Legion / Heathen / Brave New Soldiers / St Theresa / Death To Life / Tyburn
Thalidomide / Kink Of Kings / Somewhere / Number Twelve
The Pack arseing about at the end of the tape!
Indebted to Chris ‘Spike’ Low for the lend of this tape, scorching stuff on this cassette. How Kirk Brandon’s voice survived for the next night let alone through Theatre Of Hate to Spear Of Destiny is a mystery to me. He really lets his vocals hit 11 on the screechomiter on this tape, recorded (anyone know where or when?) in the crowd, seemingly by a couple of Derek and Clive’s on the pull at the gig. The amount of times you hear them on the tape. Sluts indeed!
The sound quality and original editing is not the best, but it does give a feel of what it must have been like to hear Kirk Brandons ‘untamed’ vocal style of 1979. The tape itself is over 28 years old so there are a couple of dropouts. Still this tape is as rare as hen’s teeth…so you get what you get!
The arseing about I put up separately to the music, quite amusing little snippets at the end of the tape.
Added kudos points go to Chris for having a personal message inside the cover of his tape by Mr Donut himself, Jim Walker, Straps, Pack, and P.I.L. band member amongst no doubt others I have forgotten at this time.
Jim Walkers first release on Donut Records, The Straps 7″single is on this site somewhere as is more Pack material. Use the search function to find these gems.
Wish someone would go through their boxes in the loft and find some photos of this band. I have none, so I replace any photos of the band with a couple of photos showing some work shy stinky squatters lazing about somewhere off the Caledonian Road, N1 circa 1979. Thank you Stewart.
HOLD THE PRESS
Mick Lugworm has found a photo to put on the site:
And Mike Clarke a flyer for (possibly) this gig uploaded.
Ari-Up
August 2, 2008 at 3:01 amHello- Ari from The Slits here – just wanted to drop a note to tell ya how impressive your site is.
I just spent 2 hours reading an bringing back sum insane memories – your blog is spot on and one of the few sites on early punk that i just did not skim through. Me an my son just stumbled on to this site and glad we did!
With help from son – i know barely how to do a thing on computers -we are downloading lots of music i have not heard in years!
The Slits we soon be touring with Nina Hagen in Germany for a few gigs in the cumming months.
Cheers for your excellent blog
Ari
luggy
August 2, 2008 at 9:14 amI think this tape was from their gig at Lambeth Town Hall, notable for the amount of tuinal zombies at it. I taped this gig myself with much better sound quality that picked up loads more of the banter between Kirk & the punters but I can’t find it anywhere.
Someone might still have a copy as plenty of people borrowed & copied it back in the day. Great gig anyway.
luggy
August 2, 2008 at 9:41 amJust listened to the 2nd side. You can hear me shouting out for ‘Number Twelve’ (I still love that song) just before they play it & ‘Pack of Lies’ at the end of it. If it was the same Brixton gig that I taped, my tape had them coming out for an encore of ‘Pack of Lies’.
Penguin • Post Author •
August 2, 2008 at 12:57 pmHi Ari, thanks for your support, glad you like some of the stuff up here. Keep checking back for more of the same. We had a bit of a KYPP reunion at a Subway Sect gig in Highbury some weeks ago now, let us know if The Slits perform in London and maybe we could have another x
Luggy dear, do you happen to know the date of the Pack gig at all? Have you looked in your loft for any flyers or photos of the band? Would be good to get them up here.
luggy
August 2, 2008 at 2:04 pmHey Pengy
I don’t have a loft but I have just been rooting around for my tape again to no avail. From my jaded memory, I think the gig may have been August ’79. I haven’t got any photos or flyers but maybe Rab might have some from when he used to drum for them.
Nic
August 2, 2008 at 2:06 pmArchival information about The Pack is almost non-existent which is quite surprising really considering who was involved…
The Pack – ‘Kings of Kings’…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5t2NLn4Ts8
The Pack – ‘Tyburn’…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw2U2RL1pN8
I’ve heard good things about recent Slits concerts – nice to know…
Just the other day I was talking to someone about when we saw the Slits at Digbeth Civic Hall (Birmingham) – I was 12 then, and loved the dub booming out…
luggy
August 2, 2008 at 3:35 pmThere used to be a Pack section on a message board called BabylonTalks that Kirk used to have. It’s offline now, he probably got fed up of people taking the piss out of him over the Boy George affair!
Ari, I remember seeing you about when I used to go on shoplifting (Slits ref!) missions down North End Rd. You were far too scary-looking in those days for me (as a suburban kid) to have the nerve to say hello . Glad you’re still making music.
slyme68
August 2, 2008 at 4:47 pmtalking of gigs which may be played, slits or otherwise, howzabout a thread where people can add shows/events which others might like to see? for example, manufactured romance at the bridge house 2 in canning town tomorrow nite.
