The last post was very much about brooding tunes, melody, heartfelt quality punk-rock. Today will be a shit post. Or rather a post of utter and unashamed shite: Eat Shit!
On a musical level, Eat Shit were, well, really shit. I am not even sure that they had proper songs. In fact, I don't think they even cared! However, they were part of the notorious and riotous Hackney squat scene of the mid-80's and could be thought to be the real original crusties, because of their dodgy hygiene, their drinking habits and their filthy Mad Max clothes. As members of the infamous Hackney Hell Crew (a group of punk squatters bent on causing troubles and having a lot of fun in so doing), Eat Shit belonged to the same music scene as Sons of Bad Breath, Brain Damage, Gutrot or the mighty Coitus.
Despite obvious sonic limitations, this record is worth having because it is a right laugh. Eat Shit would pretend they were a thrash band from Nebraska and would adopt in their interviews (an hilarious example of which is included in the booklet) and on stage an appropriate anticommunist rethoric and an Old South slang. A crazy bunch of people for sure. The two songs on the Ep (it is a single-sided record by the way) were recorded live at a squat gig, with Conflict (if they actually showed up that is), Subhumans, The Infected, Stalag 17, Serious Drinking and others. Eat Shit are not even mentioned on the flyer but I suppose they just went on stage, "borrowed" some gears and "played" chaotically for about five minutes before passing out. The insert also has Scruff from Hellbastard trying to raise money to get members of Sons of Bad Breath and Eat Shit out of prison and probably an extract from Ian Bone's biography in which he explains that a collaboration between Eat Shit and Class War was to happen at some point (that would have been legendary!). Finally, the pictures of our good-looking shit-eaters imply that they played at some point with Oi Polloi. Not bad, right? This Ep was released in 2007 on Short Fuse records, a hardcore label responsible for records from Lärm, Ripcord and Scalplock among others. I doubt "Leather, bristles, studs and 'ackney" was the label's best-selling record, but who knows?
The music? Do you really want to know? It makes Disorder and Chaos UK sound mellow and puts to shame Confuse's distortion power. The songs don't really make any sense either. However, painfully listening to this today, I wish I could take a time-machine and drink cider watching Eat Shit play in a filthy squat. This is punk as fuck. In fact, this is probably the punkest thing you will be listening to this year.
the saddest thing about this release (which I first knew of when it hit my mailbox) is that theres no photo of Hellface ,the drummer without whom none of this would ever of got off the ground.Thats me on vocals BTW ,setting fire to the audience
ReplyDeleteOk, thanks for commenting. I would have thought this was an anthorized record and that band members would have been aware of it...
DeleteActually, as the person that coined the phrase "Hackney Hell Krew" I was a non-smoker, non drinker and non-drug taker and was not violent at all....yes there were about 4 or 5 core members but most of Eat Shit/Sons of Bad Breath were not in the original "Hackney Hell Krew" that I refer to (Ollie was only)....The name came from a request for a Venom track on BBC Radio 1´s Friday Night Rock Show (Tommy Vances show 10pm-Midnight) on summers day in 1983 from a phone box by a pub on Victoria Road Park(Hackney, East London) direct to the BBC for said request....the guy at the BBC asked me "Who shall we dedicate it to?" I said "Ermmm..."The Hackey Hell Krew" and that was that...he read it out but did not play a Venom track...something a little lighter like Motorhead perhaps...Ahhh history....enjoy it all
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the backstory. I wish someone would write the whole story of this part of the London squat scene. I am sure it would make for a wild read!
DeleteDid the band Sons of Bad Breath have any releases?
DeleteI think I have a live recording somewhere that I got from soulseek.
DeleteCan you help me download this live recording from soulseek?
DeleteI cant find this record there.
Hellface, word is Hellface when underground. Like my pic
ReplyDeleteC.W Nailbomb
I've got a recording of the gig they did at Wood Green in '85
ReplyDeleteHey guys it's onions hope you are all doing great.how can I get that recording?
ReplyDeleteShould have mentioned I was at Bournemouth Cotlands Road squat,singer of Bad Noize alongside Gareth,in case u didn't remember me.much love
ReplyDelete