93-09-18 Health Hazard – Bambix – Witchknot – Doom – 6 Feet Over – Because – As Usual – Plum

See: 93-09-17&18&19 5th Leed-festival (Intro & Incident)

‘Sore Throat’ (UK) was announced in the preceding newsletter as “very likely” but this didn’t happen….

In Willy ‘Hiatus’ zine (Rabougri #1) ‘Doom’s Brian Talbot & Tony ‘Stick’ Dickens tell how they decided to throw J(h)on Pickering (vocals) & Pete Nash (bass) out, already before the Japan tour (but they did still come along) and after the recordings of The Greatest Invention. They were replaced by Tom Croft & Paul ‘Mall’ Mallen (guitarist & bassist of ‘Excrement Of War’, ‘Stick’ played drums for them aswell). This new foursome recorded for the splits with ‘Selfish’ (Ecocentric recs ’94) & ‘Hiatus’ (Lost The Fight, on Flat Earth recs ’93). ‘Mall’ was replaced by ‘Scoot’ and that line-up recorded Doomed To Extinction (split with ‘Extinction of Mankind’ on Ecocentric recs ‘94), the Hail To Sweden 7” (released in ’94) and Fuck Peaceville (recorded Feb ‘95). The Live In Japan EP (recorded April ‘92) also came out on Ecocentric recs. ‘Scoot Gladok’ played bass at this gig already…

‘Doom’ (photo courtesy of Willy ‘Hiatus’)

‘Witchknot’ (Bradford) played this one with Jane Graham (bass & vocals; later replaced by bassist Kess), Sarah MacHenry (drums), Lianne Hall (guitar & vocals), the ‘foundsters’. They stepped up from 3-piece to a 6-piece (see 96-09-21) when Sally Stone (vocals), Marion (violin), Gaynor Haggerty (cello) joined. They described themselves as “Punky ladies knitting songs with a load of instruments” and said their (experimental jazzy) post-punk was influenced by ‘The Slits’, ‘X-Ray Spex’, ‘The Ex’, ‘Dog Faced Hermans’, etc. etc. They put on punk and riot grrrl gigs and Witchfests at the 1 in 12. Sned put out ther EP (Suck) and LP (Squawk) on his label Flat Earth recs the years after. Their touring was in a van that they called Fanny the Tranny… I believe I’d gotten in touch with Jane though here zine Shag Stamp when she was still living in Sheffield. It was nice to meet her there.

‘Witchknot’

‘Health Hazard’: Sned (drums), Chris Gazza (bass), Mandy (vocals) & Alec Mac (guitar). The first of their 4 passages at the V.V. They’ld come back 94-03-05, 94-03-19 & 95-02-11.

‘Witchknot’ & ‘Health Hazard’ on tour

‘Health Hazard’ (photos by Karl Penando)

‘6 Feet Over’ had just come back from a very intense tour (14 concerts in France/Spain/Switzerland/Luxemburg) in August with ‘Hiatus’ (Chris ‘Gazza’ on bass then) where Sned was drumming for them. They had met him when he was the interim bassist for ‘Doom’ earlier that year (93-02-27). Pierre Anne had left after these gigs with ‘Doom’ so they asked Sned to fill in…

‘6 Feet Over’

‘Bambix’ played a tuneful, melodic brand of HC/punkrock with great vocals/chorusses. ‘Wick’ Dewilde played drums and sang originally. Just listen to their debut-7” (They Even Took The Memory)! The CD Out Of The Cradle Endlessly Rocking was the last one they recorded with the orginal line-up (‘92). In 1993 first Nat and then Maniet left, ‘Wick’ went on with other people. The line-up changed quite a few times. (For their second album Crossing Common Borders, ‘Wick’ switched from drums to guitar and Beer Delsman started drumming. The 3^rd, Leitmotiv, was still with Maniet, and with Peter on drums.) and nowadays ‘Wick’ is the front-woman, still singing and playing guitar. They play/tour a lot, all over the world (even Latin-America). Check out bambix.org

‘Because’ (from Luxembourg) were Michelle Marnach (vocals), Brego (bass), ‘Gull’ Alain Gouleven (guitar; later ‘D’Rotzbouwen’) and Thierry Thill (drums). Michelle & Brego were a couple at that time. I started corresponding with them because they did the zine Persons Unknown. Some of the band’s music appeared on a demo: Some More Ugly Puke Stories.

