It was the climax of a campaign that had started in the late '70s. Throbbing Gristle had thrown down a gauntlet to contemporary music in 1977 and tonight they'd reached the mecca of London gigs. Cabaret Voltaire and Clock DVA from Sheffield were to join Throbbing C;ristle for an evening of fetishistic fun. The event was further enhanced by the inclusion of performance artist and primary metal percussionist Z'ev and echo 'reverb' tape loop expert Boyd Rice under his nom de plum Non. Up to 1980, Throbbing Gristle had carried the torch of'Industrial Music' through the smallest of venues the length and breadth of the country. They played an exotic all-nighter at the Scala Cinema, spiced with Kenneth Anger films and the first UK appearances of Monte Cazazza and The Leather Nun. They played at public schools, film society's . . . anywhere that would let them.
By February '81 a 'cult with no name' followed and Throbbing Gristle had turned around their reputation from a bunch of :strange arty-types', who!d staged an exhibition at the ICA called 'Prostitution' much to the distress of the national press, to a respected group of musicians who influenced several generations of music, not only in Britain but across the world.
On their own Industrial Records label they'd recorded and released cassettes of each and every one of their live shows, as well as four studio albums which traced their progress. From 1977, "Second Annual Report" was a xeroxed sleeved, self-financed collection of music which ranged from grinding, oppressive noise to rhythmic obscurity.
The second album, "DOA " was more structured, featuring shorter songs which traded musical excesses for a better defined and infintely more effective construction. In 1978 'DOA' was the only real alternative album around. Punk was turning to pop, no-one was daring to produce anything with the power and passion of'Hamburger Lady' or 'United'. Throbbing C;ristle were challenging people's conception of music.
In 1979, Throbbing Gristle finally achieved a higher press profile with their third and most accessible album to date. On "Twenty Jazz Funk Greats'' the four constant parts of Throbbing Gristle had balanced perfectly. Chris Carter's melodic synthesiser style and love of pop and electronics fused perfectly with Cosey Fanni Tutti's spacey guitar and startling comet interludes, which provided the perfect foil for the excesses of Genesis P Orridge's vocal and Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson's more esoteric keyboard and programming skills. At this point, a musical peak of sorts, TG recorded a lengthy piece live in their studio with an invited audience. Titled "Hearhen Earth '' it quickly followed 'Twenty Jazz Funk Greats', underlining their versatility in both long and short pieces. And, as the albums had seen TG develop, their live shows reached new heights. No two shows were the same, the play off between the four protagonists became an intriguing battle of styles and influences, the end result being nothing short of an 'experience.'
By the time the Lyceum show was advertised the furore over Throbbing Gristle had reached unbelievable heights. Always keen to stay one step ahead of the trendier set who were attempting to infiltrate a germinating industrial sub-culture that was quickly surrounding the group. Throbbing Gristle, top of the bill at the Lyceum, decided to play first so that only the really devoted genre enthusiasts would be able to see them.
Even better, the main thrust of their set was built around a recent single,'Discipline' which they turned into a 20 minute plus mantra. As experiences go this was one of Throbbing Gristle's most cleverly prepared and executed. Witty in the extreme and a convulsive delight.
The musical side of the evening is captured here for posterity. Something that s:ands as an example to us all. By May of '81, the quartet had played their final date in San Francisco. Postcards with the legend 'The Mission Is Terminated' were sent to camp followers. It was the end of an era. but an important catalyst for a generation seeking something more substantial in their music.
The importance of Throbbing Gristle is difficult to equate, but certainly there would have been little progress or access to acts as diverse as The Human League, 23 Skidoo, Depeche Mode, Portion Control, Eurythmics and a million more if their challenging brand of music hadn't existed. And beyond music? Well, it was the challenging nature of Throbbing Gristle that excited the tastebuds in many other media areas, introducing a new generation to William Burroughts, different ideas and views of the world. TG touched on the risqué and promoted an attitude that encouraged creativity.
For that alone, they are certainly as important in the history of music as Elvis Presley, Phil Spector, The Stones and the Pistols.
It's almost ten years since this Lyceum recording was submitted to tape and it's still as poignant and impertinent a work now as it was back then.
Dave Henderson.