This recording was the first time The Apostles performed at the Recession Club, with the Nocturnal Emissions. The Apostles performance is in the most part an industrial freeform workout that has a wonderful non-industrial climax, just after the seventeen minute mark. Andy Martin, giving a very moving and respectful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's ‘I Am A Rock’ which goes seamlessly straight into ‘Splitting In Two’, the old Alternative T.V anthem. John Eden writes: The Recession Club was organised by The Apostles and Larry Peterson between April 1983 to January 1984. The hall was attached to the recording studio used by The Apostles who were responsible for the hire of it and the equipment while Larry Peterson was responsible for the bands who actually played there. An amusing facet of The Recession Club was that the members of the audience were often better known than the bands booked to perform there! Those who did play have either disappeared into obscurity or are now very famous indeed: The Apostles, The Nocturnal Emissions, Attrition, Coil, The Unkommuniti, Peter North, The Invisible Band, New 7th Music, Hagar The Womb, In The Nursery, The June Brides, Pus, Napalm Death, Verbal Warning, Bet Lynch, The Replacement Headz, The Paramedic Squad, Youth In Asia. Condom and a variety of poets, performance artists and other industrial / electronic groups. There were no events other than live music and most of the bands who played were not punk bands, largely due to Andy Martin’s impatience with and ambivalence towards such people who he considered to have become passe and to have outlived what little usefulness they ever had. Andy Martin writes: The industrial music scene had taken over and it was here that the original punk spirit had begun to grow and mutate into some huge, many tentacled bat often beautifully subtle intelligence network only occasionally marred by poseurs and butterfly collectors. The level of commitment on our behalf in respect of The Recession Club was severe as our assembled crew of helpers consisted purely of three or four friends of Dave’s, since I’d done a pretty thorough job in eradicating the few friends I ever had. This was the place I threatened to throw out two thugs of dubious merit unless they paid their entrance fees like everyone else, told them that neo-nazis weren’t welcome anyway and then found out later that they were Tony Wakeford and Doug Pierce of Death In June. You see? I should have thrown them out for that reason alone. I also met a couple of spoilt, middle class brats who went under the moniker of Bourbonese Qualk and was supremely satisfied to have upset their delicate egotism with my suggestion that perhaps they weren’t good-enough to play at our little venue. We had Sleazy Christopherson there in his capacity as audience member whom everyone recognizes but no-one actually talks to because they’ve seen him on the Throbbing Gristle covers and wish to retain their awe and idolatry. Me? I chatted to him briefly, he was obviously far too decent, honest and interesting a human being so be involved in Psychic TV and it’s no wonder he left.

• published: 01 Oct 2016
• views: 246