Disorder (band)
Encyclopedia
Disorder are a hardcore punk
band that formed in the Bristol
area of the United Kingdom
in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups to this day. Faithful to anarcho-punk ethics, Disorder are a band who aligned with politically-charged punk bands like Crass
and Conflict
.
), Steve Allen (guitar
), Nick Peters (bass guitar
), and Virus (drums), although Steve Robertson soon replaced Peters, and this line-up recorded the first two EP
's by the band. The band sent a demo tape to local punk label Riot City Records
, but the label opted not to sign them, and instead they formed their own Disorder Records label along with Heartbeat Records
and Riot City boss Simon Edwards. A series of events led to line-up changes: Robertson split up with girlfriend Beki Bondage
(of Vice Squad
) and began glue-sniffing. Virus got into trouble with the police over the ownership of his new drumkit, and Dean also left, later to be employed as a toilet cleaner in Taunton
. He was replaced by Taf (Phil Lovering, formerly of The X-Certs), who took over bass guitar duties. Taf would be the only constant member of the band in the years that followed, which saw an ever-changing line-up. Disorder were part of the "protest punk" movement, and were one of the bands that spearheaded the Bristol punk scene in the early 1980s. The BBC
DJ John Peel
described their early singles as sounding like "shit".
The band's debut album, Under the Scalpel Blade, was released in 1984. The band relocated to Norway
in the mid-1980s, where they recorded a split album with Kafka Prosess.
The band became popular across Europe, the United States
, and Japan
. Re-issues of the band's back-catalogue led to renewed interest from fans, and the band issued a new album in 2005, Kamikaze, considered by allmusic's Stewart Mason "as brash and invigorating as any of Disorder's earlier releases".
The longest standing member of the band Taf (bassist/guitarist) normally assembles other musicians to record albums or go on tour. Recent tours have seen the band perform with the line-up consisting of Taffy, Ben (ex Spitroast / Social Parasites / The Diskarded), Nick Elliss (ex Bad Blood).
Previous tours included appearances in Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, and of course the UK.
Up and coming tours include Greece November 2009 and a planned USA appearance in February 2010, and more European dates next to tour with Italian friends from Udine "Vivver Merda".
Compilation appearances:
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band that formed in the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
area of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups to this day. Faithful to anarcho-punk ethics, Disorder are a band who aligned with politically-charged punk bands like Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
and Conflict
Conflict (band)
Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood , Francisco 'Paco' Carreno , Big John , Steve , Pauline , Paul aka 'Nihilistic Nobody' . Their first release was the EP "The House That...
.
History
Disorder formed in 1980 in Bristol. The original line-up was Steve Curtis (vocalsSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Steve Allen (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Nick Peters (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Virus (drums), although Steve Robertson soon replaced Peters, and this line-up recorded the first two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
's by the band. The band sent a demo tape to local punk label Riot City Records
Riot City Records
Riot City was a British record label based in Bristol, active between 1980 and 1988, and run by Heartbeat Records boss Simon Edwards along with Dave Bateman and Shane Baldwin from the band Vice Squad...
, but the label opted not to sign them, and instead they formed their own Disorder Records label along with Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Productions
Heartbeat Productions is the parent company of a number of record labels originating from Bristol, England. Heartbeat Records was formed in 1978, and other labels have been added over the years to cater for specific niche markets or bands: Riot City Records in 1980, Disorder Records in 1981, FSA...
and Riot City boss Simon Edwards. A series of events led to line-up changes: Robertson split up with girlfriend Beki Bondage
Beki Bondage
Beki Bondage is a musician in the punk band, Vice Squad and was one of its founder members in 1978.She featured on the front cover of a number of influential music tabloids such as Melody Maker, NME, Smash Hits and Sounds.In 1983, she left Vice Squad to form the band Ligotage with Steve Roberts of...
(of Vice Squad
Vice Squad
Vice Squad is a punk band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. The band formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. Songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member and is currently with the band, although there was a period of time when the band had a different...
) and began glue-sniffing. Virus got into trouble with the police over the ownership of his new drumkit, and Dean also left, later to be employed as a toilet cleaner in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
. He was replaced by Taf (Phil Lovering, formerly of The X-Certs), who took over bass guitar duties. Taf would be the only constant member of the band in the years that followed, which saw an ever-changing line-up. Disorder were part of the "protest punk" movement, and were one of the bands that spearheaded the Bristol punk scene in the early 1980s. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
described their early singles as sounding like "shit".
The band's debut album, Under the Scalpel Blade, was released in 1984. The band relocated to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in the mid-1980s, where they recorded a split album with Kafka Prosess.
The band became popular across Europe, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Re-issues of the band's back-catalogue led to renewed interest from fans, and the band issued a new album in 2005, Kamikaze, considered by allmusic's Stewart Mason "as brash and invigorating as any of Disorder's earlier releases".
The longest standing member of the band Taf (bassist/guitarist) normally assembles other musicians to record albums or go on tour. Recent tours have seen the band perform with the line-up consisting of Taffy, Ben (ex Spitroast / Social Parasites / The Diskarded), Nick Elliss (ex Bad Blood).
Previous tours included appearances in Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, and of course the UK.
Up and coming tours include Greece November 2009 and a planned USA appearance in February 2010, and more European dates next to tour with Italian friends from Udine "Vivver Merda".
Singles/EPs
- Complete Disorder EP (DisorderHeartbeat ProductionsHeartbeat Productions is the parent company of a number of record labels originating from Bristol, England. Heartbeat Records was formed in 1978, and other labels have been added over the years to cater for specific niche markets or bands: Riot City Records in 1980, Disorder Records in 1981, FSA...
