Two bands that seemed to always be in fanzines and on the bill at gigs in and around London.
For all the correspondence, reviews, and live gigs, the two bands (under these names) only managed one 7″ single between them. That particular victory goes to Sinyx. Both bands had one track each on the original ‘Bullshit Detector’ LP on Crass Records. That round ends in a draw. The Eratics were mainstays of the St James Church squat gigs in Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, N1. I think they organised a lot of the nights there. Victory to The Eratics in that round. That makes, over three rounds, one victory and one draw each. Well done both the bands!
The Eratics from Waltham Cross, just outside North London were pretty ropey music wise though, but they did have a big input into the scene. During this gig they give their special salute to the happy couple, Chas and Di who got hitched a week or so before this gig (not in or around Southend it must be stressed!). The band metamorphised eventually into Look Mummy Clowns but called it a day in 1985. Search for the Look Mummy Clowns only 7″ single somewhere else on this site.
The Sinyx were from Southend and also shared members with Kronstadt Uprising, also from this town. Thanks to Chris Low for the lend of the tape.
Chris
January 29, 2008 at 4:31 amGLORIOUS STUFF! “Big Boss Big Toss” and “Free Hour Spirit” are both utter and total classics. Surprised this tape has even lasted as I must have played it non stop for weeks after I got it. Did they ever even record anything in a studio? Would love to hear it if so.
I’ve got a load more Sinyx tapes that i’ll dig out and get to you soon
luggy
January 29, 2008 at 12:41 pmStringy’s still performing under various guises:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=75317214
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=170821048
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=40612918
Nic
February 4, 2008 at 6:25 pmThe Sinyx are probably my favourite band from that era – such an aggressive and overwhelming sound…They still make me want to smash up the room when I hear them…
“Don’t forget to catch your train – don’t forget to forget your brain…
You , you’re scared to bits, working in a 9-to-5 Auschwitz!”
I only saw them once – at the Centro in 1982 – which was also the only time I saw The Mob…
There has been talk of a complete Sinyx retrospective (by Grand Theft Audio) but it seems to have stalled at the moment…
The Eratics were like ‘poster boys’ for Fack fanzine – they seemed to be in every issue! 😉
(Incidentally copies of 3 and 4 of Fack fanzine went for a few quid recently on ebay – not bad for duplicated fanzines!)…
Didn’t Mike from Toxic Grafity play in the Eratics for a while when they started?
My band were supposed to play a gig with Look Mummy Clowns in Nottingham in mid 1983, but their van didn’t make it…
Chris
February 4, 2008 at 7:09 pmYea, it lists mike of TG in the Eratics line-up in the feasture on them in the issue of Toxic Grafitti before the flexi-disc one.
Which reminds me, I’ve scanned a load of old zine covers so check your email Micky!
Mandy Cat Juggler
April 20, 2008 at 1:11 pmThe Sinyx CD will be out soon from GTA, we are awaiting a delivery.
Graham Burnett
May 5, 2008 at 2:47 pmI remember the Sinyx/Eratics gig featured on this tape. Sinyx were mainstays of Focus Youth Centre, gigging there regularly and were very popular with the local punks as well as having the Anarcho-punk following outside of the town. There were punk gigs every Monday evening at Focus, and it was quite a treat when the Sinyx brought their mates The Eratics down for a shared gig, my recollection was that the thirty or 40 odd punks would all be leaping about whilst the youth club regulars would happily carry on playing pool totally oblivious to the racket emanating from the stage – we just took it all for granted back in the day – its strange how some of these gigs have now aquired some kind of ‘legendary’ status.
One of the best Sinyx gigs was when they played on the back of a lorry in Southend carnival in 1980, flanked by all their punky fans and with a big ‘New Crimes’ (my fanzine) banner hanging from the cab. The Young Liberals were on the float behind us and were submitted to much undeserved abuse IIRC…
A few years later (mid 80s) Paul Barrett (Alien) of Sinyx had got heavily into skinhead culture (well he always was, acually, probably more so than anarcho culture) and was producing a ‘real skinhead’ fanzine called Hard As Nails with Ian Fry, who was part of the ‘ranting poets’ scene, this was partly intended to counter the racist elements that had hijacked skin culture, and promoted anti-racsist ideas, as well as a ‘back to the roots’ thing about skinheads being about working class culture, pride in dress, listening to ska, etc, etc… Anyway, one night I was walking home from a pub or somewhere when I saw a load of freshly put up (paste still wet) British Movement posters on a billboard. “These are coming down”, I thinks to myself, and started peeling them off. A car suddenly pulls up and silhoueted against the street lights I can make out the shape of two skinheads… “What d think your playing at?” says one of them – I’m just mentally preparing for the inevitable kicking I’m about to recieve when they step into the light – “oh its you!” – its Alien and Fry – they were on the lookout for the poster perpetrators and had assumed I’d been putting the posters UP, not pulling them down! Phew!!
