King Of Kings Video here
Tyburn Video here
Nicked all this off the following: Nic Bullen (Music) / You Tube (Videos) / Tony D (Puppies at work, Elaine, Lugworm, Brett photo) / Some web site (Info on The Pack)
Easy post what? Wish I could find pictures of The Pack or some flyers to put up…
The Pack:
Kirk Brandon – Vocals/Gtr
Simon Werner – Gtr
Jon Werner – Bass
Rab Fae Beith (& later, Jim Walker) – Drums
Formed in Clapham in 1978, The Pack emerged from the anarchist squat scene of South London – a seething mass of angst & rage. The group consisted of Kirk Brandon, ex- pat Canadians, the Werner brothers, & Scottish drummer, Rab Fae Beith.They made their live debut at a show for The Camden Film Co-Op & duly proceeded to scare the living shit out of their audience & themselves with their dark take on Punk Rock. Many of the group’s shows ended in mini riots – broken chairs & glass strewn across one trashed venue after another.The Pack’s debut 45 on SS Records (SS Pak 1 – August 1979) was one of those visceral, abrasive cacophonies that gave the genre its name in the 1st place. “Heathen” was simply one of the greatest sides ever produced by a Punk group. Menacing & dangerous – it was absolutely guaranteed to clear the room of anyone over 30 if dropped on the decks in public. The sheer power of Brandon’s seething vocal recalled the original sin of Johnny Rotten crossbred with something far more sinister.
The choice of SS Records as their record label only added to the implied furore (unfortunately, The Stooges & Patti Smith’s flirtations with Nazi chic were very influential amongst the impressionable young Punks of the UK & this sort of behaviour was de rigour for many hard line anarchists – more in an attempt to shock that any deep rooted racism, I might add). The 45’s other side, “Brave New Soldiers”, was far more indicative of the direction Brandon would later take with Theatre Of Hate: brooding, threatening & laced with iconography.
The single became an instant classic on the (by then) Punk Rock underground – cherished by the Old School as a celebration of honest 1st wave intent & championed by the 2nd wave as a gateway to the future – The Pack were soon a byword for authenticity & a no sell out mentality.
The Pack’s second 45, “King Of Kings”/”Number 12” (RT 025 – 1979), saw the group move to the nascent Rough Trade Records – already the doyens of the rapidly expanding independent scene. By this stage Rab Fae Beith had been replaced at the drum stool by Jim Walker (PIL). “King Of Kings” was every bit the equal of “Heathen” – drenched in biblical imagery & featuring a red cross on the cover – this was a second slice of prime disgust – malevolent to the extreme – & fucking brilliant with it. “No 12” was another up-tempo assault with acrobatic vocals & in your face bass – groundbreaking.
The Pack were so incendiary they were never going to last long – & sure enough – in early 1980, almost as quick as it started, it was over. Brandon was soon working in a Booths’ Gin factory for his sins – carefully plotting his future. The group’s final gig took place at the 101 Club in Clapham. Ironically, the show was a total sell out by the time The Pack hit the stage – unfortunately, it was already way too late to turn back.
The Pack released a handful of posthumous releases:
“Kirk Brandon & The Pack Of Lies EP” (SS 2N1 – 1980)
“Long Live The Past EP” (CYCLOPS 1 – 1982)
“The Pack Live 1979” – Cassette Only – (DONUT 2 – 1982).
Steve
March 8, 2008 at 2:25 amVideo for Tyburn as well (!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw2U2RL1pN8
Penguin • Post Author •
March 8, 2008 at 2:30 amYeah, already up on the post old bean…
Steve
March 8, 2008 at 2:35 amSorry – going blind!
Chris
March 8, 2008 at 1:36 pmI’ve got that live Pack Tape. thought i’d passed it on to you? if not, will do next time we meet – glorious stuff!!
Chris
March 8, 2008 at 1:55 pmfunnily enough, just realised that not only did the Apostles rip off the riff for ‘Number 12’ on some song but the solo on King of Kings was lifted for a Political Asylum number.
They don’t exactly look like they’d ‘scare the living shit’ out of Godfrey from Dads Army with that stage show, still, full marks to the bassist for rocking the 1979 ‘white dinner jacket’ look mucho loved (invariably along with heroin) by members of Gen X/The Pretenders/Ruts DC etc.
Tony Puppy
March 9, 2008 at 9:54 amWhat Patti Smith flirtation with Nazi Chic?
