Crawling Chaos History: Myths passing as Truth, revealed

Origins

The Crawling Chaos started in Ashington, Northumberland in the UK by two young men, soon to be Doomage Khult and Strangely Perfect who met at the local school, sharing an interest in astronomy, music, gloomy science and horror fantasy novels and science itself.

Doomage acquired a BSc Physics Hons (First Class) whereas Strangely, in one of his habitual depressions jacked his university physics course in to work and get money.

Skills in music and electronics coupled with the punk explosion in 1976 led them commit to the creation of a proper band together. Early 78 saw them setting up studio equipment and developing techniques, writing compositions but without a clear idea of personnel requirements. A reasonably clear idea of styles and attitudes was in place. At this time, other school aquaintances were keen but not really good enough to be partners. The name was chosen around then because it sounded good, it was a partial homage to H P Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos he’d created and also Strangely had not managed to read it all the way through even after several attempts because he was usually too drunk to finish it. It also stood out from band names of the time and sounded dangerous and gloomy. This was the start of THE CRAWLING CHAOS although the definite article was usually dropped. The Crawling Chaos was supposed to be an actual creature of nightmares.

Mutual friends led them to end up dossing on the floor of Eddie Fenn after a drunken night at a Lurkers gig in Whitley Bay. The Attic Studios were quickly established in Fatso’s flat which included knocking a huge great fuck-off hole through from one room to the next. The mutual friend (Jim from Durrim), appears as the title but not the subject of the song “Wee Jimmy”.

Attic Studios

A recording and live performance band followed with a core of Errol Dynamic on (Keith’s) drums until they were nicked, Doomage Khult on guitar, Strangely Perfect on keyboards and vocals. Engineering, mixage and production were handled by Strangely and Doomage. Two bass players joined and left in rapid succession, Steve Smooth and Dave Cook.

The first gig was at the Bridge Hotel in Newcastle, near the Keep. On the first floor inside the bay window. (The picture was taken by Strangely in 2002). At this time the band were gigging at least twice a week in places such as The Gosforth Hotel upstairs with Arthur 2-Stroke’s mob, The Noise Toys, or Spectro Art Workshop down Pilgrim Street, Newcastle.

The “sound” changed during this period due to the demands of gigging from the original avante-garde free-flowing jams to include more tightly worked new wave pieces. The “sets” very often were created on an ad hoc basis dependant on the audience and how the band were feeling at the time. Numbers would be shouted out and with a few quick nods they’d be played. Sometime it’d be “JAM” and off we’d go.

Many of the coterie of helpers and followers of Crawling Chaos appeared at this time. It was (and still is) an unwritten policy for Crawling Chaos and their ilk to annoy as many people as possible. It is part of the pitmatic test. Survivors of the ordeal ended up as mates. Everyone was free to do their own thing. The only penalty would be ridicule if you did something daft.

The Nothin’ Connection

Following an advert in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle for a bass player, with the tag line “we are sick of straight jerks jacking it in”, Holly joined the ensemble. He and some school friends from Seaton Deleval, Paul Shields, Guzzle and Fen (Michael Fenwick) had a band called Nothin’ performing Holly’s music and co-written lyrics from Shieldsy. The Nothin’ connection would continue, some tunes becoming part of The Crawling Chaos’s repertoire and the bands (and other connections) performing on the same bills.

Introduction to Factory

Strangely Perfect played grass hockey for a team called Northumbria (now re-named|). One co-player was the newsreader from the local commercial TV station, Tyne-Tees TV (soon to start the influential show,”The Tube“). His name was Rod Griffith. It turns out that he is source for the Chris Donald character, Roger Melly, the man on the telly.

Crawling Chaos had organised a show at the Rex Hotel in Whitley Bay. Strangely Perfect asked Rod, semi-tongue-in-cheek, if he’d like to buy some tickets for himself and his TV chums. Bizarrely, about a dozen straight-looking TV types turned up, where they witnessed the normal show including Strangely stripping to his long-johns, Doomage alternately sneering at and showing off to everyone and Errol sweating a lot. After the show, one particular guy said he really liked the performance, to phone his mate and say that he, Tony Bulley, thought we were good and that his mate, Tony Wilson should give us a listen as he’d just started a record company called Factory Records. Strangely remembered Bulley was the director on the infamous Sex Pistols/Grundy live interview (I nearly always read the credits! ^reference), and also Wilson from his earlier time in Wales which was in the Granada TV area.

And so it goes, as Tony Wilson’s excellent show on TV was called at the time…

Factory Records

Demos were sent to Factory. Twat Hannett took an immediate dislike to The Crawling Chaos possibly because he had no control over the band apart from exerting negative forces from afar. He exploded in the end.

