In The Lab / The News At Ten / Automatic Image / Fascist In The High Street / The Fearful Darkness (original tape)
In The Lab / The News At Ten / Automatic Image / Fascist In The High Street / The Fearful Darkness (digitally remastered version)
A great quality tape lent to me by Chris Low from the seemingly bottomless pit that is his tape archive, the photographs are from the personal collection of Chris Low and Mikey P.
Recorded after the departure of Chantelle, Jozie and Peat Protest, this session recorded at Recession Studios featured Andy Martin of The Apostles on vocals and lead guitar. Ivan strummed along, Leon plucked the bass and Mike thrashed the skins.
After this recording The Assassins Of Hope shortened the band name to simply The Assassins.
Text below supplied by Andy Martin, the original tape recording was kindly digitally remastered by Luc Tran of UNIT. Thanks to both of them.
The Assassins Of Hope? The simple fact is that I have absolutely no memory of ever recording anything with that group, my presence on this recording is stranger still as Ivan was the only member of the band who didn’t utterly detest me!
Quite how I was enlisted to help the band record these five tracks is a profound mystery to me. There was no love lost between us; Leon in particular made his opinion of me public in various fanzines – I suspect his socialist political beliefs were offended since I never disguised my own fascist sympathies at the time, despite being stridently opposed to racism; this was probably the only common factor in our political ideals. Stating all that, Leon was first person I ever met who was totally into The Jam, it was he who introduced me to the works of that band.
This tape sounds like it was recorded on a decent quality portastudio yet I have no recollection of the actual session. I can’t tell you exactly where it was recorded although it would most likely have been at Recessions Studios, Ponsford Road in Hackney, on one of those better quality cassette portastudio devices.
“Come back Chantelle, all is forgiven” is a reference to one of the original singers in the group – she absolutely loathed and despised me while I held her in nothing but complete contempt. I have never been able to tolerate communists and I found the company of wealthy, spoiled teenagers profoundly irritating. Since these people were both communists and from wealthy privileged families then contretemps were inevitable. Why are so few working class people drawn to maxism? Perhaps because communism has little of real substance to offer us, whereas the sons and daughters of the rich can afford to indulge their political fantasies.
To be fair, they must have found my own working class consciousness little more than prejudice (or even jealously) and after all, we cannot be held responsible for the social circumstances into which we are born. I never had any problems with Ivan, however, so I assume I wasn’t a complete bigot.
My guitar playing on this session isn’t quite so abysmal although I still sing like a strangled parakeet.
The final two tracks will be oddly familiar to anyone who has heard the sixth Apostles album ‘The Other Operation’. I used the bass guitar lines, guitar chords and melodies for the track ‘A World We Never Made’.
Thanks Penguin for getting these recordings to me, apologies that my memory on the studio session is somewhat hazy.
The debut cassette release ‘Slowmotion Suicide’ is available to listen to on the site HERE
A live performance recorded at Centro Iberico is available to listen to on this site HERE
martin (braindamage)
October 5, 2011 at 7:02 pmthanks a lot for that penguin, much appreciated. not sure who that PMSL11 is but he/she seemed a bit too sarcastic for my liking, i dont know if he / she is a friend of josie and being over protective (for what reason i dont know) as all i said on a previous post to chantal (aoh) was i hope josie is ok and doing well after all these years. i’ve not seen or been in touch with any of the assassins of hope members for over 25 years so was just nice to know they are all doing well, especially as it seems a lot of the old faces from the early 1980’s have died! tragic and such a waste.
thanks again penguin.
martin (braindamage)
October 5, 2011 at 7:26 pmhey josie!! martin here, how are you doing? so good to hear from you after 25+ years. i recently spoke to chantal on this site too, glad she, mike and leon are all doing good as well. i only found this site by accident a few weeks ago and saw you’d just made contact with chantal after many years, i’m glad you two are in touch as you were best friends all them years back, like sisters! i recently heard you’re settled / married in northamptonshire with two sons? thats cool! i really hope you’re happy and lifes treating you good. wasnt sure you’d want to make contact with me, but very glad you have. i live in hertfordshire but spend most weekends in bristol as thats where my partner lives.
