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  • Amebix

    Location: England
    Active: 1978-1987 (+)

    Beginning in Devon, England as the Band with No Name by brothers Rob “the Baron” Miller (vocals, bass) and Chris “Stig” Miller (guitar) in 1978, Amebix established a sound all their own. They dealt with dark, apocalyptic motifs with a sound to match, much more foreboding than peers like those in the CRASS records camp or Killing Joke, though not as bizarre as Rudimentary Peni. Most fans of the genre known as crust punk claim Amebix as a formative influence.

    Their first album Arise was released on Alternative Tentacles (Dead Kennedys) though the rest of their EPs and singles were on Spiderleg Records (Flux Of Pink Indians). The band relocated several times during their existence including Cornwall, Bristol, some time cohabitating with CRASS, much of which was squatting. After the bands initial split, Tim Crow of The Smartpils joined sans Baron to form Zygote. Some activity in 2008-20012 resulted in additional releases, though another official split up was announced.

    Related: Band With No Name, CRASS, Killing Joke, Rudimentary Peni, Alternative Tentacles, Dead Kennedys, Spiderleg Records, Flux Of Pink Indians, The Smartpils, Zygote, Nausea, Cornwall, Bristol, CRASS Records, Tim Crow, Rob “The Baron” Miller, Chris “Stig” Miller, crust punk, England, 1978, Devon

    Bandcamp: https://amebix1.bandcamp.com/music
    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/73168-Amebix
    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amebix

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  • The Dark

    Location: Islington, London, England, UK
    Active: 1978-1982

    Formed in London in 1978, The Dark alongside The Damned stood out as capable of more melodic and dynamic sounds, though they never achieved wide success or recognition. Despite never focusing on a particularly gothic sound as their name might imply, their single ‘The Masque’ is a cornerstone on any gothic punk compilation. Like many of their peers in the movement at the time, they highlighted political and social topics, but more directly and succinctly than style over substance bands that achieved more attention. 

    The majority of their music was put out on the label Fresh Records, who brought out some of the earliest UK Decay, Play Dead, and Second Layer records, some more experimental bands like Cuddly Toys and Family Fodder, not to forget about more punk fare like The Wall, Menace, and the fantastic Punk and Disorderly. Their final record was a 1982 live recording of what was to be their final gig, though their actual last gig was at the Klub Foot in August with The Lurkers.

    The initial lineup consisted of John Flannagan, Billy O’Neil, Jim Kane and Phil Langham (later Action Pact and staff at Cherry Red Records), soon joined by Andy Riff. Other members over their career would include Jim Bryson and Razzle (both formerly of Demon Preacher, with Nik Wade aka Nik Fiend in Demon Preacher – the band that would become Alien Sex Fiend). Razzle would end up with Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks until his tragic death in 1984.

    Related: UK Decay, The Damned, Alien Sex Fiend, Hanoi Rocks, Play Dead, Demon Preacher, Second Layer, Cuddly Toys, Family Fodder, The Wall, Menace, London, UK, 1978, Action Pact, Anagram Records, Cherry Red Records, Fresh Records, Punk and Disorderly

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  • TSOL

    Location: Long Beach, California
    Active: 1978-current

    In the early 80s California punk scene, alongside the Hollywood and Los Angeles proper bands, the outlying areas like Orange County and Long Beach developed similar, yet at the same time brilliantly different scenes. In Orange County, T.S.O.L. (an acronym for True Sounds Of Liberty) formed in the city of Huntington Beach during 1978. Many of the OC bands (Adolescents, Agent Orange, D.I., Middle Class) were faster, harder and had something of a weirder streak – perhaps a penchant for narrative that was lacking from many of the more traditional LA bands. None more weird than TSOL, their singer Jack Grisham was a west coast nod to Dave Vanian of The Damned, with his gothic dress code, and their songs conjuring up such subjects as horror movie chic, film noir and… necrophilia.

    Their self-titled 1981 EP presented a political focus, but with the release of their LP later that year, ‘Dance With Me’, their horror punk/deathrock influences were in the forefront – gothic typography with a graveyard scene on the cover, and more than half of the track listing dedicated to death, darkness and and a ghoulish, high-camp creep factor including the infamous “Code Blue”, giving necrophiliacs the world over a catchy anthem. This was followed by the 1982 ‘Weathered Statues’ EP, which continued their more goth-punk direction. Later that year saw the ‘Beneath The Shadows’ LP, with the addition of a permanent keyboard player, taking their sound in a more artistic direction with synthesizer driven punk rock, without altogether losing their darker themes. It was this lineup that appeared in the 1983 Penelopee Spheeris punk drama ‘Suburbia’, playing “Wash Away” from the ‘Beneath The Shadows’ album, and ‘Darker My Love’ (recorded at the same time as the album, but was not released until 2014).