Tony was impressed and decided that they’d want to see us so he said if we could get to Leigh for a open-air festival he’d organised, (he DID say all this, that’s what he was like), he’d put us on. So we did. (these previous links contain interesting info on the business practices of Factory/Tony that have also emerged in other areas - we should have guessed then…The comments by Chris Miller are especially salient). (see here also - added on 31/10/2007)

We filled a coach from Target with our fans and went to Leigh. I think we were on just before OMD. This was the day that Billy Connolly drank a beer can of Doomage piss (he’d used it as a toilet) on the coach journey, remarking that the beer tasted warm… The day was a typical absolutely freezing bank holiday, audience minimal but reaction good despite the conditions. The subsequent headline in a UK music paper was “Angst in East Lancs Wasteland” which was about right considering the situation on a disused dark grey pit heap (this is no criticism of the real organisers or the area; it’s just the way it was). Tony’s blagging did get us on though as there were a heap of bands that didn’t pass Mrs Miller’s selection process! I’ve posted an article here about a visit to Tony Wilson’s house in Glossop.

After much delay due to Arty-Farty Wilson and the other creative media types having control over the sleeve design the single “Sex Machine” was released. The control was such that a highly expensive metal embossing master was needed to pump out the cardboard. This was reputed to be £700 alone at 1980 prices. The first run sold out in less than a fortnight pushing the record close to the top of the indie chart despite the embossing being flattened out when the records were stacked up at the warehouse.
They were so cash-strapped that another batch couldn’t be made until they got some Joy Division money in. So the £700 master was a complete and utter waste and the fast sales and heightened demand could not be capitalised on so all momentum was lost. Apparently, the design was the second one they had in mind (this was FAC 27, even though the catalogue numbers are out of sequence). Fuck knows how much the first one would’ve cost (I assume they chose the cheap one). It’s ironic (or maybe just karma), that Factory was brought down by the album cover cost for a New Order thing in 1992.

At least Tony plugged away to get it out though. The hidden dark machinations of Rob Gretton maybe started about then. It was a Tony Wilson riposte to one of his previous wheedlings that produced the “joke” at the Russell Club…

During the long delay before record release, the distrust towards Factory started. Among the demos, was a politically motivated tune, penned by Strangely Perfect called “Mary Whitehouse” about the whiter than white whinger of the time by that name. This was written in 1977 while Strangely was working in a fibreglass factory in Welshpool, Powys.
The key guitar hook of the tune was identical to the Joy Division (who virtually co-habited with Factory at the time) guitar in the single “She’s Lost Control”. CC said JD had pinched it although now, since I’ve seen the time-lines, it looks like a case of parallel evolution.

Further mistrust followed when Factory “lost” some of the masters for the follow up LP; then the LP had to be re-mixed in an expensive Newcastle studio adding to costs which were taken into account when splitting the royalties as was normal Factory practice; then it was postponed; then it was finally put out on the graveyard Disque du Crepescule (twilight or semi-darkness in French) label (aka Factory Benelux). They fucked this up as well, changing the carefully crafted title of “Gas Chair Clown” to “The Gas Chair”. Wacky cover though.

Needless to say, the cash generated was piss-poor and all momentum to the band was lost due to back room machinations of key Factory personnel.

The Pits Studio

Errol Dynamic left to live in Manchester during this period but before “Gas Chair Clown” was released. Another contact with a local band called “Danger in Paradise” led to a mutual agreement to start Foetus Products in the basement of Anth’s flat in Tynemouth.

Rough booths were contructed and when finances permitted, another room was anechoically kitted out with loads of headache inducing thixofix glue keeping it together, lagged and double glazed drum/vocals booth and wired in mike and headphone circuits.

The studio was up to four-track tape by now at 15″ per second.with 2 track master at 30″ per second.

This period saw the recording of lots of material which would appear later on “Gas Chair Clown”, “Homunculus Equinox”, “The Big C” and “The Last Pose” LPs as well as “The Blonde Etheopian” EP featuring lots of tracks by the old “Nothin’” ensemble and performed mainly by those members.

The “Gas Chair Clown” was released on the Factory Benelux offshoot. It contained material recorded at the Pits and at the Attic. The wacky cover was by The Belgian artist, Denyse Willem, who has done loads of stuff in a similar vein. I like it. When some royalties came in, all the members of Foetus Products (and a few liggers) had a celebration meal cooked on a Anth Chester’s manky old gas stove. It was roast chicken. It was “The First Foetus Feast”! And jolly nice it was too.

