The Homosexuals
Encyclopedia
The Homosexuals are a punk
band formed in 1978. They were born out of the ashes of The Rejects.
in January 1977, supporting The Damned and The Vibrators. In the following five months, The Rejects played with Wire
, Generation X
(with a very young Billy Idol
), The Jam
, Eater
, 999
, and Sham 69
on multiple occasions.
In the summer of 1977, Wizard recruited Jim Welton on bass for a new lineup of The Rejects. Included in this new lineup were David Dus on drums and occasional itinerant guitarists. David Dus was the drummer for Wayne County (later to become Jayne) during their 1977 tour of the UK. Bruno set up auditions to find a permanent guitarist, and after a series of metaphysical mishaps, Anton Hayman was recruited. Bruno Wizard needed a new name for this next stage of his creative outpourings.
The name 'The Rejects' was too deeply embedded in what Wizard regarded as "the new conformity of Punk". For the new name, "Homo" equals men of the same sex; "rock" equals sexual; men of the same idea in ancient Greece discussing art, music, literature, astronomy, science equals The Homosexuals. David Dus, sensational drummer that he was, could not hack being in a band called The Homosexuals and duly left. Jim Welton, later to be immortalized as L. Voag, Amos, and Xentos, thought it better to call the band 'The Non-Homosexuals' and stayed, and Anton Hayman agreed on the genius of the name. The band then lived in a series of squats, all the while making music and recording. Bruno Wizard refused to perform on "the circuit" and thus, The Homosexuals only ever did a handful of gigs. The band's work during this period would lead to their recognition as a pioneer of D.I.Y.
, along with such bands as This Heat
, Desperate Bicycles
, Swell Maps
, et al.
Their angular guitars, complex melodies, and experimental leanings distanced them somewhat from the punk rock being created by their contemporaries and has cemented their reputation as a pre-cursor to post-punk. They released very little during their lifetime, and most of what they did release was on small-run vinyl on obscure record labels. The members also recorded in various combinations under several different pseudonyms. These "side projects" George Harassment and Sir Alick and the Phraser. The only full length LP by the band, 1984's album The Homosexuals' Record was compiled and released by Recommended Records, and reissued as remastered on CD, with additional tracks, in 2004 as The Homosexuals' CD. Also released that year was Astral Glamour - a 3-CD set including the band's entire catalogue, unreleased songs, and work by several of the band's pseudonymous projects.
Bruno Wizard resurfaced in his role as spirit guide to The Homosexuals in late 2003, playing with an assortment of young musicians from around the world, notably three young Russians who shall remain anonymous for the moment due to their parents' murky KGB background! In 2004 this version of The Homosexuals, along with former member Susan Vida, launched Astral Glamour on Hyped2Death at Cobden's Art Club in Notting Hill Gate. This coincided with a major art exhibition of Susan Vida's work at the same venue. It was around this time that Wizard met Ben Harris, who was playing with one of his bands, The Affectionate Punch
, at Nambucca, Holloway Road. After discussing their musical backgrounds and approaches, Harris was enlisted to play bass at their next gig 5 days later. Harris became a permanent feature in the European line up ever since. In the true tradition of The Homosexuals, Bruno Wizard metamorphosed various lineups, and after 3 shows with Hayman back on guitar, headed west again to his spiritual homeland of New York (which he had been visiting since 1986 in preparation for the new coming), and worked with Imaginary Icons as his backing band.
Wizard put together another lineup of The Homosexuals in late 2007, with Mike Dos Santos of Apache Beat
on bass. Mike, who also played with Brendan Benson
and The Realistics, introduced Wizard to a couple of hired guns to play drums and guitar. The drummer Travis Harrison is the owner of label Serious Business Records
. The group's fierce live performances, a combination of classic and new material, paired with experimental explorations and free improvisational pieces, seemed to herald a new era for The Homosexuals.
In 2008 a fresh body of work was recorded at Serious Business' Soho studio, some of which has been documented on the limited edition Love Guns? EP. A new 2009 release titled Important if True was suspended whilst negotiations took place between Wizard and Harrison. During the recording of this material, Harrison was being courted by The Orchard
, a digital distribution and licensing company for his label's catalogue. At the time, The Orchard already handled the digital distribution for The Homosexuals' CD and Astral Glamour, an agreement which ended 30 June 2009, and were keen to secure the rights to the material being worked on with Wizard and Serious Business. To this effect, Wizard performed some of the new material at The Orchard's office in Manhattan, and Harrison and Serious Business signed their current catalogue to The Orchard, but unfortunately there was never any legal agreement between Bruno Wizard and Travis Harrison for any of this material to be assigned anywhere. This matter is still to be resolved.