, 1981) (#29) - Distortion to Deafness EP (Disorder, 1981) (#9)
- "Perdition" 12" (Disorder, 1983) (#25)
- Mental Disorder EP (Disorder, 1983) (#16)
- Complete Disorder: The Singles 12" EP (Disorder, 1984)
- More Noize EP (Filthy Fucking Punx, 1988)
- Pain, Headache, Depression EP (Trujaca Fala, 1994)
Albums
- Under the Scalpel Blade (DisorderHeartbeat ProductionsHeartbeat Productions is the parent company of a number of record labels originating from Bristol, England. Heartbeat Records was formed in 1978, and other labels have been added over the years to cater for specific niche markets or bands: Riot City Records in 1980, Disorder Records in 1981, FSA...
, 1984) (#7) - Gi Faen I Nasjonaliteten Din Live (Live In Oslo) (Disorder, 1985)
- One Day Son, All This Will Be Yours (Disorder, 1986) (split with Kafka Prosess)
- Violent World (Disorder, 1989)
- Masters of the Glueniverse (Desperate Attempt, 1991) (split with Mushroom Attack)
- The Rest Home For Senile Old Punks Presents... (Bastards, 1991)
- Sliced Punx on Meathooks (Anagram, 1997)
- We're Still Here (Anagram, 1997)
- 2nd Gen Vol.2 (Position Chrome, 2000)
- Kamikaze (Anagram, 2005)
Reissues/Collections
- Under the Scalpel Blade/One Day Son... CD (AnagramCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, 1995) - Senile Punks (Bastard Records , Czech republic circa 1994)
- Live In Oslo/Violent World CD (Anagram, 1995)
- Perdition CD (Toys Factory, ?)
- Driller Killer - The Collection CD (Cleopatra, 1995)
- The Best of Disorder CD (Anagram, 1998)
- Riot City Years 81 - 83 (Step 1, 2005)
- Total Disorder (Dead Ringer,?)
Compilation appearances
- Punk and Disorderly LP (Abstract/Posh Boy, 1982): "Complete Disorder"
- Punk and Disorderly vol. 2 LP (Anagram, 1983): "More than Fights
- UK/DK LP (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, 1983): "Life" - Blitz Hits 2LP (1989): "Today's World"
- I Kill What I Eat CD (Eccocentric, 1993): "Violent World"
- We Are Gonna Fight Back Against The Pig Bastards Until We Are Dead CD (Fight Men, ?): ?
DVD
- 20 Years In A Van (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, 2007)
Compilation appearances:
- Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1884 - The DVD (2004) Cherry Red: "Life"
Band line-ups
- 1979 Complete Disorder Stephen Curtis/Steve Allen/Neil Worthington/Nick Peters
- 1981 Distortion til Deafness Stephen Curtis/Steve Allen/Neil Worthington/Steve Robinson
- 1982 Perdition Taf (bass), Steve Allen (guitar), Chris Neill (vocals) & Simon Potts (drums)
- 1984 Under the Scalpel Blade Taf (bass), Steve Allen (guitar), Chris Neil (vocals) & Simon Potts (drums)
- 1985 Taf (bass), Steve Allen (guitar), Neill (vocals) & Glen ?(drums)
- 1986 One Day Son... Taf (bass & vocals), Steve Allen (guitar) & Karl Day (drums)
- 1989 Violent World Taf (bass & vocals), Steve Allen (guitar) & Kenneth ?(drums)
- 1992 Masters of the Glueniverse Taf, Steve Allen (guitar), Rudy ?(vocals) & Thor(drums), TK ?(other guitars)
- 2000-2002 Taf (bass/vocals), Goz (guitar), Yaga (guitar) and Chris Wheelie (of The Bus Station LooniesBus Station LooniesThe Bus Station Loonies are a 'cabaret punk' band from Plymouth, England. They have been described as a cross between Dead Kennedys, Undertones, Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band....
and Oi PolloiOi PolloiOi Polloi are an anarcho-punk band from Scotland that formed around 1981. Starting as an Oi! band, they are generally associated more with the anarcho-punk genre. More recently the band have become notable for their contributions to the Scottish Gaelic punk subgenre...
) (drums) - 2002-2007 Taf (guitar and vocals), Nick Ellis (bass guitar), Jon springer (drums)
- 2007 Taf (guitar and vocals), Nick Ellis (bass guitar), Tony/Ben (drums)
- 2008 Taf (guitar/bass, vocals), Nick Ellis (bass guitar), Ben (drums), Nickos (guitar)
- 2009 Taf (bass guitar and vocals), Nick Ellis (guitar), Ben (drums)
- 2011 Taf (bass guitar and vocals), Nick Ellis (guitar), John Springer (drums)
See also
- List of bands from Bristol
- Disorder Records
- Heartbeat ProductionsHeartbeat ProductionsHeartbeat Productions is the parent company of a number of record labels originating from Bristol, England. Heartbeat Records was formed in 1978, and other labels have been added over the years to cater for specific niche markets or bands: Riot City Records in 1980, Disorder Records in 1981, FSA...
- Riot City RecordsRiot City RecordsRiot City was a British record label based in Bristol, active between 1980 and 1988, and run by Heartbeat Records boss Simon Edwards along with Dave Bateman and Shane Baldwin from the band Vice Squad...
External links
- [ Disorder at allmusic]