The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement. Anarcho-punk is a faction of the punk subculture that consists of bands, groups and individuals promoting anarchist politics. ...

The Apostles performing at the Spread Eagle, Southend on Sea, December 1981

Image File history File links Apostles. ... Image File history File links Apostles. ... Southend-on-Sea is a seaside resort and unitary authority in the East of England. ...

History

Formed in 1980 by William 'Bill' Corbett, Julian Portinari, Dan MaCintyre and Pete Byng-Hall, the band came into its own when Andy Martin took over lead vocals and lyrics in 1981. Shortly afterwards he was joined by Dave Fanning, ex-Innocent Bystander bassist (not the Irish DJ) and 14 year old Scottish drummer Chris Low, ex-Political Asylum. He later played and recorded with Oi Polloi and, later, The Parkinsons as well as spending most of the 1990s as a highly successful DJ and club promoter. [[1]] William Bill Corbett is a musician, zine editor, DJ and photographer who lives in London England. ... Andy Martin is a groundbreaking musician, lyricist and writer who lives in London, England. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... An Entertainment Promoter is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting concerts, festivals, raves, nightclubs or other live events. ...

Variation was always key in music styles as they progressed from punk, to industrial, with influences like Lemon Kittens, Nocturnal Emissions and Five Or Six cited, through to pure avant garde experimentation. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The Lemon Kittens are a post punk band formed in Surrey, England in the late 1970s by Karl Blake and Gary Thatcher. ... Nocturnal Emissions is sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrete, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music and noise music. ...

Over their lifetime the core of the group remained stable, as Andy Martin, Dave Fanning, Geordie guitarist Malcolm Lewty, later of Hellbastard, Sidewinder, Nero Circus and Heavy Water and drummer Chris Wiltshire. This was the group which most people regard as the definitive line-up. Toward the end of their uneven and tempestuous career they also recruited 2 members of The Demolition Company, Sean Stokes and Colin Murrell. Original guitarist Pete Bynghall re-joined late in 1988 for their last recordings and final concert (cf Live At The Academy).

Always highly critical of the seemingly inward looking anarchist movement of the times, the autonomous and extreme libertarian approach of The Apostles seemed to portray classic anarchism, as opposed to the conformity of many of their contemporaries, This led to much respect from notable members of the anarcho-punk movement such as Conflict, who released three records by The Apostles, and Crass with whom the band co-operated with during the squatting of the Zig-Zag Club and during the time in which the The Autonomy Centre and Centro Iberico anarchist venues operated. Both Andy and Dave worked at Little @, an anarchist printers next door to the autonomy centre. Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... Conflict is an anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. ... For information about the anarchist writer, see Chris Crass Crass was an English anarchist punk rock band, formed in 1977[1][2] and based around Dial House, an open house community near Epping, Essex. ... Crass lead singer Steve Ignorant performing at the Autonomy Centre in 1981 DIRT pictured at the Wapping Autonomy Centre, December 1981 Wapping Autonomy Centre (also known as The Anarchist Centre) was a social centre set up in a rented former warehouse space in the Wapping area of London Docklands from...

The anti-communist and anti-gay lyrics of 'Rock Against Communism' and 'Kill or Cure' on the 'Giving of Loving Costs Nothing' and other similarly themed later songs however cast a shadow over the Apostles' body of work. Whilst this material was recorded to expose the supine attitudes of those within the 'anarcho punk' milieu who did not challenge such blatantly provocative sentiments, they undermined the coherence of the band's ideology, leading Stewart Home, in his book 'Cranked Up Really High', to describe The Apostles as "locked into...a stasis if not actual paralysis".

During the time the band was together Andy Martin began to write about his homosexuality and the subject in general which alienated many of their former fans but did not deter Martin. In 1989, Andy and Dave did an interview with Homocore fanzine which addressed this issue¹. Among their many recordings released, The Apostles contributed the song "Forbidden Love" to the first queercore compilation, JD.s Top Ten Homocore Hits, released by J.D.s fanzine in 1990. Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid 1980s as an offshoot of punk. ... J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ...

