Infamous punk squat Campbell Buildings was used as a location for the TV show, Hammer House of Horror episode Rude Awakening. Here are the clips from that show – some may enjoy the wrecking ball scene in Part 4.

Arrival at the buildings

Inside, possibly not filmed in Campbell Buildings

On the roof

The wrecking ball scene

An earlier sequence in the espisode with actress Lucy Gutteridge playing a punk.

***HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE KYPP ONLINE BROWSERS FROM ALL THE KYPP SITE OPERATIVES!

Culture Crossover

Asian Youth

It is that time of year again, presents being presented, families getting together, a chill in the air…It’s Christmas day!

Early on the day before, I stood alone before my front door picking up the last of the cards that would be delivered before Christmas day from various folk that would like to wish me and the family well and a I spied a single package seemingly already opened by the postie…

I was cheered to see the package was for me and not for the lady downstairs, I was further cheered to see that the product hidden within the opened packaging, was in fact still hidden within that same opened packaging. The cheery mood continued when I slipped out the 7″ record and found to my astonisement that it was none other than the Alien Kulture 7″ single.

Alien Kulture was a band that various KYPP browsers had commented about on a Six Minute War post on this very site. Later comments on that Six Minute War post came from Huw Jones, a member of Alien Kulture, and Zainne whose father also performed in the band (not sure which member though!). On one of the comments Zainne had mentioned that his dad still had some mint copies lying around, one of which is in my hands right now and is indeed still mint (mint even after blatently opened packages courtesy of Royal Mail).

Thank you to Zainne (and his father) for sending me this wonderful present during this time of present giving! I will cherish it, and you are both safe in the knowledge that it has gone to a good and safe home.

Check out the Alien Kulture website HERE or become a facebook fan HERE 

The text below courtesy of alienkulture.org.

“People rather fear being swamped by an alien culture” – Margaret Thatcher 1979

“There is an Asian band in South London called Alien Kulture who take gangs of Asian youth with them wherever they play. Mark had said he thought ‘niggers are okay, I like the music.’ But he just shakes his head about Alien Kulture: ‘I don’t think they’ll last. I don’t think they’ll last five minutes. A Paki band? I never heard of such a thing.” – Skinhead interviewed for an article in New Society – Skinheads – the cult of trouble by Ian Walker – June 1980

Alien Kulture was formed in South London in 1980 by Azhar (drums, from Morden), Jonesy (Huw) aka ‘the token white man’ (guitar, from Raynes Park). Pervez (vocals, from Balham) and Zaf (bass, from Wimbledon). Formed against the backdrop of a winter of discontent, riots in Southall and Asians being killed on the streets of England the group wanted to give the Great Britain of the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s a positive image of Asians – an image where Asians were not seen as submissive, Asians who were able to stand up speak for themselves and ultimately that Asians had arrived and needed to be recognised as something more than just people who ran corner shops. It was a time when the Far Right in the UK were dangerously close to becoming an accepted norm in British Society and the Conservatives, with Margaret Thatcher at the helm, were taking away liberties at every opportunity. Feeling was also widespread that there needed to be a stop to immigration. The message that Alien Kulture wanted to convey was very much a militant and in your face ‘here to stay, here to fight’.

There was no great ability musically in the group (except for Jonesy) but there was passion to drive a message home particularly to the Far Right of the National Front and the British Movement. There was also a wish to communicate to the young Asians in the U.K. that they were not alone and, at last, they had a voice. The band did not want the left (predominantly white at the time) to speak for them at every given opportunity and the band wanted to let it be known they had arrived and more importantly that they had a face and a message. If there had to be a voice it had to be a brown voice (shouting at the top of its voice) with a brown message. The only thing remotely resembling an Asian band was Monsoon – an Asian girl stuck in front of a bunch of white musicians. Where Monsoon sang about loneliness Alien Kulture would sing about the street in a radical way never seen before coming out of an Asian voice.

The band was born out of love for the British punk movement of the time and of a support for the political movements of the Anti-Nazi League and Rock Against Racism (the central committee of which two members of the group were voted onto eventually). They would forever be linked with these two organisations. It was not enough for the group merely to sing and talk about Asians fighting back; they actually lived it, going to demonstrations at every opportunity throughout the length and breadth of England. It was a time when there was a draconian Immigration Bill going through Parliament and, on a march to oppose the Bill, the group played on a truck at the head of the march (with 80,000 people following) to show their full support for the opposition. After one gig in Portsmouth they simply played their set, walked out of the door and straight onto a demo!

