A*B*O*U*T
Rob Hague, Ed Borrie, and Salv Alessi, photography by Alan Reck
From Sony Musicclub
BIOGRAPHY: Formed in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, this
trio, comprising Ed Borrie (vocals/guitar), Rob Haigh (drums) and
Salvador Alessi (bass), actually dates back to 1984, when the UK
miners' strike was in progress and irrevocably altered Ed and Sal's
political ideals (although both were still schoolboys). Recruiting Rob
from a nearby squat, Sal moved over from singing to playing bass when
the original bass player failed to turn up for rehearsals. To this day
Sal still plays the instrument "wrong side up". Their first gig did not
take place until early 1992, and by the following year the New Musical
Express had decided they sounded like "the Stone Roses on PCP', while
two singles, "Real Surreal"/"Drugs Again" and "Shame"/"Lady Love Your
Cunt" were released on their own Le Disques De Popcor Records. The
second single was Single Of The Week in both the NME and Melody Maker.
Its b-side was a repetition of Germaine Greer's celebrated feminist
remark. Showcases such as the 100 Club's New Art Riot gig in December
1993 and the NME's On Into 94 event placed them within the New Wave Of
The New Wave movement, a description that the band considered
"bollocks". In truth, their reputation was built on tireless touring,
and their popularity was enhanced by a cheap entry price policy.
The "buzz" attracted such admirers as
Billy Corgan ( Smashing Pumpkins ) and Joe Strummer, while the American
label Sub Pop Records, responsible for much of the grunge movement that
S*M*A*S** detested, tried to sign them. Instead they moved to Hi-Rise
Records, releasing a mini-album six weeks later (compiling the first
two 7-inch singles). A Top 30 hit, it saw them appear on BBC
Television's Top Of The Pops, and the band later played the London
Anti-Nazi Carnival on the back of a float with Billy Bragg. Censorship
proved a problem over July's "(I Want To) Kill Somebody", which reached
the Top 30 despite being on sale for only one day. Its impact was
scuppered by BBC Radio 1 (the song included a hit list of Conservative
MPs, and was independently edited by the corporation to avoid offence).
Their debut album was produced by Chris Allison ( Wedding Present ) in
September 1994, but by June 1995 the band had been dropped by Hi-Rise
after a series of poorly received live performances. Haigh left shortly
afterwards, and, following the "Rest Of My Life" single, the remaining
members decided to split-up.
DISCOGRAPHY: S*M*A*S*H mini-album (Hi-Rise 1994)***, Self Abused (Hi-Rise 1994)***.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 2001
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"Stars in the sky, stars in my eyes..."
S*M*A*S*H got their name from the television show, M*A*S*H.
It also means to get drunk ... to get smashed.
The band Sleeper have used S*M*A*S*H's song title, "Lady Love Your C***" in their song "Lady Love Your Countryside" |
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