A War of Attrition

 

Attrition began after Martin Bowes issued, as part of a fanzine covering the Coventry music scene, a vinyl compilation. Subsequently he met Julia Niblock at a resulting music festival. After a handful of demos, fully-formed tracks by Attrition began to appear on several notable cassette compilations, such as the Rising from the Red Sand series from the fledging Third Mind label.

In 1983 their vinyl breakthrough came with the inclusion of "Dreamsleep" on the influential The Elephant Table Album here alongside notable experimental artists such as Nurse with Wound, Chris & Cosey, Portion Control. Coil even opened for them at their first London show.

I've shared their cassette release Death House that they released that same year here.

They toured several times with The Legendary Pink Dots in 1984 & 1985. Here's a cassette split recorded live during the Terminal Kaleidoscope Tour from March 29 - April 15, 1985 in Holland & Switzerland. 

 

The Legendary Pink Dots/Attrition - The Terminal Kaleidoscope cassette,
Ding Dong Records & Tapes DDC011, 1985.
decryption code in comments

Terminal Side -
Flowers for the Silverman
Lust for Powder
Kitto
Tower 4
Neon Gladiators - The Legendary Pink Dots

Kaleidoscope Side -
Reflections
Redoubt of Light
The Next Day
Across the Divide
Beast of Burden
Surge & Run - Attrition

 

 

 

Attrition were set slightly apart from their experimental & industrial contemporaries by the combination of punk aesthetics with EBM-styled beats but also the inclusion of ethereal / classical touches that permeate nearly all of their repertoire. After initial releases which moved from eerily constructed ambience into standard dancefloor electro sounds, the band soon developed their distinctive texture, based on haunting synthesizer washes, strong beats, fretless bass backing, & Martin Bowes's deep growls contrasted with Julia Niblock's operatic soprano flourishes.

 

 

Attrition - Take Five, Support Fonografici SF018, 1987.

Side 1 -
Take Five
This Final Push
Shotgun

Side 2 -
For Julie
The Wrecking Ground

 

 

 

Look what the spice dragged in,
NØ