Theatre of Hate
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| Theatre of Hate | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Post-punk and Gothic rock |
| Years active | 1980 - 1983 |
| Label(s) | Burning Rome Records Mau Mau/Demon Records Original Masters/Snapper Music |
| Associated acts | The Pack Spear of Destiny Dead Men Walking Kirk Brandon's 10:51 |
| Website | KIRKBRANDON.COM |
| Members | |
| Kirk Brandon Billy Duffy Steve Guthrie John Lennard Nigel Preston Luke Rendle Stan Stammers |
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Theatre of Hate is a post-punk band which formed in Britain in 1980.
Led by singer-songwriter and ex-member of punk band The Pack, Kirk Brandon, the original group also consisted of: guitarist Steve Guthrie, bassist Stan Stammers (The Straps/Epileptics), saxophonist John Lennard and drummer Luke Rendle from Crisis/The Straps.
Inspired of Antonin Artaud's book Theatre and its Double, the band takes its name from the concept of the Theatre of Cruelty: "Artaud called for the emotional involvement of the audience. Singer Kirk Brandon borrowed the thespian term because he was trying to do the same."[1]
Contents |
[edit] The Pack
The Pack is a British punk rock band formed in 1978. Comprising Kirk Brandon (vocals, guitar), Simon Werner (guitar), Jonathan Werner (bass), and Jim Walker (drums). It was a precursor to the post-punk/New Wave act, Theatre of Hate.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Live
- The Pack Live (1979, released 1982, cassette only)
[edit] Compilations
- Dead Ronin (2000)
[edit] Singles
| Title | Release date | Album | UK chart position | UK Indie Chart position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Brave New Soldiers"/"Heathen" | 1979 | - | - | - |
| "King of Kings"/"Number 12" | November, 1979 | - | - | - |
| "Kirk Brandon & The Pack of Lies" EP | 1980 | - | - | - |
| "Long Live the Past E.P." | April, 1982 | - | - | #12[2] |
[edit] Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate garnered much early attention as a live act and in 1981 made their debut with the concert LP He Who Dares Wins Live at the Warehouse Leeds. Shortly after the album's release however, Steve Guthrie left the band.
Another concert recording, Live at the Lyceum followed, and in August 1981 Theatre of Hate entered the studio with producer Mick Jones of The Clash to record their first non-live album debut, Westworld, which was released on February 19th 1982 and went on to reach the UK Top 20.
Shortly after the album was recorded new guitarist Billy Duffy (formerly of The Nosebleeds) joined the band and drummer Luke Rendle was replaced by Nigel Preston. The album also spawned the Top 40 single "Do You Believe in the Westworld?" which was released in November 1981.
In late 1982, Theatre of Hate released another live album entitled He Who Dares Wins: Live in Berlin, and Billy Duffy was fired from the band in December 1982..
In spring 1983, Theatre of Hate disbanded. Brandon went on to front Spear of Destiny with bassist Stan Stammers and guitarist Billy Duffy started Death Cult with singer Ian Astbury, which would later become successful after shortening their name to The Cult. A post break-up compilation album Revolution spent three weeks in the UK album chart.
In 1991 Theatre of Hate reformed for the Return to 8 tour which included some of the original band members, these included Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers and John 'Boy' Lennard, with the addition of Pete Barnacle on drums and Mark 'Gemini' Thwaite on guitar.
In July/August 1994 Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers, John McNutt and Art Smith went into Mix-O. Lydian Studio, Boonton, N.J. with Brad Morrision to record a new album under the Theatre of Hate banner.Retribution wasn't released until early 1996 in both the US and UK.
To coincide with Westworld's 25th anniversary, Theatre of Hate reformed for a week-long tour culminating at the Carling Academy Islington on 29th April, 2007. Of the original line-up, only Stammers was unavailable, due to conflicting schedules and family commitments in the US where he now lives.[3] Replacing him was Craig Adams, former bassist with The Cult, The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission, joining Brandon, Guthrie, Lennard, and Rendle for the reunion.
Theatre Of Hate - Do You Believe In The Westworld excerpt
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Studio
- Westworld (1982) (UK #17)
- Ten Years After (released 1993)
- Retribution (released 1996)
- Aria of the Devil (released 1998)
[edit] Live
- He Who Dares Wins (1981) (UK Indie #1)[2]
- Live At The Lyceum (1981)
- He Who Dares Wins: Live In Berlin (1982) (UK Indie #3)[2]
- Original Sin Live (1982, released 1985) (UK Indie #12)[2]
[edit] Compilations
- Revolution (1984) (UK #67, UK Indie #1)[2]
- The Complete Singles Collection (1995)
[edit] Singles
| Title | Release date | Album | UK chart position | UK Indie Chart position[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Original Sin"/"Legion" | November, 1980 | - | - | 5 |
| "Rebel Without A Brain"/"My Own Invention" | April, 1981 | - | - | 3 |
| "Nero"/"Incinerator" | July, 1981 | - | - | 2 |
| "Do You Believe In The West World?"/"Propaganda" | January, 1982 | Westworld | 40 | 1 |
| "The Hop"/"Conquistador" | May, 1982 | - | 70 | - |
| "Eastworld"/"Assegai" | November, 1982 | - | - | 3 |
| "Americanos" | unreleased | - | - | - |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Record Collector #102 (February, 1988)
- Chart runs in the UK Singles Chart since 1952
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Beech, Mark (1996). The A-Z of Names in Rock — and the Amazing Stories Behind Them. Robson Books. ISBN 1-86105-059-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
- ^ Message from Stan about the Theatre of Hate reunion.
