Press Info: Artist Bio (1991)
Formed in 1982 by schoolfriends Douglas McCarthy [vocals], Bon Harris [drums, percussion] and the now-departed David Gooday, Nitzer Ebb [pronounced night-zer ebb] set out to terrorize the UK dance scene with industrial power rhythms and disturbing, fierce lyrical themes. Fourth member Simon Granger, also from Chelmsford, Essex, still provides the concepts for the design, artwork and imagery of a band whose growing international success makes them one of hard-beat’s leading exponents.
Beginning with shows in their local area, Nitzer Ebb’s mix of energetic anger and militaristic imagery soon saw them appearing in dance clubs and concert halls around the UK. In 1984, attention-grabbing London dates saw them introduced to PWL producer Phil Harding. Together they formed their own label – Power Of Voice Communications – and in 1985 released their debut single “Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works?”.
Three more singles followed, each establishing the group further in club circles – particularly in Europe. By November 1986 Nitzer Ebb had signed to Mute and another single, “Murderous”, revealed an even more brutal subversion of dance beats. Second Mute single “Let Your Body Learn” began to make waves in the clubs of New York and the follow-up – the extraordinary “Join In The Chant” – became an unlikely hit on the acid/balearic scene in 1987. Debut album “That Total Age” summed up their career thus far in May of that year.
By the release of second album “Belief” in January 1989, Harding and Gooday were gone, as was the militaristic imagery which had led to a misunderstanding of their political stance in some quarters. Veteran producer Flood, of U2, Depeche Mode and Erasure fame helped the two-piece create a more subtle sound – a progression continued through 199O’s “Showtime” and 1991’s “Ebbhead” – which achieved considerable success in Europe and the States.
Info:
The first release on Mute’s sublabel NovaMute…
Lost were Nigel Fairman and Steve Bicknell.
Excerpt from early an NovaMute Bio
Prone to the flights of fashion, the music industry goes through more changes than a pantomime dame. From punk to easy listening it seems major corporations have tried to embrace the latest youth phenomena with a blinkered greed and slavering pursuit of the easy buck. The explosion of dance music in the late 1980’s caused a mass A&R; exodus out of dank gig venues and into the pulsating heat of smoky clubland. In the eyes of many labels dance music equalled mucho money, yet few labels possessed the history and capability to handle and understand this new musical form which survived outside the traditional confines of the music industry.
With hindsight it seemed inevitable that Mute Records would be one of the first labels to truly expand its focus and successfully embrace the burgeoning dance culture. A true maverick that had over the years built up a strong reputation for unleashing a barrage of idiosyncratic, electronically based experimental bands, Mute provided an ideal nest from which they could develop an interest in the dance scene. After all, it was their forward thinking attitude that led to the development of a relationship with Detroit’s techno renegades Underground Resistance, resulting in the X101 project; the UK’s first exposure to UR. So in 1992 NovaMute was born with a view to capturing the spirit and sound of the harder end of the fractured electronic dance sound. A true relative of Mute Records in all senses.
With a limited budget and a new born’s caution, the initial agenda differed considerably from its current purpose of artist development. The first batch of releases, including Unity 3’s ‘Age Of Love Suite’ and an offering from Steve Bicknell’s Lost, were licensing deals aiming to provide a wider UK audience base for white label and the more obscure European acts. Constantly scouring the globe for pioneering sounds, label founders Seth Hodder and Pepe Jansz secured such deals through their love of club culture, and, in doing so, strengthened NovaMute’s reputation.
….