cant believe how the years have flown by, doesnt seem that long ago that about 20 of us were all living in petherton road islington, then sinclair road sheperds bush! all grown up now!
martin. xxx
Josie
October 7, 2011 at 4:27 pmPMSl11 – I’m intrigued! Who are you?
chantal AOH
October 7, 2011 at 7:24 pmWe want to know?
martin (braindamage)
January 2, 2012 at 5:05 pmdont give a toss who you are PMSL11, hiding behind that ridiculous user name and nothing better to do than come out with snidey comments, poking your unwanted nose into other peoples conversations.
pmsl11
January 22, 2012 at 11:57 amThanks for the comment damage. And a very Happy New Year to you.
Penguin • Post Author •
January 22, 2012 at 12:50 pmHi Martin; don’t worry about replying to pmsl11. After some thought and in respect to you and Josie and other browsers on this thread I have banned pmsl11’s IP address from KYPP. Hopefully this kind of trolling will now stop from this individual.
martin (braindamage)
February 1, 2012 at 2:42 pmThanks very much penguin.
Tufty
May 31, 2013 at 1:05 amHola everyone, saw all this chat and thought I should drop a line. First off … big love to Josie and Ivan…. long time eh?
So, surfaced back living in Brazil after a turbulent period in UK and Europe, but all is good.
Currently speaking to Steve Fish via Skype. Talking about Hagar and The Mob reforming and reckon Rachels Pilchards and Assassins should follow the trend (unless I missed something?) which is why I ended up on this site…
Chantal and Martin, sorry if I went awol, but my computer crashed with all my passwords and stuff and my Facebook was created via some random mail address, so that was fucked and just never got back to another one.
If you ever happen to be near Rio….. 🙂
Not sure when I’ll be back in the UK as nowhere to stay, but I reckon there must be some way to change contact details without telling the whole world. Can we pm?
As for NIg… went under a train – in fact two. Long story and seriously tragic.
Respect to you all.
I’ll check back in case anyone leaves a message.
luggy
June 2, 2013 at 3:15 pmLast time I saw you Tufty was on the night my sprog was born at your party in the squatted yard between Cheshire St & the railway line. Remember naturally buzzing my tits off, great to hear some old punk rock at the party too. Glad that you’re still out there.
Tufty
June 4, 2013 at 9:05 pmHola Luggy,
In ’93 I left the London to explore the world – after Cheshire Street – and never managed to reconnect properly with the UK.
Awesome parties though… 🙂
Hope you are well. Good to hear from you.
leon
July 7, 2013 at 11:28 amHello Tufty
Really sweet to hear you are well and living in Rio.
I am living in East London and Mike is in Hastings. Ivan is in Japan and is doing well despite living right where the Tsunami hit a while back. I see Peat from time to time and I am hoping to meet Jo (sie ) for the first time in 30 years later this month. Chantal is living in Somerset .
I will inform people that you have left a message on KYPP as I am sure they will be delighted to hear from you. I am sorry to find out about Nig though.
All the best
Leon
Tufty
July 16, 2013 at 2:28 amLeon…
Excellent! Great to hear from you.
Often wondered where everyone went, as it all became very dark and dirty in the old Highbury area, as I’m sure you are aware. I was never sure who was actually still alive, but please give my love to all the gang.
I briefly spoke to Chantal a year or so ago – and was hoping to see her – but my life took a sudden turn into outer-outer-orbit… again!
So when is this reunion gig? 🙂
Hang on, I’m having a vision… I see an Assassins world tour…. –
Wapping Wall, Beaconsfield, Somerset, Fukushima, Rio, etc.
XXXX
Tufty