Only the EP and “Homunculus Equinox” were released by Foetus Products during “The Pits” occupation. “The Last Pose” was produced mainly by Anth Chester as a vehicle for some of his tunes from DIP days and newer stuff (no Crawling Chaos connection). It was released after Crawling Chaos had left the premises, dividing equipment and severing Anth from any Foetus Products business.
Anth Chester never played live with Crawling Chaos. He guested on a few tracks; he was also part of a short-lived joint project (more joint than project) called “Maxine and the Lurchers“; he organised (well his brother organised) a gig in hippy Wales; - that’s all. He managed to acquire some original master tapes - which is the output re-issued on CD by the LTM label.  He has illegally released the CD music as download under his copyright.  By this means it’s my opinion that in his own mind he hopes to finally become one of the “band” and whatever accumulated glory attained will forever reflect from his baldy tonsure. The reality is somewhat different though. He did not contact me regarding the CD production or royalties for these issues or anything since 1985, save to complain later to me about mentioning these facts on these and other web pages. The door to The Pits never opens when I’ve knocked though the lights are on. I am told to phone when I’m in the area but am turned down just before arriving. The email, in this digitally connected age, “doesn’t work”. What am I to think? What would you think?

Bebside Hall Studio

Following the general decline in relations and then fall-out with Anth Chester, premises were obtained in a wing of Bebside Hall, Northumberland. (To be strictly accurate, although the address was 1 Bebside Hall, it was actually part of the outbuildings for the Old Hall, long demolished). A certain local notoriety had evolved when a postcard arrived from local Newcastle band Freak Elektrik (Lorna and Ian, along with Moyly and George) addressed simply to “The Noisy House, Bebside“. At this time Strangely used the previous occupant’s phone until it got disconnected to have a personal competition to beat the longest phone call to a random person. The longest was 1h 10m to some geeza in New York.

During this period all the later output was recorded and the last vinyl material published for public consumption. This was “The Big C” and “Waqqaz” (although various other compilations were published by the remaining and alternate members this was the last vinyl output). “The Big C” contained material recorded at the Pits and Bebside Hall. The output was much more professional than previous relying on new tighter scripts rather than reworked old recordings and edits of jam sessions for avant-garde effect. Crawling Chaos continued to confound the critics.

His excessive lifestyle led Strangely Perfect to believe that he had to stop the life he was leading, at least until his head cleared as it was killing him. He did, went to France for six months with his future wife working casually (although he always felt that his work with Crawling Chaos was unfinished).

For five years Crawling Chaos continued with varying levels of activity and membership around a core of Doomage and Holly. This later period is still poorly documented. Live shows in Europe and elsewhere continued and a video was produced. The release of creative work in tape format, similar to the previous “shouting at dozy twats” and Homunculus Equinox but in compilation form, continued, mainly through EE Tapes. Tuva was one of the nom de chanson at this time but Crawling Chaos had a very floating membership at this time. Other local bands used the studios and mentions and recordings can sometimes be found on the net.

“Waqqaz” was the last album containing Strangely’s contributions. It took a lot of effort to produce, and we all really believe it is contains works of creativity that the world will recognize eventually. He is very proud of Crawling Chaos and is honoured to have worked with all of the different members of the band.

Later Info

Doomage has communicated twice to Strangely since those times expressing his feelings completely here.

Holly met a (not quite) mad woman, continuing to live at Bebside until the landlord kicked him oot. After a period working in Holland, he returned to the North-East of England and continues to play and entertain, with the (not quite) mad woman as The Symptoms. Strangely and Holly have been in good contact since July 2007 and Holly has been a good source for archival material and correcting errors therein.

Clinka passed into the oblivion he yearned, and if it’s Carlsberg induced, it’s probably the finest oblivion in the world. He sobers up occasionally under the disguise of a music tutor.

Errol Dynamic probably won’t speak to anyone again, especially Doomage. He’s happy with his own stuff and has been in Coronation Street.

Haircut hung himself, which was really weird but predictable as his mental state endured progressive decline.

Strangely Perfect started landscape gardening but stopped that when it became too dangerous, then ran a delivery business and news agency with his wife, got his Class One HGV and is now a blue-sky I.T. tool designer. The company speak is dreadful but the actual work is creative, producing real value for people.

And to enlarge on a previous mention, A Chester acquired a few master tapes and released two CDs on LTM without the express permission of ALL members of Crawling Chaos (certainly not Strangely Perfect), and typically, there are several versions of the genesis of them. To compound the felony he also appropriated the two tracks from the original Factory single, FAC17,  and two tracks from his DIP days and has FALSELY attributed the DIP tracks to Crawling Chaos as well as claiming copyright to the CDs.   Technical note: these releases were mainly derived from vinyl, digitally cleaned up, which explains their compressed waveforms.

Work is currently in progress for the release of the complete Crawling Chaos catalogue, both previously released and unheard.

- Strangely Perfect.

This includes the Foetus Products stuff. (the two thousand and oh’s CD releases by LTM are a melange of FAC17, FACBN6, FOETUS 0001 & FOETUS SR0001)