Definitely not Stewart
August 2, 2008 at 6:58 pmHey, that bloke in the photos is pretty damn cool…
John
August 2, 2008 at 7:41 pmYeah he looks familiar, wasn’t he in that movie Breaking Glass?
Simon Wood
August 3, 2008 at 12:10 amAwesome stuff indeed. I just love this site and when it was temporarily shut down things just weren’t quite the same. I actually remember buying the Tuinol Antz Crass issue way back in the day. Somewhere buried in an older Mac I have a jpeg pic of Kirk Pack Electric Ballroom 79 must have been one of their later gigs. If I can dig it out I’ll try and send it on. Meanwhile thanks a lot chaps always looking forward to seeing what might show up next.
luggy
August 3, 2008 at 12:32 amWas that the Electric Ballroom gig they played with The Ruts? I remember Malcolm Owen trying to start a fight with me in the bar before the gig started!
luggy
August 3, 2008 at 12:48 amSlyme, a better gig on Sunday night will be:
http://a98.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/71/l_d1292b9041cab29ce95dd3ee36d3d999.jpg
Gay punk benefit in a squat, just like old times, eh?
Simon Wood
August 3, 2008 at 8:20 pmDon’t know which exact gig it was. The Ruts and the Pack. I’m jealous. I wasn’t there dragged the pic off the net somewhere a few years back. Guessing it was a later gig because Kirk was on the way to the TOH blond quiff look. Looks a bit like Billy Idol hairstyle wise.
Listening again to the gig some amazing moments. The last 30 seconds or so of Tyburn must go down as one of the most hair raisingly powerful punk rock moments ever. Would love to have a clean recording of these songs. Got a live at Brixton tape floating around somewhere but sound quality recording is actually better on the gig that is up here.
luggy
August 3, 2008 at 11:12 pmSimon, there’s the ‘Dead Ronin’ CD which contains the singles plus demos of ‘Legion’, ‘Abbatoir’, ‘Vauxhall Savage’, ‘Machineworld’, ‘St Theresa’ & ‘Thalidomide’. Unfortunately, the demos do sound a bit flat & don’t really do the band justice.
It also includes the live videos of ‘Tyburn’ & ‘King of Kings’ fron The Nashville.
Available for £3.99 & postage here:
http://www.themusicindex.com/commerce/pages/html/almafame3.htm
Download it from our friend Nuzz here:
http://nuzzprowlinwolf.blogspot.com/2007/11/pack-dead-ronin.html
Penguin • Post Author •
August 3, 2008 at 11:18 pmOr you can get it on this site as I uploaded the videos and demos several months ago. Use the search function and enter The Pack…
luggy
August 3, 2008 at 11:30 pm3 songs missing from your post though, Pengy!
BTW emailled you a pic of them from the CD.
Simon Wood
August 4, 2008 at 4:55 pmThanks for the tips. I’m pretty sure what I really want does not exist. That’s a super clean live recording. Still enjoy cranking up the old singles once in a while.
Found the Kirk pic on my old Mac sent it in….
Mike
August 5, 2008 at 9:37 amLuggy:there’s a Live at the Half Moon, Herne Hill tape about too.Has a cover and was numbered. Was that you as well? I copied it from a friend,
Kirk Brandon has a fairly amusing go at local squatters/anarchists somewhere inbetween one of the songs.Pengy,have a flier of Brixton Town Hall gig w/the Urge that I’ll scan for you too
Penguin • Post Author •
August 5, 2008 at 9:40 amNow the site is up again will need to meet up at some point Mike for the y’know…!
luggy
August 5, 2008 at 10:34 amMike, would that be the 101 Club? The only tape I made was from Brixton Town Hall unless my memory is totally fucked & it was from the 101 Club!
Anyway, my tape had Kirk taking the piss out of squatters, denying he’d ever heard of James Dean & had loads of chanting from Ealing XD. Can’t hear any of that on the Donut release so maybe I labelled my tape Brixton but always thought it was the Town Hall one as it was more memorable!
Simon Wood
August 5, 2008 at 8:38 pm“Anyone ever ‘eard of Marble Arch? No. Then you’re a load of c****s then….”
“This one’s for the tea bags”
Familiar?
Mike
August 6, 2008 at 2:34 pmLuggy,no it says Brixton Half Moon,Feb 1979.Mixing desk,number 135,11 tracks.If I remember it starts hafway into ‘St.Theresa’.Will have to listen to it again to catch the abuse he doles out as I recall it being v.amusing,if a little bitchy.
Pengy:definitely soon,I found another box,plus plundered a friend’s stash which I’m currently copying so will get
you some good stuff for th site
luggy
August 6, 2008 at 7:12 pmCheeers Mike, I forgot that the 101 Club was somewhere near Clapham Junction. Don’t think that I was at the Half Moon gig but may be wrong as I went to most of their London gigs. Be great to hear it sometime though.
