SPK 1983

(In a previous life...)

I recived an anonymous package at my mail box a few days ago, copies of a live SPK CD I wasn't aware of…

The release is interesting for me personally as it includes a show where I was at the mixing desk (London, Heaven 1982) and another from when I was more actively involved in SPK as a member, performing material I had contributed too (London, Brixton April 1982). 

The Brixton show is of particular interest from a historical perspective as it's one of only two SPK shows where all but one of the tracks were ever performed (the other being at London's Electric Ballroom a week or two later) and apart from the one track "In The Dying Moments", none of the material from this period were ever recorded in the studio.

This is a mostly undocumented period in SPK's history between the raw sound of Leichenschrei and what became the "Metal Dance" direction that I really disliked and had no involvement in.

It was an interesting time both for me personally and in SPK's evolution and represents a much more promising direction that the one SPK eventually followed.

I don't know about the origins of this CD and I wasn't aware of the label, but it's of surprisingly decent quality all things considered with both shows obviously taken from or close to the mixing desk.

The Brixton show had it's moments as  that evening the desk was manned by Glenn Wallis (Konstruktivits) who was more stoned than he should have been, and as a result forgot to take much of the delay of the percussion after the first track.

The Electric Ballroom show was much better and it's unfortunate that it isn't the one included here (I only know of an audience recording of that show), and memorable in that we set the stage on fire, but this is a nice document of SPK at the time and shows those who might be interested what I was up to in 1983.

An additional trivia note in that the CD has a picture from the Brixton gig on the inside, where you can just make me out on the right hand side.

I don't know if this is a legitimate release and I'm intrigued by it's source. If anyone knows who's behind the release please let me know privately, and if whoever is behind it should read this, thank you for the package.