The songs broadly originated from their experiences and observations about being a second generation Asian in the UK. The songs had a political edge to them and themes ranged from cultural confusion to arranged marriages to colonialism to immigration. The songs were out rightly militant and were purposely intended to be so. No more mild and meek Asians for them, who would accept being spat on in the streets. For them the time had come to stand and then suffer the consequences. Some songs were outwardly political such as ‘Roots Rock Ratskank’ and some, such as ‘Siege And Turmoil’ had a more subtle message. The songs still have a resonance in today’s society and some lyrics would not seem out of place if written today. Musically the group wrote and played within their particular limitations. It is important to remember the songs were not simply a criticism of Asians but were written and sung so as to stimulate debate and discussion. After all if you want an arranged marriage then have one but think about it before you do it.

The first and only single released was a double A side (on their own label) ‘Asian Youth/Culture Crossover’. The record suffered from the group’s commitment to doing everything themselves and the record would probably have done better had it had a proper producer at the helm. The group went on to showcase these songs on television and radio but will always cite John Peel playing the record on his show as the major achievement. Known for saying very few words before and after playing records, John Peel actually introduced the record saying he could have played it because it was by Asians, which would have been ‘inherently racist in itself’ but was playing it because it was ultimately a good record. To the group this was the critical praise that they had craved. They accepted that the New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Sounds had all resolutely ignored them even though they knew of the existence of the band but John Peel playing them was enough. There were no more releases, simply a cassette of their songs recorded ‘live’ at an 8 track studio in a squat in Queensgate. Not perfect and full of mistakes (to those who are musically knowledgeable) but the cassette showed the group were not afraid to expose their shortfall in their musical abilities. The songs, however, speak for themselves and stand the test of time.

The gigs ranged from playing ‘proper venues’ with a proper sound system to playing on beer crates with hardboard as a stage. Audiences ranged from just two people to crowds numbering into the hundreds. Each gig was prefaced with the fear of some sort of reprisal form the far right as they had now learned of the existence of a militant Asian rebuttal to their lies. That fear was at times realised as in the 101 Club in Battersea where the gig had to be abandoned. At that gig, the band was greeted, after coming off the stage, by one of their friends with ‘you were great but do you know the National Front are out there.’ Most gigs had a smattering of people from the fascists but the Group always had the support of a stalwart of supporters such as Harrow RAR, S.L.A.G. (South London Anarchists Group – a bunch of colourful kids from all aspects of the youth movements of the day)) and other brave individuals who would always keep a watch out. The group were of course asking for this unwanted attention, otherwise what would have been the point. Most gigs were started with a headline from The Bulldog (the National Front paper of the day) which was turned into a rallying cry – ‘When was the last time you saw a Punk Pakistani, a Mod Muslim or a Bopping Bengali, well HERE WE ARE!’

No history about Alien Kulture can be written without the missed opportunities. Invited by The Specials to play Coventry Stadium with them, the group refused because two of the members had exams. They broke up a day before they were due to record the Oxford Road Show (the premier youth show at the time) which would have been a primetime exposure for them.

At the time the group broke up they were rehearsing two new songs ‘When The Rains Came’ about the birth of Zimbabwe and ‘The Mask’ about the practice of women wearing the veil – it needs to be remembered this was a clear quarter of a century before the debate really started. There were two additional songs ‘Become Death’ (about the nuclear threat) and ‘Pakistani Girl’ (to the tune of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’), neither got as far as rehearsals. The music was also going into a different direction with the group planning to experiment with more Sub-continent musical themes such as Bhangra (yes Bhangra in 1980!).