No idea anymore who ‘Plum’ were and if they actually played… Henk Lobuyck reviewed their demo in Fifi #5. Apparently they were friends of V.V. shitworker Peter Vanthuyne; a 3-piece from the Brussels area that played punkrock reminiscent of the ‘Ramones’…

Michael Maes (‘Carcer Molochi’, ‘Link’) claims the band he played guitar for at that time – ‘As Usual’ – performed at Leed ‘92. I’m pretty sure it was in ’93 (as is mentioned on the flyer and in Johan Seys’ zine Gash #1). The others in the band were Danny Suffys (bass), Dimi Loonis (vocals) and Frederick Wyckaert (drums). Before this they “experimented” under the name ‘Suffocating Emotions’, covering other HC/punk bands. A few months after this, end ’93, they recorded a first demo (rehearsal). Johan ‘Boeze’ Seys did vocals too.

‘As Usual’

Jon ‘Active’ Elliott came over and did a stall! At that time Bruno ‘Genet’, Joeir Hoste and myself had merged our distros (a project named Fuse!) and since I insisted we expanded the reading-material, this was a good chance to stock up on the vast amont of books that Jon was carrying. A cooperation that lasted when Fuse! broke up and I started Tilt! (the mailorder distro) up again…

Steve Hyland (Attitude Problem zine, A Network Of Friends distro, 1 in 12) was there aswell. A very nice bloke; vegan, sXe (at that time); a mate of Jaak ‘N.O.F.’ aswell. Interesting chap too, studied sociology and social history. And very active… I think, as of today he’s still putting up gigs (Means To An End)…

One of my French zinester-correspondents, Armel Presselin (Auf-Zu) also visited…

Brob

We played our last gig with ‘6 F.O.’ that day…

Karl Penando

My first ever gig ever outside of England, this all-dayer, a life changing moment indeed… It was overwhelming as I had never left the country before & I was playing my first concert with ‘Doom’ – a very special moment for a 19yr old. ‘Doom’ travelled alone, we just did the one gig, we all [Brob: the other bands/people from Bradford/Leeds.] travelled back together though, I felt very proud & happy to be a part of everything – never did I think I would be in a band/bands travelling the world, playing DIY punk music & involved in the community – magical… My memory isn’t as good these days and I’m afraid all my photos of this concert got stolen… ‘Sore Throat’ did not play – this I know for sure. ‘Doom’ arrived quite late if I remember well. I recall seeing ‘6 Feet Over’ and the rest of the bands. It was busy and people couldn’t get into the gig. I don’t remember any trouble!

Scoot (‘Doom’s bassplayer)

I can remember ‘Nations On Fire’ [the next day]… But was this the concert where we slept above the venue and got thrown beer at us?

‘Wick’, Bambix

This was my first time here; I hitch-hiked there with Wojtek from ‘HomoMilitia’. We almost missed the first day but luckily made it on time just to see the 2 bands we wanted to see: ‘Doom’ and ‘Health Hazard’. I kept coming to that fest every year till ‘98…

Pawel, Scream recs (Gdansk, Poland)

If I recall well this was with ‘Oi Polloi’. Hate to admit it but I was very nervous and very drunk after the show, but still: no regrets. I remember having a big discussion with ‘Oi Polloi’ because we accidentally took their sleeping-place…

[Brob: ‘Oi Polloi’ ??? They – Deek (vocals) / Calum (bass) / Murray (drums) / Brian (guitar) – were interviewed in Fifi #1 (published May ‘94). But Calum tells me: “No, I don’t think we played. I’m sure I would have remembered this incident.”.]

Thierry Till, ‘Because’ drummer

Dominique & Philip Osier (from Antwerp) were 2 brothers playing in ‘Plum’… Later they played in the absurd cabaret ‘Circus Bulderdrang’ and after that they were musicians for Guido Belcanto [street-singer, variety-artist and “rock’n roll chansonnier”] … ‘Plum’ had a demo with 4 songs… I knew them from uni. [see comment]

Peter Vanthuyne

The ‘Plum’ demo was entitled Six Feet Down. Here’s the cover…

Henk Loobuyck

additions wellcome!…