Given Bruno Wizard's inherent distrust and loathing of "the traditional music industry", the situation between him and Harrison meant that Harrison's drumming position in the band was untenable. His exit from the band was swiftly followed by that of the guitarist, Dave Siegel, a childhood friend of Harrison. Within three days, their replacements, Julian Bennett Holmes and Jonathan Edelstein of Brooklyn band Fiasco
, were on the road to Boston as The Homosexuals to play alongside King Khan and the Shrines
. This lineup also played at Club Europa New York with Monotonix before Wizard's return to London to meet his UK and European playing and recording commitments. While in London, Wizard is working on a whole host of new songs, some of which are a collaboration with Anton Hayman, his original co-writer with The Homosexuals of such classics as "Hearts in Exile", "Neutron Lover", "Astral Glamour", and "Walk before Imitate".
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed in 1978. They were born out of the ashes of The Rejects.
History
The Rejects were formed at Goldsmith's College in South London in 1976, when Bruno Wizard recruited a young songwriter named Ian Kane to help express his disquiet with the modern world and disappointment with his heroes of the Sixties "revolution maaan!" The Rejects did their first gig at The RoxyThe Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
in January 1977, supporting The Damned and The Vibrators. In the following five months, The Rejects played with Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
, Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
(with a very young Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
), The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, Eater
Eater
Eater were an early British punk band from London who took their name from a Marc Bolan lyric. In 2001, the band’s second single, "Thinking of the USA" , was included in a leading British music magazine’s list of the best punk-rock singles of all-time...
, 999
999
Year 999 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Silesia is incorporated into territory ruled by Boleslaus I of Poland.* The Orsay commune is founded.- Asia :...
, and Sham 69
Sham 69
Sham 69 is an English punk band that formed in Hersham in 1976.Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Sham 69 has been a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and streetpunk genres. The band allegedly derived...
on multiple occasions.
In the summer of 1977, Wizard recruited Jim Welton on bass for a new lineup of The Rejects. Included in this new lineup were David Dus on drums and occasional itinerant guitarists. David Dus was the drummer for Wayne County (later to become Jayne) during their 1977 tour of the UK. Bruno set up auditions to find a permanent guitarist, and after a series of metaphysical mishaps, Anton Hayman was recruited. Bruno Wizard needed a new name for this next stage of his creative outpourings.
The name 'The Rejects' was too deeply embedded in what Wizard regarded as "the new conformity of Punk". For the new name, "Homo" equals men of the same sex; "rock" equals sexual; men of the same idea in ancient Greece discussing art, music, literature, astronomy, science equals The Homosexuals. David Dus, sensational drummer that he was, could not hack being in a band called The Homosexuals and duly left. Jim Welton, later to be immortalized as L. Voag, Amos, and Xentos, thought it better to call the band 'The Non-Homosexuals' and stayed, and Anton Hayman agreed on the genius of the name. The band then lived in a series of squats, all the while making music and recording. Bruno Wizard refused to perform on "the circuit" and thus, The Homosexuals only ever did a handful of gigs. The band's work during this period would lead to their recognition as a pioneer of D.I.Y.
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
, along with such bands as This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
, Desperate Bicycles
Desperate Bicycles
The Desperate Bicycles were an English new wave group who released a series of independent recordings in the late 1970s and inspired many other bands to do likewise. The Desperate Bicycles pioneered the do-it-yourself ethic of punk, adopting a proselytising role exemplified by their ardent...
, Swell Maps
Swell Maps
Swell Maps were an experimental English rock group of the 1970s from Birmingham that foreshadowed the birth of post-punk.Influenced by the disparate likes of T.Rex and the German progressive outfit, Can, they created a new soundscape that would be heavily mined by others in the post-punk era...
, et al.
Their angular guitars, complex melodies, and experimental leanings distanced them somewhat from the punk rock being created by their contemporaries and has cemented their reputation as a pre-cursor to post-punk. They released very little during their lifetime, and most of what they did release was on small-run vinyl on obscure record labels. The members also recorded in various combinations under several different pseudonyms. These "side projects" George Harassment and Sir Alick and the Phraser. The only full length LP by the band, 1984's album The Homosexuals' Record was compiled and released by Recommended Records, and reissued as remastered on CD, with additional tracks, in 2004 as The Homosexuals' CD. Also released that year was Astral Glamour - a 3-CD set including the band's entire catalogue, unreleased songs, and work by several of the band's pseudonymous projects.
Bruno Wizard resurfaced in his role as spirit guide to The Homosexuals in late 2003, playing with an assortment of young musicians from around the world, notably three young Russians who shall remain anonymous for the moment due to their parents' murky KGB background! In 2004 this version of The Homosexuals, along with former member Susan Vida, launched Astral Glamour on Hyped2Death at Cobden's Art Club in Notting Hill Gate. This coincided with a major art exhibition of Susan Vida's work at the same venue. It was around this time that Wizard met Ben Harris, who was playing with one of his bands, The Affectionate Punch
The Affectionate Punch
The Affectionate Punch is the first album by Scottish Post-Punk group, Associates. It was released in August 1980.- Style :The album is markedly different from both the Associates darker, more experimental recordings and their later watery dense production style as made famous on Sulk and Fourth...