It would be churlish to go into reason why the band broke up and the legacy of the group is for people to judge. The four individuals can not be faulted for trying to drag Asians from the dark days of the sixties and early-seventies into the light. Initially they were viewed with suspicion by the Asian community, after all the punk movement was a white movement. Towards the end, more and more Asians started turning up to gigs as the message started to filter through. The band looked up to the Clash and were seen very much as copying their heroes musically, little realising they had developed their own identity. By the end, when they performed ‘Garageland’ as an encore it was simply as a homage rather than wanting to be the Clash. They still have articles in books written about them, they are played on the internet when people can get hold of the songs. In the road map that is British Asian culture there should be a large sign on the day this band was formed and an even bigger sign when they disbanded; after all nothing like this would be seen until many years after with the breakthrough of the Asian Dub Foundation. They were the first of a kind and it took at least ten years to produce anything near to an Asian band that had this much energy, conviction and foresight.

***HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE KYPP ONLINE BROWSERS FROM ALL THE KYPP SITE OPERATIVES!

At the Winter Solstice, we celebrate Children’s Day to honour our children and to bring warmth, light and cheerfulness into the dark time of the year. Holidays such as this have their origin as “holy days”. They are the way human beings mark the sacred times in the yearly cycle of life.

In the northern latitudes, midwinter’s day has been an important time for celebration throughout the ages. On this shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest and weakest, a pivot point from which the light will grow stronger and brighter. This is the turning point of the year. The romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.

The Roman midwinter holiday, Saturnalia, was both a gigantic fair and a festival of the home. Riotous merry-making took place, and the halls of houses were decked with boughs of laurel and evergreen trees. Lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness. Schools were closed, the army rested, and no criminals were executed. Friends visited one another, bringing good-luck gifts of fruit, cakes, candles, dolls, jewellery, and incense. Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life’s continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and fantastic hats danced through the streets.

The custom of mummers visiting their neighbours in costume, which is still alive in Newfoundland in U.S.A, is descended from these masked processions.

Roman masters feasted with slaves, who were given the freedom to do and say what they liked (the medieval custom of all the inhabitants of the manor, including servants and lords alike, sitting down together for a great Christmas feast, came from this tradition). A Mock King was appointed to take charge of the revels (the Lord of Misrule of medieval Christmas festivities had his origin here).

In pagan Scandinavia the winter festival was the yule (or juul). Great yule logs were burned, and people drank mead around the bonfires listening to minstrel-poets singing ancient legends. It was believed that the yule log had the magical effect of helping the sun to shine more brightly.

Mistletoe, which was sacred because it mysteriously grew on the most sacred tree, the oak, was ceremoniously cut and a spray given to each family, to be hung in the doorways as good luck. The celtic Druids also regarded mistletoe as sacred. Druid priests cut it from the tree on which it grew with a golden sickle and handed it to the people, calling it All-Heal. To hang it over a doorway or in a room was to offer goodwill to visitors. Kissing under the mistletoe was a pledge of friendship. Mistletoe is still forbidden in most Christian churches because of its Pagan associations, but it has continued to have a special place in home celebrations.

In the third century various dates, from December to April, were celebrated by Christians as Christmas. January 6 was the most favoured day because it was thought to be Jesus’ baptismal day (in the Greek Orthodox Church this continues to be the day to celebrate Christmas). Around 350, December 25 was adopted in Rome and gradually almost the entire Christian Church agreed to that date, which coincided with Winter Solstice, the Yule and the Saturnalia. The merry side of Saturnalia was adopted to the observance of Christmas. By 1100 Christmas was the peak celebration of the year for all of Europe. During the 16th century, under the influence of the Reformation, many of the old customs were suppressed and the Church forbade processions, colourful ceremonies, and plays.

In 1647 in England, Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas altogether. When Charles II came to the throne, many of the customs were revived, but the feasting and merrymaking were now more worldly than religious.

I Am A Fool / Back To The Womb / Mother / Shakti Yoni / Keep The Children Free / Prosititute Poem Street Version / OK Man  This Is Your World

Next Time Ragtime / Time Of The Goddess / Taliesin

For this years winter solstice I have the pleasure to upload the debut LP by Gilli Smyth (A.K.A. Mother Gong) released on Charly Records over three decades back in 1978.   

These recording sessions were the last to involve Gilli Smyth and Daevid Allen both collaborating together…

…that is until 2009 when they both got together for the sessions that culmulated in the release of Gong’s ’2032′  double LP  released on Steve Hillage’s G-Wave Record Imprint. 