Snippets:
Spinning The Vinyl:
“Ten Commandments”
Special:
Steve Bicknell – “Spacebase Mix Fabric London 25/05/2011”
Tracklist Vinyl: A1. Pimpf (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
A2. Behind The Wheel (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
A3. Strangelove (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
A4. Something To Do (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
A5. Blasphemous Rumours (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
B1. Stripped (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
B2. Somebody (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
B3. Things You Said (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
B4. Black Celebration (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
C1. Shake The Disease (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
C2. Pleasure Little Treasure (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
C3. People Are People (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
C4. A Question Of Time (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
D1. Never Let Me Down Again (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
D2. Master And Servant (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
D3. Just Can’t Get Enough (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
D4. Everything Counts (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
Tracklist CD / Digital: CD1-01. Pimpf (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-02. Behind The Wheel (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-03. Strangelove (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-04. Sacred (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-05. Something To Do (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-06. Blasphemous Rumours (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-07. Stripped (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-08. Somebody (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD1-09. The Things You Said (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-01. Black Celebration (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-02. Shake The Disease (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-03. Nothing (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-04. Pleasure, Little Treasure (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-05. People Are People (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-06. A Question Of Time (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-07. Never Let Me Down Again (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-08. A Question Of Lust (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-09. Master And Servant (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-10. Just Can’t Get Enough (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
CD2-11. Everything Counts (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)
Press Info: SACD Re-Release
Depeche Mode re-issue a 2-disc SACD version of the hit live album ‘101’ on 2nd February 2004.
A top 10 hit on its first release in March 1989, ‘101’ was recorded on 18th June 1988 at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena as part of the band’s break through tour ‘Music For The Masses’.
The Rose Bowl was the 101st date and the climax of the pivotal tour that helped launch the band headlong into the musical mainstream.
Alongside the songs from the live album, the highs, lows and hysteria of the tour formed the raw materials from which the acclaimed documentary ‘101’ was forged. This now legendary film was directed by celebrated filmmaker DA Pennebaker, whose work with Bob Dylan on ‘Don’t Look Back’ set the standard for music documentaries. ‘101’, according to Pennebaker, ‘is the most interesting, fun film we’ve ever done’ and was released on DVD for the first time last November.
‘101’ is a fully remastered version of the 1989 live album and is released on Hybrid SACD format. This new enhanced format delivers improved audio quality and is the ideal way to experience the excitement of a band on the cusp of worldwide domination.
The double SACD features 3 distinct versions of the concert. A remastered stereo CD version which is playable on all CD players. A remastered stereo SACD version and a remastered 5.1 surround sound SACD version.
DVD Re-Release
Depeche Mode release the legendary DA Pennebaker film ‘101’ for the first time ever on DVD coupled with their classic concert ‘Live At The Rose Bowl – June 18th 1988’ on 10th November. This highly collectable DVD package features over 3 hours of footage and includes recent interviews with Martin Gore, Andrew Fletcher and Dave Gahan filmed by DA Pennebaker especially for this DVD.
1988 was a pivotal year for Depeche Mode. It was during their ‘Music For the Masses’ world tour that they exploded into the musical mainstream. The Rose Bowl concert was the 101st and last date of the tour and both discs capture a band and their audience at the height of their love affair.
Acclaimed film-maker DA Pennebaker was best known for his seminal Dylan film ‘Don’t Look Back’ in addition to his work with Hendrix and John Lennon. Yet it was his marriage with alternative pioneers Depeche Mode that produced the frank and honest film ‘101’.
“It was the most interesting, fun film we’ve ever done,” Pennebaker said.
“That tour and that film was so important, especially for the perception of the band,” says Martin Gore. “We’d always been on the brink, especially in America but that 1988 tour was the first time we headlined big arenas, the first time the band really took off.”
“There was something special about that whole time,” Dave Gahan adds. “After that concert I remember sitting down in the dressing room and I just cried. It was just so emotional.”
Andrew Fletcher echoes those sentiments: “It was one of the most amazing tours I’ve ever been on and a breaking point for alternative music in the US. The Rose Bowl was the first time that alternative radio sold out a big show in the US.”
Integral to both the DVD and the concert was the relationship between band and audience. A competition was held nationwide where a bus load of winners followed the band around. Some of those fans are interviewed for this DVD and still remain in touch with Depeche Mode.