The Apostles split as a group in 1990, immediately forming Academy 23 which also included Nathan Coles (of The Unbelievables) and Lawrence Burton (formerly of Konstruktivists). The group collaborated with the industrial band The Grey Wolves on two songs, "Terror Chamber" and "Terror Intensifies", both featured on compilations. Academy 23 was the name given to the new experimental music project created by Andy Martin and Dave Fanning immediately after disbanding their former group The Apostles. ... The Grey Wolves are a British Industrial music group. ...

Academy 23 were later renamed in 1994 as Unit who continue to record and perform to this day. Academy 23 was the name given to the new experimental music project created by Andy Martin and Dave Fanning immediately after disbanding their former group The Apostles. ...

McG is the leader of a group called the apostles

Albums

• Live at the LMC, Jan 1983 (Split live LP with The Mob) illegal bootleg, terrible quality
• Punk Obituary, 1985, Mortarhate Records
• The Lives & Times Of The Apostles, 1986 COR Records
• The Acts Of The Apostles In The Theatre Of Fear, 1986 Acid Stings
• How Much Longer?, 1986 Acid Stings
• Equinox Screams, 1987
• The Other Operation, 1988, split album with Statement
• Hymn To Pan, 1988 only available in America

The logo of Conflict and Mortarhate Records. ...

EPs

• Blow It Up, Burn It Down, Kick It Till It Breaks!, 1982
• Rising From The Ashes, 1983
• The Curse Of The Creature, 1983
• The Giving Of Love Costs Nothing, 1984
• Smash The Spectacle, 1984
• Anathema/The Apostles, 1985
• Death To Wacky Pop!, 1986 (features members of The Joy Of Living)
• No Faith No Fear, 1986

The Joy Of Living were a female folk/punk band who released 1 cassette demo in addition to the above recording.

Demo Albums (cassette only)

• The Apostles 1981
• The 2nd Dark Age 1982
• Libertarian Propaganda 1982
• Topics For Discussion 1982
• A Sudden Surge of Sound (retrospective on CFC Cassettes) 1983
• Swimmers In The Sea Of Life 1983
• Live At The Recession Club 1983
• Will I Ever Be Free? 1984
• Fire In The Sky 1985
• Visions Of The End 1985
• Punk Leftovers 1986
• Private Performances 1987
• Gary Cooke Was Here 1987
• The Progressive Blues Experiment 1988
• The 12th Gate To The Underworld 1988
• Death 1988
• How To Suck Seed 1988
• Life 1989
• Live At The Academy 1989 (the last ever performance 23/02/89)

Tracks On Compilations

• Mob Violence (Part 2) 1986 'We Don't Want Your War' LP Mortarhate
• Inner Space 1987 LP (unknown label - more information welcomed!)
• Hyde Park 1988 LP Released by German band Doc Wor Mirran featuring international groups, not all punk
• You've Heard It All Before 1993 The Crass Covers compilation album 'Walls' Ruptured Ambitions Records

Several early Apostles tracks are featured on the Cause For Concern CFC compilation A Sudden Surge of Power. An excellent sampler of the early 80s post-Punk Industrial music scene, it also features contributions from Nocturnal Emissions,Test Department, Attrition, 400 Blows, We Be Echo and ex-Throbbing Gristle members Chris and Cosey. The logo of Conflict and Mortarhate Records. ... For information about the anarchist writer, see Chris Crass Crass was an English anarchist punk rock band, formed in 1977[1][2] and based around Dial House, an open house community near Epping, Essex. ... Ruptured Ambitions first began life as a do-it-yourself promotional outfit for punk, and punk-related independant musical ensembles based in the Plymouth and West Devon areas of the UK. This soon spread, encompassing musical groups, desktop publishing and other DIY, anarchistic and fund-raising bodies throughout the country... Possible meanings: Certified Financial Consultant Chelsea Football Club Child and Family Canada Chlorofluorocarbon Combined Federal Campaign haloalkane This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Nocturnal Emissions is sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrete, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music and noise music. ... Test Dept. ... Attrition means wearing down by friction or grinding and may refer to the following. ... The 400 Blows (French: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French film directed by François Truffaut. ... Throbbing Gristle (formed on September 3, 1975, in London) is a British experimental music and industrial music group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

• 1.Homocore interview

External links

• Website for The Apostles' current band UNIT
• Website for The Apostles
• Article about The Apostles
• The Apostles interview with Homocore zine