Two further original Gong members, Steve Hillage and Didier Malherbe, were also part of the project to release this wonderful new work by Gong. I could have blagged a free jolly at the London Kentish Town Forum gig a few weeks ago but alas could not get to that performance on that night. Anyone go at all?

Text below courtesy of planetgong.co.uk.

An ‘awkward’ and ‘difficult’ child, Gilli learned to live in her imagination in reaction to being punished for her acting abilities. She was subsequently expelled from her Catholic convent school at the age of 12 for writing ‘heretical’ and erotic poetry. Inspired by Simone de Beauvoir she edited her university magazine writing such radical anti-sexist and anti-racist articles that it prompted the Daily Mirror and Daily Express to a vitriolic attack upon ‘girls like this, who should not be funded by the government to go to university’. Nevertheless she achieved an M.A.

She had a daughter Tasmin out of a brief marriage. Decamped to Paris with her child where she slept under bridges until rescued by an old ‘clochard’ who sold her an old boat for twenty quid. Six months later she was teaching NATO generals English whilst working as a professor at La Sorbonne. Eventually she sold the boat to one Daevid Allen. A year later they began living together in a small apartment in Rue Beauborg and subsequently moved to Deya in Majorca.

In 1966 Gilli published ‘Nitrogen Dreams of a Wide Girl’ and travelled with Soft Machine in the spring, creating Pop Poets with Daevid which incorporated the band, notably at Deptford Boxing Ring and as a duo at Paris Bienniale in 1967.

Gilli started doing performance poetry with Soft Machine on their occasional poetry / music gigs, and then more intensively with Daevid Allen and the first Gong band after it was founded in Paris in 1968. This ran for a colourful season in an old Theatre Restaurant in the Latin Quarter, with many visiting poets and musicians passing through including American beat poets Laurence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso, and jazz musician Don Cherry, who sat in with this Gong band at the concert at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. The Stockholm concert, attained after days of travelling through silent frozen forests, was held in conjunction with an Andy Warhol exhibition of enormous cornflake packets, and widely publicised as contemporary music.

Gilli developed the concept of Space Whisper as her own, unique singing style, rather than be coerced into singing ‘girlie’ backing vocals. It wanders across modes, keys and pitches to find the resonances that touch our deep instincts. It is the sound of emotions, a sound that moves us to cry, laugh, dance, and also a search to sing the music of grass-growing, spheres moving, and the deep humming of outer space. Despite a classical music training, Gilli’s sound has moved into unchartered areas which seem to some impossibly anarchistic and to others instinctively harmonious. Even though it may break established rules, it does have very strict rules of its own in the resonances it chooses. It is a constant experimentation to find the sound of the event and cannot be written down. This became part of the unique sound of Gong as part of the concept of Total Space Music that they had heard in their mind’s ears. Gilli played a central role in the creation of the Gong mythology, being responsible for much of the radical political integrity of the band and was often credited as being the ‘invisible’ leader.

However, the balmy days at the Theatre Restaurant were abruptly shattered by the 1968 Revolution. Gilli had to flee Paris, considered a dangerous revolutionary by the right wing authorities, as did many other musicians, television crews, writers, etc.

She returned to France in 1969, a return politically expedited by a film maker, Jerome La Perrousaz, who wanted music for films, and made available his haunted Normandy Chateau, where the group of musicians who were to form the second Gong band under the musical leadership of Daevid Allen gathered together. This time, however, the dreamy contemporary music was augmented by sizzling jazz rock, which combined with absurdist stories and lyrics and lifestyle extremism. This was to catch the imagination of the alternative culture and shoot the band up to being, as Actual magazine put it, “the leading underground band in France”.

