Continuing on a morbid punk wave is the band Suicide. Raw, minimal, dark, primal and any other suitable adjective. In much the same way that David Hackney (Death) refused to tone down his artistic vision in order to make Suicide marketable. This duo of Alan Vega & Martin Rev had the same Fuck You attitude.
Also credited for the first use of the word 'Punk' to describe their music but not the 'Punk' as we know it. Stripped back, no guitar, just a keyboard and a mic. They pushed the boundaries and were particularly influential on the 'No Wave' movement as well as numerous other acts. In fact, they are easily one of the most influential duos of all time.Their self-titled debut album is up there amongst my all time favourites - Che, Ghost Rider, Girl and last but not least the cinematic Frankie Teardrop.
At a show supporting the Clash in Glasgow a member of the crowd threw an Axe at Vega's head. Can you imagine?! Who brings an axe to gig? They provoked violent reactions, heckles and even riots whenever they played so it's no surprise Alan had metal chain wrapped around his fist when he played. As well as being a tribute to the Ghost Rider comic it probably doubled up as protection Who would have thought that a band that appeared to be so hated could be so influential. In other news - look at what happens to this guy when he throws something at Bronson in the video below.
I can only image what the vibe of perfomances were like at places like the Mercer, CBGB and the Mudd Club but I'm about to start reading No Compromise which comes highly recommend for an insight into NYC at that time so maybe I'll do a follow up once I've finished it.
No comments:
Post a Comment