, at Nambucca, Holloway Road. After discussing their musical backgrounds and approaches, Harris was enlisted to play bass at their next gig 5 days later. Harris became a permanent feature in the European line up ever since. In the true tradition of The Homosexuals, Bruno Wizard metamorphosed various lineups, and after 3 shows with Hayman back on guitar, headed west again to his spiritual homeland of New York (which he had been visiting since 1986 in preparation for the new coming), and worked with Imaginary Icons as his backing band.
Wizard put together another lineup of The Homosexuals in late 2007, with Mike Dos Santos of Apache Beat
Apache Beat
Apache Beat are a five-piece New York band formed in 2007.Their debut album Last Chants was recorded, mixed and produced by Martin Bisi and John Agnello in New York and was released on October 5, 2010 on Babylon Records...
on bass. Mike, who also played with Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson is an American musician and songwriter. He sings and plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released four solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs....
and The Realistics, introduced Wizard to a couple of hired guns to play drums and guitar. The drummer Travis Harrison is the owner of label Serious Business Records
Serious Business Records
Serious Business Records is an independent record label started by Travis Harrison and Andy Ross in Brooklyn, NY in 2004. Since its inception, Serious Business Records has grown to include 14 acts, spanning the genres of classic rock, punk, pop, Americana/Old-Time, and electronic music...
. The group's fierce live performances, a combination of classic and new material, paired with experimental explorations and free improvisational pieces, seemed to herald a new era for The Homosexuals.
In 2008 a fresh body of work was recorded at Serious Business' Soho studio, some of which has been documented on the limited edition Love Guns? EP. A new 2009 release titled Important if True was suspended whilst negotiations took place between Wizard and Harrison. During the recording of this material, Harrison was being courted by The Orchard
The Orchard (music label)
The Orchard is a New York City based digital distribution and entertainment services company that works with independent artists and labels, and content providers...
, a digital distribution and licensing company for his label's catalogue. At the time, The Orchard already handled the digital distribution for The Homosexuals' CD and Astral Glamour, an agreement which ended 30 June 2009, and were keen to secure the rights to the material being worked on with Wizard and Serious Business. To this effect, Wizard performed some of the new material at The Orchard's office in Manhattan, and Harrison and Serious Business signed their current catalogue to The Orchard, but unfortunately there was never any legal agreement between Bruno Wizard and Travis Harrison for any of this material to be assigned anywhere. This matter is still to be resolved.
Given Bruno Wizard's inherent distrust and loathing of "the traditional music industry", the situation between him and Harrison meant that Harrison's drumming position in the band was untenable. His exit from the band was swiftly followed by that of the guitarist, Dave Siegel, a childhood friend of Harrison. Within three days, their replacements, Julian Bennett Holmes and Jonathan Edelstein of Brooklyn band Fiasco
Fiasco (band)
Fiasco is a Brooklyn-based trio formed in October 2005 by Jonathan Edelstein , Julian Bennett Holmes , and Lucian Buscemi , although all three are multi-instrumentalists. They are known for their intense, high-energy music, their energetic live shows, and for playing off the venue's stage, in the...
, were on the road to Boston as The Homosexuals to play alongside King Khan and the Shrines
King Khan and the Shrines
King Khan and the Shrines, sometimes referred to as King Khan and Sensational Shrines or The Supreme Genius of King Khan and His Sensational Shrines, are a Berlin-based garage rock and psychedelic soul band.-History:...
. This lineup also played at Club Europa New York with Monotonix before Wizard's return to London to meet his UK and European playing and recording commitments. While in London, Wizard is working on a whole host of new songs, some of which are a collaboration with Anton Hayman, his original co-writer with The Homosexuals of such classics as "Hearts in Exile", "Neutron Lover", "Astral Glamour", and "Walk before Imitate".
Discography
- Hearts in Exile 7" (1978, Lorelei)
- Bigger Than the Number...Yet Missing the Dot 7" (1979?, Black Noise)
- The Homosexuals EP 12" (1979?, Black Noise)
- Ici La Bas 12" (1980, Black Noise)
- VenceremosVenceremosVenceremos is a Spanish and Portuguese word meaning "we will overcome", or "we will win".The word can also refer to:* Venceremos, a battle cry and the name of a few republican newspapers during the Spanish Civil War...
cassette (1983?, Black Noise) - The Homosexuals' Record LP (1984, Recommended RecordsRecommended RecordsRecommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
) - The Homosexuals' CD re-issue (January 2004, Recommended RecordsRecommended RecordsRecommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
/Morphius Records) - Astral Glamour 3-CD boxset (June 2004, Hyped to Death/Messthetics)
- Love Guns? 10" EP (November 2008, Serious Business Records)
External links
Reviews
- review of The Homosexuals' CD on Pitchfork Media
- review of Astral Glamour on Pitchfork Media
- review of Astral Glamour in the Village Voice
- review of Astral Glamour in Dusted Magazine
- reviews in Forced Exposure
Databases
- [ Allmusic entry]
- discography at Discogs
- MusicBrainz
Video
- PUNKCAST#1178 live at Cake Shop NYC on Jul 9 2007. (RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
, mp4)