Gilli was the only female voice in the line-up of brilliant musicians, including Steve Hillage, Pierre Moerlen and Didier Malherbe. She portrayed the prostitute, the witch, the old woman, the many voices of women, and this became part of the cult. Mythology was written in the sixteen albums that were produced, and mythology was abroad in the air, and it was as if “we were all sailing off in a huge white boat that accommodated thousands of people”. The band were not the captains, they simply got on the boat first, and the people who joined became part of a world wide network that exists today

Gilli struggled with the age-old question of how to continue working while having two babies (born in 1972 and 1974). As the success of the band in worldly terms grew and grew, so did her agony at being parted from the babies, so she ran away to Spain with them in 1974 to try and forget the band which had meant so much. In 1978 four years of thinking and writing about this emerged as a solo album ‘Mother’ (Charly CRL5007) produced and recorded by Daevid Allen. Following this the stresses and strains became too great and their relationship broke up in 1979, whereupon to her great surprise and despite the extraordinary depth of her attachment to Daevid, Gilli fell immediately into a deep relationship with Harry Williamson. Together they have made several albums, ‘Fairy Tales’ 1979, ‘Robot Woman’ 1981, ‘Robot Woman 2′ 1982, and ‘Robot Woman 3’ and ‘The Owl and the Tree’ 1990, ‘Wildchild’ 1992, as well as numerous cassettes. They ran a poetry and music program on 3CR community radio for five years, called People in Performance. During this time they met Tom the Poet, an extraordinary improviser who for years has breathed fire into the renowned Street Poetry of Melbourne. Tom toured with Gongmaison in 1990 and Mother Gong in 1991.

Race Against Time / Knife Edge / Lycanthropy / Necrophilia

State Executioner / Dead On Arrival / Generals / Freaks / Alcohol (?)

Charged G.B.H, a band significantly more  inspired by Motorhead than by The Clash, came out of Birmingham, kicking and screaming in 1979. Uploaded today is the debut 12″ EP released on Clay Records in 1981 and apart from the last track ‘Alcohol’, all the tracks strangely enough still sound great! That last track ‘Alcohol’ never sounded great even in those soon to be UK82 days…

The photo below is a still from the video ‘Give Me Fire’ featured on the Tube music programme in 1982, the text below is a section from a letter written a few days ago from H.M. Prision Gartree by Gary Critchley. The much earlier photo above is courtesy of Sean McCarthy.

This post is dedicated to Gary Critchley A.K.A Crap, a man who knew Charged G.B.H. in the very early days of the band’s formation and who ventured to Campbell Buildings near Waterloo in the summer of 1980. The events that followed a matter of weeks after his arrival were rather tragic for all concerned.

More information on Gary Critchley is available on the post below.

This is to flag up the case of Gary Critchley who is still in prison for an alleged murder at Campbell Buildings in 1980 – see recent posts on Bob Short’s Trash Can book thread for more details and also the official website and also this website.

The challenge is to get this miscarriage of justice overturned.

But how? I suggest it needs a twin track approach

Firstly to raise the public profile (as Jock has suggested) via myspace / facebook / blog sites like KYPP – for example by putting a slide show of Gary’s paintings plus a relevant soundtrack eg Raised in a Prison by the Mob on youtube or organising a UK exhibition of Gary’s paintings…

Secondly using official channels eg letters to your MP and the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP
Home Secretary 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF.

Gary is also being supported by Wendy Thurley and Julie Coimbra.

Julie and Wendy are librarians in Cambridge and contacted KYPP about the case.

Julie said [edited]:

“Myself and another librarian have become involved in trying to publicize this extraordinary miscarriage of justice. We happened to purchase some of Gary’s paintings and began corresponding with him without ever asking why he was inside. When the Private Eye article came out in July we were flabbergasted to say the least and began our campaign. Fifty of his paintings were sent to Adelaide and were in a recent exhibition there. Prior to posting them we photographed them all and have made them into cards to sell, 12 are at present on the website.

If you have ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER that could be helpful could you let us know and we can pass it on to Glyn Maddocks, the solicitor who has taken up his case. Anyone who can provide ANY INFORMATION should be encouraged to contact us as soon as possible”.

Julie and Wendy have created the website from which the following bio of Gary is taken.

Finally – don’t wait for someone else to act. If you think this is important get on and do it yourself.

AL Puppy

Biography- Gary Critchley “Raised In A Prison”.