Also, the ‘S.S.’ label has been discussed in a previous download comments regarding Theatre of Hate. Wasn’t it something to do with a Stiff Records offshoot?
Penguin • Post Author •
March 9, 2008 at 10:01 amYeah, stuck the whole article up, cos I felt lazy…I originally thought this about SS records until Lugworm put me straight half a year ago! All these years Kirk B has been flirting with the imagery, I assumed SS was part of it….you live and learn old bean.
Tony Puppy
March 9, 2008 at 10:12 amI thought you’d written the piece yourself Penguin.
Penguin • Post Author •
March 9, 2008 at 2:34 pmNah felt too lazy that day Boney…all this post is nicked off someone or other…
danmac
March 10, 2008 at 11:42 amhmmm yeah, i think ‘the ugly truth’ by the apostles does bear a slight family resemblance to ‘number 12’ in
the ‘dark history of the sex gang children’ on dave sex gang’s my space page has a fair bit of interest about the brixton punk scene and punk squatting in general – well worth a read and would sit well alongside bob and tony’s bits though slightly contentious here and there…
danmac
March 10, 2008 at 7:34 pmps even if you cant be bothered to read it, you should still know that the name ‘sex gang children’ was bought off of boy george for a full english breakfast the day before giro day. definitely one for the national history curriculum.
Nic
March 10, 2008 at 8:15 pmAn interesting read in relation to the beginnings…
and absolutely hilarious later on: what a cross fellow!…
🙂
Dan – did you play ‘The Ugly Truth’ with Carnage / Black Cross as well? I seem to remember it being mentioned…
John No Last Name
March 11, 2008 at 6:52 amHi Dan, always great to see you posting!
Now if we are going to give Terry Razor and Kirk Brandon a pass for their ‘inadvertent’ use of S.S are we also going to say that changing the bands name to ‘spear of destiny’ was also due to a mishap at the pressing plant?
Looking back there was a lot of flirting with fascist imagery for it’s shock value back in those days from Bowie’s accidental Nazi salute and comments about how England would be better off with a fascist dictator. The Ants “concentrate on camp in a concentration camp” and ‘deutsche girls’ Sid Vicious’ swastika t-shirt etc. My personal fave was after Joy Division caught a critical shit storm for the Nazi connection to their name, they named their next band ‘new order’. Hilarious stuff.
Of course none of these bands were actually facist, or even racist, no that was more the realm of mainstream pop bands like 10cc (anyone remember the lyrics to ‘dread lock holiday’?
John No Last Name
March 11, 2008 at 6:54 amI remember getting a cassette of the Pack live in Brixton, from Luggy (if my memory serves me correctly) I remember it being really good.
Penguin • Post Author •
March 11, 2008 at 10:00 amThis is what Luggs reckons on the origins of the SS label on a Theatre Of Hate post:
Luggy Says:
January 12th, 2008 at 1:09 pm edit
IIRC Terry Razor, their manager ran an office/shop for Stiff Records near the Notting Hill side of Portobello called Stiff ‘Secret Service’. Probably where the SS originated. I remember going in there and blagging a Damned ‘Strecher Case Baby’ single off him.
danmac
March 11, 2008 at 11:18 amhi john – really good to see you here for the retirement home reminiscence sessions too…
we played the ugly truth with carnage, we didn’t do it with the apostles, but they started doing it again later. during the session for the first single it was recorded with new lyrics – an anti-sugar song re-titled ‘the white killer’ – a version must be lying in the vaults somewhere which could now be dusted down and used to spearhead the governments anti-obesity strategy.
i too got that tape off luggy – the pack’s man on the street in the early 80s.
and on a saddish where are they now note: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/generalnews/display.var.1984445.0.punk_rocker_sues_over_antidepressant.php
gerard
March 11, 2008 at 11:46 amGreat comment underneath the story:
Posted by: clawback, @ the compo courts on 4:33pm Tue 22 Jan 08
Im suing punk rock for making me depressed!
Nic
March 11, 2008 at 12:37 pm🙂
The rest of the comments after the article are rather depressing though…oops – wait a minute – I forgot it was the Internet…
🙂
I totally agree with John: the whole ‘SS’ thing seems very disingenuous, and the flirattion with fascsistci imagery was probably more to do with the seductive qualities of powerful imagery than any real belief in a philosophical position, which makes it tacky and thoughtless rather than dangerous…
Thanks for the info too, Dan…
Steve
March 11, 2008 at 8:04 pmTalking of amusing comments, did anybody look at the ones underneath the Tyburn video?