Haven’t seen Alien for a few years now, last I heard he was a psychiatric nurse and still involved with promoting rights for people with mental health issues, no surprise when you look back on some of the Sinyx lyrics, though not sure if he still promotes ideas such as “Basket makings not for you, bomb making is what you’ll do!!”
Graham Burnett
May 5, 2008 at 6:47 pmI’m afraid that ‘Blot Tapes’ were always slightly disingenuous with their ‘limited edition’ individual tape numbering system, eg, the above would appear to be number 412, however note that this was also release number 004 on the Blot label – they would take the release number and use this as a prefix to actual copies sold, so in fact the scanned tape shown is actually the 12th copy they sold, not the 412th…
chris
May 7, 2008 at 9:42 amBizarre though it may sound, the Sinyx drumming had a big influence on me. It just sounded so unlike how drumming ‘usually’ sounded.
Something very evident if you check out that live Political Asylum tape that has been put up recently and check out an (unrecorded) song called ‘Spectacular Society’ – a rather profound , albeit metal-tinged, Sinyx ‘influence’.
Graham Burnett
May 7, 2008 at 6:57 pmWhatever became of ‘Fack’ fanzine, er??
6 Minute War did a ‘thinly veiled’ attack on ‘D@p and Joo’ called ‘Marker Pens’ which seemed to upset them a bit…
No doubt he will turn up on one of these forums soon enough…
Nic
May 7, 2008 at 7:43 pmAh, I never knew that ‘Marker Pens’ was about David and Julie Fack, Graham…very interesting…
luggy
May 21, 2008 at 7:46 pmBump!
Stringy & Dan are playing in Stokey for free this Sun as War-Torn Tel.
Not sure if I’ll make it back in time from the Paradise Gardens Vicky Park festy for this:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/war-torn-tel/HRAS25maycolour-1-1.jpg
Graham Burnett
August 10, 2008 at 3:27 amCan confirm the GTA Sinyx CD is now out – I picked up copy in a Los Angeles punk rock shop (but resisted the urge to buy a Misfits ashtray or a Sex Pistols light switch cover however…), the man in the punk rock shop seemed quite impressed that a picture of New Crimes 1 and a photo of the Sinyx by me were in the booklet. Blimey when I was watching the Sinyx in the Focus youth club in 1980 I never for one second imagined that 28 years later I’d be listening to them blasting out on a car stereo whilst cruising down Sunset Boulevard, Beverley Hills, Bel Air, etc. The lines ‘Your Decandence Will Not Last, you’ll drown in champagne one day” never sounded so apt as blaring out whilst driving down Hollywood Boulevard…
And it was also great be remined of the wonderful lyrics of ‘Bullwood Hall’ -“System locks girls behind doors/Just for breaking poxy laws” Well, doh!
Penguin • Post Author •
August 10, 2008 at 9:34 amOut of interest, whats the tracklisting on this CD Graham?
Graham Burnett
February 16, 2009 at 10:49 pmFor those interested, there is a wonderful selection of photos of the above mentioned The Sinyx playing on the back of the lorry at Southend Carnival 1980 on Steve Pegrum’s Southend Punks website courtesy of Ray Ellis http://www.southendpunk.com/html/carnival.html
Seems however that my recollection of a New Crimes banner was a case of false memory syndrome as there doesn’t appear to be any sign of it in these pics..
Enjoy folks!
WG
January 30, 2010 at 11:37 pmThis Site has Images From Sinyx Gigs
and other punk gigs In Southend and Essex.
http://www.southend-sites.co.uk/
It also has a listing gigs happening this year 2010.
Nic
January 31, 2010 at 11:27 amI’ve been visiting that Southend Punk site for a while now: lots of interesting information…
Anyone planning on going to the cinema for the ‘Oil City Confidential’ (Julian Temple’s film about Dr Feelgood) premiere on this coming Tuesday?
Graham Burnett
January 31, 2010 at 8:21 pmIts showing at the local Odeon (the only surviving cinema in town) in Southend for one day only, unfortunately I’m putting on the Crass film (No Authority But Yourself) at the Permaculture Picture House in Dalston that evening 🙁