“England is a supposed model of democracy and justice, yet ironically I have so far been made to serve longer for being rebellious and non-conformist than the Yorkshire Ripper has for 13 serial Killings. Nowadays, painting is the only thing that keeps me alive.“

Gary Critchley

Born in Birmingham and raised on an estate that bordered on two mental hospitals, visiting and often staying with his elder brother in care homes and approved schools,

Gary was introduced to institutions at a very early age. At 8 years old he got drunk on alcohol and by the age of 12 he was drinking on a regular basis. Aged 14, Gary became a punk rocker, was recruited to the Young Socialist party and excluded from school for leading ‘pupil-power’ marches and picketing the school. Also aged 14 Gary was sent to juvenile detention centre for criminal damage and theft. During his time there he was physically and mentally abused and he describes this as a very negative period of his life.

Upon release he quickly deteriorated, abusing various drugs and becoming involved with crime. In 1980, six months after being released from borstal, he moved to live in London. In June of that year he was discovered severely injured four stories below the flat he was squatting [in Campbell Buildings] and was taken to hospital with a broken back, arm, legs and head injuries. When police investigated the circumstances, they found the body of another man in Gary’s squat. Charged and bailed for this man’s murder, Gary returned to Birmingham where even on crutches he continued his life of punk rock gigs and substance abuse.

In May 1981, he was found guilty of murder (despite numerous forensic discrepancies) and sentenced to be ‘detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure’, the juvenile equivalent of a life sentence. The then Lord Chief Justice recommended that he should serve ‘no more that 8-9 years’. Despite this it was a full 20 years before Gary was first released in July 2000.

Gary was recalled to prison three months later for having sexual relationships with two female peers at his rehab unit and running away with one of them. After another three years in prison for these breaches of his license conditions, he was again released in 2003 to another drink /drug rehab centre. Twelve months later in 2004 he was again recalled to prison for missing a probation appointment. He’s still there.

Over the last five years in prison, Gary has suffered from severe depression and made three serious attempts to take his own life. After the second attempt, Gary was introduced to drawing and painting for the first time in and has since become a prolific painter. He has won a Koestler award for one of his paintings and has been both encouraged and inspired to paint by the staff of a Cambridge University library that have bought and exhibited several of his early works and sponsor him with materials etc.

Despite unanimous recommendations of release and the parole board agreeing that he does not constitute a risk to the public, Gary was recently refused parole on the grounds that if he was ever to relapse into drink /drug use there was a “possibility” that he “could” re-offend violently. This was despite all professional opinion and the masses of evidence to the contrary where Gary has been in active addiction without any such incident.

This ruling is currently the subject of a judicial review, being in breach of not only the Human Rights Act but also several judicial rulings regarding Lifers. There are also investigations still going on into the events surrounding the index offence, of which Gary to this day has no memory.

Gary describes his on-going imprisonment as “warehousing”. He has now actually served more than three times the recommended sentence. He maintains that he never murdered anyone, never intended to hurt anyone and has never before or indeed since the age of 17 been involved in any violence. He says he is now semi-institutionalised and a true product of the system. No longer jailed in relation to the original offence, he has become somewhat of a political prisoner: being punished over and over by a retributive system for his years of rebellion and breaches of petty rules.

Gary on right with green jacket and blond spikes 1979/80 – photo courtesy of Carol Coombes.

Some of Gary’s prison artwork may be viewed HERE 

http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org

Template for contacting MP’s and other officials or media. Please cut and paste the document below onto a word document and print it out to send by post or fax.

Dear …………………..,

I am contacting you regarding Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK), convicted of murder in 1981.

The Judge at the time recommended he serve no more than 9/10 years.

This is now his 30th year of incarceration. The conviction is unsafe and according to his solicitor one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen.

Briefly the case is as follows, however please read the Private Eye article 

(http://www.b39969.org.uk/pdf/private_eye_24July2009.pdf)

for full details.

Gary allegedly killed a man in 1980. During this murder he sustained frontal lobe damage to his brain, by being hit with a hammer. He also broke his back, ankle and wrist and was found in the street covered in blood.

The victim sustained more than 20 blows with a hammer.

The blood on Gary was found to be from his injuries and there was not one speck of the victim’s blood on him.

The victim was discovered in a room on the upper floor in the building, Gary was found outside on the pavement.

The only evidence to link Gary to the crime was a trainer, two or three sizes too small for him, on his left foot. On his right foot was his own boot which fitted him.

Gary apparently killed the victim, avoiding any blood, changed one shoe, hit himself on the head with the hammer, and then jumped out of the window.