    Prior to their first album, Grisham and Barnes disbanded the first incarnation of TSOL to form Vicious Circle, only to reunite in 1979. By 1983 Jack Grisham, Todd Barnes again left, as well as keyboard player Greg Kuehn, but instead of this being the end of the band, Joe Wood (Der Stab) stepped in on vocals and ‘Change Today’ was released in 1984 on Enigma Records – maintaining the dark romantic punk direction. At this point, Roche and Emory were the only original members remaining. However they too would eventually depart the band, leaving none of the original lineup. This incarnation of TSOL took a drastic detour into the then-popular hard rock / metal direction. 

    Meanwhile, Grisham moved on to form a succession of projects – Cathedral of Tears, Tender Fury and joined by Emory with Joykiller. Interestingly enough, one of the other projects Grisham formed with Barnes, Roche and Emory was a duplicate TSOL (also under the name LOST), which existed concurrently with the previous TSOL that had shed all relation to it’s original lineup. Needless to say, legal battles ensued, and eventually by 1999, Jack Grisham obtained the rights to the name, resulting in a reformation of the original lineup, and despite the untimely death of Todd Barnes in 1999, the excellent ‘Disappear’ album in 2001. As of 2020, TSOL remains active with Grisham, Emory and Roche still in the lineup.

    Related: Vicious Circle, Der Stab, Cathedral of Tears, Tender Fury, Joykiller, LOST

    Links:

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/255060-TSOL
    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.S.O.L.
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tsol_official/
    Bandcamp: https://tsol.bandcamp.com/

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  • Kommunity FK

    Location: Los Angeles, CA
    Active: 1978-present

    Kommunity FK emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene as one of the more experimental and avant grade acts, incorporating a dark element that would associate them with what became known as the emerging deathrock scene. The bleak and aggressive tones of their 1983 debut LP ‘Vision and the Voice’ peers them with bands like Savage Republic (whose label, Independent Projects, released the album) and Nervous Gender.

    Kommunity FK emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene as one of the more experimental and avant garde acts, incorporating a dark element that would associate them with what became known as the emerging deathrock scene. The bleak and aggressive tones of their 1983 debut LP ‘Vision and the Voice’ peers them with bands like Savage Republic (whose label, Independent Projects, released the album) and Nervous Gender. 

    Singer Patrick Mata designed many of the flyers and the dada-esque collage of the original LP cover, often using cut and paste techniques. They were residents at the more laid back atmosphere of the Lhasa Club, often at the infamous Anti-Club and later Scream Club. They were support for acts like Killing Joke on their first US tour in 1981.

    Their second album ‘Close One Sad Eye’ incorporated more melodic structures, resulting in one of the most definitive American gothic albums of all time. This would be their final album until founder and core member Patrick Mata reformed the band in 2008, although several compilation appearances would follow such as ‘Radio Tokyo Tapes Vol. Two’ (“Poisoning”) ‘Viva Los Angeles’ with ‘(Is It Your Face’). Kommunity FK performed throughout the late 80s, 90s and early 2000s with noteworthy musicians like Cam Campbell and Dave Roberts (Sex Gang Children), Eddie Branch (UK Decay), Shane Talada and Dave Skott (STG, Element) and others.

    Patrick Mata recorded solo material, 1979’s ‘Queen of Beverly Hills’ single and for the 1985 punk/thrash/deathrock compilation ‘Let’s Die’, and a 2000 full solo album ‘Hydrocarbons From A Meteorite (Green)’. He also fronted Sativa Luvbox in the 1990s and performed under the name Texylvania on multiple occasions. in 2020s he paired up with Dave Roberts once more for a project entitled Kult Children of The Damned

    Related: Patrick Mata, Nervous Gender, Uk Decay, Killing Joke, Sex Gang Children, Texylvania, Kult Children of The Damned, STG, Element, Los Angeles, Lhasa Club, Anti-Club, Scream Club, Independent Projects Records

    Links:

    Official: http://www.kommunityfk.com/

    Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/285076-Kommunity-FK

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kommunity_FK

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kommunity.fk/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kommunityfk/

    This profile is in development. Contributions?