7″ SINGLE TRACKS
DEMO TRACKS
The Machinist / Suffering By Fire / Cold World / Illusion
Irrational / Opening Doors / Life On A Wire / Pride / Brother Murder / Confrontation
LIVE TRACKS
Uploaded for you tonight are the first couple of demo tapes from Hornchurch’s Cold War, a live performance from the Autonomy Centre Wapping, plus for good measure the only 7″ single released by the band. Might as well keep all Cold War recorded output together!
Cold War were formed around 1980 in Hornchurch, Essex – somewhere near the end of the District Line. Chris Knowles (bass), Kev Bulmer (drums), Paul Harding (guitar) and Ian Smith (vocals) were all school friends. Chris and Kev ran the Rasquap products tape label where they released most of their various bands including legends like What Is Oil? and the Boiled Eggs.
Taking their influences from punk and post-punk, Cold War were a powerful but melodic band. Their debut gig (if memory serves) was at the Cliffs pavilion in Southend where the Apostles also played. This meeting led to an introduction to the Wapping A-Centre where the band played on a number of occasions.
Over a period of a year to 18 months, the band released a few cassettes, including ‘Live At the Autonomy Centre 18-10-81’ and the 6 tracks album ‘Irrational’. These were followed by their only single ‘the Machinist’ on Namedrop records.
Chris, also a drummer, was invited to join Hagar The Womb in late 1980. Cold War split around 1982 with Ian taking up sax and later joining his brothers band Seventh Séance (ex-Orange Cardigan). Paul was later to join Hagar The Womb after the departure of Jon From Bromley during the recording of their first 12” single ‘The Word Of The Womb’.
Chris and Paul continued with Hagar The Womb for the rest of their career, later forming We Are Going To Eat You and subsequently Melt. Chris and Paul later became interested in Techno and post Melt, Chris became DJ Chris Liberator and Paul…
Ian vanished off the face of the earth (with his sax) and Kev recently emigrated to Australia.
Thanks to Graham Burnett for the photograph above of Cold War at Wapping Autonomy Centre and to Jon FB for the text on the band above and for the lend of the live cassette.
The photographs above are from Tod’s collection and shows Hagar The Womb members Ruth and Janet (both together) and Karen, all mucking about in the Wapping Autonomy Centre toilets.
Cold War performed at this venue on a few occasions and a few months after these photographs would have been taken at the centre, Hagar The Womb managed to recruit the services of Chris and Paul on drum and guitar duties, both Chris and Paul were members of Cold War.
Many more of Tod’s photographs of the Wapping Autonomy toilets can be viewed in the photo archive under the heading Wapping Autonomy Centre, quick link HERE
Graham Burnett
April 29, 2009 at 12:06 amI have this photo of Cold War taken at the Wapping A Centre late 81 or early 82 http://www.gb0063551.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/anarchopunk/original/coldwar.jpg – feel free to copy it to the KYPP archive along with any others here http://www.gb0063551.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/anarchopunk/
alistairliv
April 29, 2009 at 6:59 amGreat photos by Tod. Perhaps in years to come, the Wapping A Centre will be as famous as the Roxy or the UFO Club… on second thoughts 28 years have come and gone and it is still not famous. Infamous yes, famous no.
Ian
April 29, 2009 at 4:10 pmIs that photo of Cold War the right was round? Two left handed guitarists and a left handed drummer, quite unusual. I’m left handed and work in the photographic industry, sadly I notice these things. I’ll shut up now I think…
Graham Burnett
April 29, 2009 at 5:33 pmI think you are right Ian, I scanned this pic years ago, can’t think why I would have made it a mirror image though… Feel free to make it the right way round again if you decide to use it for the site Penguin…
Penguin • Post Author •
July 18, 2009 at 1:03 pmCold War live cassette from Autonomy Centre 10/81 is now uploaded onto this post.