this album is dreamy and quite laidback, the music he creates with Cindytalk is that of a feverish nightmare.
Cindytalk was formed out of the ashes of punk/new wave band The Freeze from Edinburgh. Gordon Sharp has always been the core member of Cindytalk but on this LP, the other members, David Clancy and John Byrne, played a crucial role in Cindytalk's sound. 'Camouflage Heart' sounds very dark and uneasy. And Gordon's haunting vocals make it sound much more claustrophobic.
Mick Harvey (ex-The Birthday Party) plays drums on 'Under Glass'. All tracks recorded in 1984, except for 'Everybody Is Christ' which was recorded in 1982.
'Camouflage Heart' has been reissued on CD but the CD version is harder to find and way more expensive.

Camouflage Heart LP (Midnight Music-CHIME 00.06 S-1984)
1. It's Luxury
2. Instinct (Backtosense)
3. Under Glass
4. Memories Of Skin And Snow
5. The Spirit Behind The Circus Dream
6. The Ghost Never Smiles
7. A Second Breath
8. Everybody Is Christ
9. Disintegrate...

Link removed! Reissue now available on Wheesht, a sublabel of Abraxas.

Marc Riley With The Creepers

Marc Riley was a member of The Fall from 1978 till 1982, first as roadie later as bassplayer but moved to guitar and keyboards. He was sacked from The Fall after a tour in New Zealand. But this didn't stop him to make his own music.
The 'Cull' LP is a compilation of the first 3 releases. On the 'Favourite Sister' 7", he got help from Steve Hanley, Paul Hanley and Craig Scanlon who were members of The Fall back then. On the second 7" 'Jumper Clown', the Creepers were already forming but the drum parts were done by Billy the drum machine (you can hear Marc shouting to 'Billy' in the beginning of 'Violins'). The other 4 tracks were originally released as the 'Creeping At Maida Vale' 12" and was the first session recorded for John Peel in 1983.
The 'Shadow Figure' 12" was the second John Peel session recorded in 1984. The '4 A's From Maida Vale' 12" was the third session recorded in 1985.
For more on Marc Riley, check this site here. Has a complete discography, press reviews and lyrics to all the songs.

Cull LP (In Tape-IT 005-1984)
1. Favourite Sister
2. Carry Mi Card
3. Jumper Clown
4. Violins
5. Cure By Choice
6. Baby Paints
7. Blow
8. Location Bangladesh

Shadow Figure 12" (In Tape-IT 009-1984)
1. Shadow Figure
2. Hole 4 A Soul
3. Shirt Scene
4. Snipe

4 A's From Maida Vale 12" (In Tape-IT 025-1985)
1. Bard Of Woking
2. Going Rate
3. Black Dwarf
4. Cold Fish

Cull

Shadow / 4 A's

Bone Orchard - Jack LP

Bone Orchard were one of those bands from the UK who where strongly influenced by The Birthday Party. But instead of copying, they created a sound of their own. While the first records still have The Birthday Party sound, their 'Jack' LP shows more variety by adding other instruments like piano, cello, violin and saxophone. And as always, Chrissy Mc Gee, the female vocalist, groans and growls in her own distinctive way.
There's a deathrock page on Bone Orchard here.
I will post some more Bone Orchard records in the future.

Jack LP (Jungle Records-Freud 6-1984)
1. Jack
2. Lynched
3. Marianne
4. Touched
5. Five Days In The Neighbourhood
6. Girl With A Gun
7. Tongue
8. Scarlett Ropes


Jack

Anorexic Dread

One of the greatest records of goth punk horror.
Anorexic Dread were from the Southend, UK and were formed in 1983 but already split up in 1985. In their short existence, they managed to record some tracks for a record released on the Criminal Damage label. They were influenced by The Birthday Party, Killing Joke and the Cramps.
You can hear the Cramps influence very well on 'Tick Tock'. But the standout track is 'Tracey's Burning' and is still considered as one of the best goth punk tracks ever released. 'Epitaph' is more an outro to 'Tracey's Burning' so I didn't seperate this track on the listing below.
My only small complaint is that there could have fit a second track on side B.
For more on Anorexic Dread, check the Southend Punk site page here.

Tracey's Burning 12" (Criminal Damage Records-CRI 12-114-1984)
1. Tracey's Burning/Epitaph
2. Tick Tock

Anorexic Dread