The truth indicates that both Gary and the victim were attacked by a third party, who remains at liberty.

I feel that this really is a grave miscarriage of justice.

Unfortunately, this is not a high profile case, merely the case of an ordinary citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A person who nearly lost his life, but who ended up in prison himself, for something the forensic evidence suggests that he didn’t commit.

I am asking you to look into this, because I know if you do, you will want to take it further.

……………………………………………… Signature.

Qual / Geheimnis / Young Man / Indernacht / Orient

Hand In Hand / Kaempfen / Danthem / Boomerang / Stummes Kind

One of the musical highlights of 1983 for me personally was the release of the debut LP by Xmal Deutschland and also the gigs that the band performed in London around that time to promote the LP and the follow up 12″ single entitled ‘Qual’.

The two previous singles, a 7″ and a 12″ released on ZickZack Records breathed potential but this LP uploaded today, totally exploded in it! The standout tracks from this LP, I feel, being ‘Boomerang’, ‘Orient’ and ‘Stummes Kind’.

A load of other Xmal Deutschland material is sitting on this site somewhere if you care to use the search function.

Text below ripped from wikkie.

Xmal Deutschland were formed in 1980 by Anja Huwe (vocals), Manuela Rickers (guitar), Fiona Sangster (keyboards), Rita Simon (bass guitar) and Caro May (drums) in Hamburg, Germany.

Their first single, Großstadtindianer was released a year later on Alfred Hilsberg’s ZickZack label. The band also contributed to the ZickZack label compilation LP Lieber Zuviel Als Zuwenig. Around this time Rita Simon was replaced by Wolfgang Ellerbrock.

In 1982 the band released the goth classic Incubus Succubus. Drummer Caro May left the band and formed a new band, and the vacant drummer position was filled by Manuela Zwingmann the same year. While German audiences were less than receptive at first, a United Kingdom tour opening for the Cocteau Twins resulted in a label deal with independent label 4AD Records. Their debut album, Fetisch and the singles Qual and Incubus Succubus II were released in 1983, all three making the UK Independent charts, even though the band wrote and performed in German.

Fetisch was met with unanimous critical acclaim from journalists and fans alike it impressed with its freshness and exhilarated with its power. There was no confusion over the German delivery – Anja Huwe epitomized the voice as instrument. The album reached no.3 in the independent charts behind the pulp pop of New Order and Aztec Camera. It stayed there. ‘The seductive foreplay had begun’.

Manuela Zwingmann left the band after one year, being replaced by Peter Bellendir. This lineup, Huwe / Rickers / Sangster / Ellerbrock / Bellendir proved to be the longest running. 1984 saw the release of the single Reigen and the album Tocsin, followed by a world tour through 1985.

The Sequenz EP was essentially a remake of a John Peel session, which had been originally recorded April 1985 and was broadcast in May 1985. The EP contained the tracks Jahr Um Jahr II, Autumn (the band’s first English lyrics, apart from brief snatches of English that appeared in Qual, Young Man and Tag für Tag) and Polarlicht but omitted Der Wind, which was played at the Peel sessions.

Ohh and happy birthday to me as it is that special day again…!

All together now “Happy Birthday Dear Penguin Happy Birthday To You…”

Sucked Out Chucked Out 1

Sucked Out Chucked Out 2

Sucked Out Chucked Out 3

Sucked Out Chucked Out 4

Sucked Out Chucked Out 5

Sucked Out Chucked Out 6

Sucked Out Chucked Out 7

Sucked Out Chucked Out 8

A conceptual project by The Ex concerning the shutting down of the Van Gelder paper and asbestos felt factory in Wormer in 1981 with the loss of 550 jobs. A bullet point dated history for this factory is written out below for anyone that cares to shift through any of the facts.

The Ex’s sound is much more industrial on this release, hardly surprising given the subject matter. I also believe that some members were squatting in the ruins of this old factory. The band recorded some of the tracks within this old industrial site so it is not too unlikely that some of the band may have lived there for a while.  

The recorded tracks for this project form eight sides of 7″ vinyl. All four 7″ records are nicely housed in a thin cardboard box with a large poster / lyric sheet, and a booklet explaining the closure and the illnesses which occured in some of the workforce from the mishandling of asbestos felt.