Kirk had a great stage prescence back then which he lost a bit by the Theatre of Hate times. Probably because they were popular & didn’t get many hecklers.
Jah Pork Pie
August 7, 2008 at 12:14 am@Luggy-> 101 Club was at the top of St John’s Hill, Clapham Junction. I’m sure Lou played there once. It became the 101 Club in the late 70s, had a few good local punk bands on there, stayed open a few years into the 80s then became a roller disco! As far as I know it’s still got the dance floor and everything inside it but it hasn’t been open for years.
The only thing I really remember it for (apart from seeing Lou play there) was that a very straight-laced friend of mine went there in the roller disco days. She didn’t smoke cigs, let alone dope. Hardly ever drank either. Apparently a mate took her up to the 101 one Saturday as she was feeling a bit low, and she took the first illegal drug she’d ever encountered – namely, one tab of acid!
I couldn’t believe this when I heard it, and asked her what effect it had had. Had she seen things, had there been weird colours or shapes, were there any auditory hallucinations (had she heard new things in the music or had she imagined people talking to her)?
“No”, she replied, “I was a bit disappointed really, after all I’d heard about it. I didn’t see anything, hear anything or feel anything out of the ordinary. The only thing it did to me was make it smell like everyone was farting. Really badly, and all night long.” Bless!
luggy
August 7, 2008 at 10:16 amPork, I remember going with Lou to a few gigs there, can’t remember it being big enough for a roller disco though. Maybe your mate had a duff tab & everyone else was farting!
Found an old Pack curio last night, press release for their first single:
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z196/micklug/PackPress.jpg
Jah Pork Pie
August 7, 2008 at 11:04 am@Luggy->That was the odd thing about the 101. To borrow from Douglas Adams, “it was big enough to swing a cat inside, as long as the cat didn’t mind severe lacerations and head injuries” 🙂
Mike
August 7, 2008 at 4:13 pmLuggy@ I’ll pass that Herne Hill tape onto Penguin when I see him and he can stick it up here, plus a flier and couple of derogatory Sounds reviews. Quote:”The Pack are Dartmoor punx.Belated pseud rebels without a cause. Squat,flop and rot.They are slow and terminally heavy metal undermined.” Penned by one Dave McCullough!
Pork@ can’t remember going to the 101 Club.I liked the Nashville,the old Marquee and Acklam Hall,oh and the Windsor Castle down Harrow Road, if I remember one of those classic old man’s boozers
Grazza
August 22, 2008 at 2:52 pmHi all,
just reading about the PACK Tapes.I got the ‘black’ tape out of the back of melody maker. That was rough, or maybe just my copy I don’t know. I have a tape Brixton Live 1979 from the mixing desk. Must of bought this in Camden years ago. Heres the tracklisting:
Tracklisting: St Theresa, Pack of Lies, Pride and Prejudice, Thalidomide,British Justice, No 12, Somewhere, Tyburn, Heathen, Death to life, Abitoir.
Haven’t played it for a while so will give it a spin the morning. I seem to remember lots of banter. “Marble arch, you lot you would be hanging there”. I now live in Australia but would be happy to send out copies or trade. Anyone have any Actifed live/demos anywhere. Have a good tape of them with Sex Gang Children at Hammersmith (Club Foot) I think. Also any Manufactured Romance or Martian Dance would be good.
Cheers for the site, really great. Grazza at the arse end of the world!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike
August 22, 2008 at 3:35 pmGrazza:I have an Actifed demo if you want a copy,but it doesn’t sound a patch on the 12″s I remember or what they were like live,also some live M. Romance & 1 Martian Dance live.Hopefully some of these will be uploaded here at some point.
crow
August 26, 2008 at 10:37 pmoh my gawd, ACTIFED!
Grazza
August 27, 2008 at 10:03 amMike – would love to hear the demos and Manufactured Romance. The Martian Dance gig I have is from the Lyceum. The single still sounds alright as well. I’ll email you.
Crow – haha… beer money on the bar, all I wants another jar. Always did a good version of UK 79, the old Crisis tune. I spent a lot of time in west London around Acton, Chaos and the Satelites, crazy times….Have an Actifed show supporting Sex Gang Children at Klub Foot thats not too bad.
Anyway, I played the Pack tape. Sound is great and its a full set as listed. I’m gonna burn it to CD this weekend, so can mail it to anyone. If it can be posted that would be great. Kirk has some great on liners all the way through it.
Ok, gotta go, Grazza / outbackrnr
brixtonian human interface enumerator
August 27, 2008 at 9:50 pm” & had loads of chanting from Ealing XD…”
Fk me! (Ealing) XD Korps…Remember those heavily studded leather jackets everywhere in 79.
Magnificent tape. The Pack were my fave band after Crisis.