18 June 1988 was a day to remember for the 60,453 fans who attended the show. Now we can relive the day through the eyes of one of cinema’s most accomplished documentary makers.
Notes From DepecheMode.com
The vinyl version of the album is missing “Sacred”, “Nothing” and “A Question Of Lust”. Original pressings came with a photo book.
The original pressings of the CD came in a slipcase. Later pressings came in a jewel case.
The first pressing of the SACD version of the album was mispressed (track index mark errors, and some multi-channel playback issues). All pressings of the SACD came with a hidden bonus track, the full length version of “Pimpf”.
Snippets:
Video:
“Everything Counts (Live At Rose Bowl, Pasadena – June 18, 1988)”
Press Info:
South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG (Clara and Anders Bach) pair their new EP ‘I Am Obsessed’ with their debut EP ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ in one combined record, marking their first-ever physical release, arriving as a Dinked Early Doors Edition.
Snippets:
Videos:
“Fuck It”
“I’m Not Your Punchbag”
“You Used To Be So Sexy”
“I Am Obsessed”
“What’s In My Bag”
“I Love This!”
Video Special:
“Live At The Windmill 2024”
Note: this is not an official recording – just something made by a fan 🙂
Press Info:
South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG (Clara and Anders Bach) today announce new EP I Am Obsessed, out 10 April via Mute. The EP will also mark the band’s first-ever physical release, arriving as a Dinked Early Doors Edition vinyl which pairs new EP I Am Obsessed with their debut EP I’m Not Your Punchbag in one combined release.
Opening on off-kilter piano stabs, the track sets up a tension that quickly gives way to something far darker beneath their restless leftfield pop. Clara’s lyrics frame fixation as bodily and inescapable, from dirt under fingernails to crumbs in bedsheets and thoughts that won’t leave your chest.
“It’s about being completely obsessed with something or someone, but not in a cute way, more in a ‘your whole body is under attack’ kinda way. It’s sort of disordered, chaotic, overwhelming,” Clara explains.
The new single follows July 2025’s release ‘I Love This!’ (also set to feature on the EP), a wide-eyed surge of feeling that reinforced PUNCHBAG’s instinct for pairing pop immediacy with emotional overload.
Speaking more on their upcoming second EP, the band said: “If our first EP was a selfie, these new songs are like zooming in and thinking, ‘fucking hell my pores look huge’. This EP is turning up the contrast on everyday life, rinsing the disgusting dish towel so far that all the gunk comes out. It’s pushing PUNCHBAG’s sonic world even further, into a grander landscape, and dramatising the everyday more than ever before.”
With each release, Clara and Anders continue to push their instincts further, tightening their sound and leaning harder into the extremes that define it – all part of a wider mission to distil the most intense, concentrated version of who they are as artists.
That intensity spills directly into their live shows, where the duo’s sibling chemistry and unfiltered energy have earned a reputation for turning rooms into something closer to group therapy than a gig – a visceral, communal thrill and a celebration of feeling too much, all at once.
PUNCHBAG were also named a Spotify RADAR: First Listen artist and sold out their debut headline show at Bermondsey Social Club, before further sold out headlines in the capital at Windmill Brixton and The George Tavern, alongside festival slots at Reeperbahn, Iceland Airwaves, The Great Escape, Bergenfest, Pstereo, Twisterella, Live At Leeds In The City, Sŵn, Ritual Union & more, as well as a live performance on Made In Chelsea.
PUNCHBAG will be heading out on their debut UK and European headline tour in April – more details coming very soon, keep an eye on their social for dates and ticket links!
Full Track Streaming:
Videos:
“I Am Obsessed”
“What’s In My Bag”
“I Love This!”
Video Special:
“Live At The Windmill 2024”
Note: this is not an official recording – just something made by a fan 🙂