Somebody posting under the name ‘tattooedandgodlike’ reveals that the footage was filmed at the Nashville Rooms and the whole set was in fact shot. Then later on somebody pipes up “the guitarist is my Dad”, to which tattooedandgodlike replies “I wouldn’t claim that wanker as my Dad”.
Not exactly the Alonquin Round Table, is it?!
Steve
March 11, 2008 at 8:05 pmOr Algonquin Round Table, come to that!
André Faria
April 12, 2008 at 1:26 pmgreat stuff.
BTW, The Price you pay, One eyed jacks and World service are, at last, available on CD with lots of extras… And Crazy pink revolvers´s First Down will be next…
davecress
April 12, 2008 at 6:08 pmfantastic to find this to see some footage of the pack just made my day
Paul
May 4, 2008 at 3:05 pmNot sure if anyone knows this,
Dead Ronin CD (The Pack) released in 2000
the disc has the two above as video enhanced tracks
Lyrics and info, worth a look anyway
Kirk still does the odd Pack number every now and then
St Teresa was done in April of this year at the Limelight
av a couple of flyers will send pics
Chris
May 5, 2008 at 10:59 amMicky – just found my copy of:
“The Pack Live 1979” – Cassette Only – (DONUT 2 – 1982).
plus a load of other tapes. let me know when you fancy popping by next and i’ll get em all looked out for you.
Rab
May 24, 2008 at 9:14 pmWell I can tell you about the SS thing as I was the Pack drummer.Terry Razor worked at stiff and he stole/borrowed stiffs mobile recording truck.He turned up at a rehearsal room in market street islington.We recorded two tracks with Liam Steinberg the then in house producer of stiff for Rachel Sweet and Kirsty Macoll,he also wrote walk like an egyptian a few years later.
Anyway after the recording Terry and Liam disappeared only to resurface a couple of weeks later with the finished product.
The Pack had nothing to with the mixing,choosing the record label. It was all Terry as first we knew was when we received a 45.
And yes SS does stand for Secret Service his office.
Rab
May 24, 2008 at 9:28 pmYes Steve the whole of the nashville rooms gig was filmed.We were supporting a band called The Edge as John Werner was in that band and they sacked him and gave us the suppoort as a say sorry.
The Edge inc Jon Moss of Culture Club and Lou from the Damned.
Me and Kirk used to work for a youth club in Vauxhall London and the guy that ran it had a reel to reel video camera so showed up and filmed the whole show.
Fuck knows where that film is now.
luggy
May 25, 2008 at 12:34 pmGreat to hear from you, Rab. Used to love your gigs, you were my favourite band gigging in London at the time. Don’t know why you weren’t more popular with the punters.
Are John & Simon still with us? I remember you all being really friendly people.
Thanks for stepping in on drums that night that we (Mental Disorder) supported The Wall at The Clarendon when our drummer didn’t turn up.
Willie Veitch
July 30, 2008 at 11:48 amRab, how’s it going? I used to be the “manager” of The Wall with Ian.
Rab
August 1, 2008 at 10:36 pmMy god Willie,last I heard you robbed the off licence and done a runner.so what’s the story ma man?
Willie Veitch
August 13, 2008 at 11:06 amRab ma man,
Surviving. I was just scooting around on the internet (not available when we were scooting around in a mini-bus with Patrick Fitzgerald) an’ came across some stuff about you.
Good luck ma man.
Cheers,
Willie.
Steve Corr
October 8, 2008 at 7:02 pmHey Willie
When did you last see Patrick.
Is he back in the UK? Last I heard he was down under in NZ or Australia.
Tried adding him to my friends in myspace but some weird stuff about his last name. I always thought it was Fitzgerald but it wouldn’t accept it.
Steve
Rab, you didn’t play with PIL as well did you? I had some friends years ago who squatted a house in Upper Clapton (Forburg Road) and in the basement they found some cymbals and sticks and stuff with “The Pack” stickers on them and also an un cashed (obviously) for X amount.
I can’t remember the guys name.
Steve
luggy
October 8, 2008 at 7:35 pmSteve, Jim Walker who played for The Pack after Rab left was the bloke who drummed for P.I.L.
John (Pack's Bass Player)
November 16, 2008 at 9:55 amStumbled accross this site and all The Pack links tonight. Glad to hear some folks are still interested in the band. Interesting hearing some early tracks … especially tracks like Machineworld and Vauxhall Savage which I had forgotten about. I loved playing in The Pack and would always be game for a reunion.