Disorder (band)

Last updated

Disorder
Origin Bristol, England
Genres Hardcore Punk, Crust Punk
Years active1980–present
Labels Disorder
Anagram
Strong Mind Japan
Black Konflik
Members
  • Taf (Phil Lovering)
  • Danny disorder
  • Alex Upchuck
Past members
  • jon
  • Chris "Boobs" Neil
  • Steve Curtis
  • Steve Allen
  • Neil "Virus" Worthington
  • Nick Peters
  • Steve Robinson
  • Yaga
  • Goz
  • Chris Wheelie/Chris Willsher
  • Kenneth Eggen
  • Rudy Hoykens
  • TK
  • Tor Degerstrøm
  • Stian Løken
  • Gunnar Holm

Disorder are an English street punk band that formed in the Bristol area of England in 1980, and has existed with varying line-ups. They are aligned with politically charged punk bands. [1]

Contents

Disorder were part of the "protest punk" movement, and were one of the bands that spearheaded the Bristol punk scene in the early 1980s. [2] The BBC DJ John Peel described their early singles as sounding like Triumph Bonneville motorbikes.

History

Disorder formed in 1980 in Bristol. [3] [4] [5] The original line-up was Steve Curtis (vocals), Steve Allen (guitar), Nick Peters (bass guitar), and Virus (drums), although Steve Robinson soon replaced Peters, and this line-up recorded the first two EPs by the band. [3]

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. [3]

A series of events led to line-up changes: Robinson (sometimes erroneously referred to as "Robertson") split up with girlfriend Beki Bondage (of Vice Squad) and began glue-sniffing [6] and moved to Berlin. Virus got into trouble with the police over the ownership of his new drumkit, and Dean also left. [6] Boobs (Chris Neill) replaced him on vocals and when Steve Robinson left, Taf (Phil Lovering, formerly of The X-Certs), took over bass guitar. [5] [6] Drumming was taken over by Potsy (Richard Potts formerly the drummer with Chaos UK). Taf would be the only constant member of the band in the following years, which saw an ever-changing line-up. [3]

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. [7]

The band became popular across Europe, the United States, and Japan. [8] Re-issues of the band's back-catalogue led to renewed interest, 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". [9]

The longest standing member of the band Taf (bassist/guitarist) normally assembles other musicians to record albums or go on tour. Steve Robinson died in March 2021 as a homeless person in Berlin, a few days before his 58th birthday. [10]

Chris (Boobs) Neill struggled with addiction for many years before moving to Spain where he now works as a psychologist. He is active in the music scene and participated in the opening and running of a squated[ check spelling ] music school in the deprived area of Vallecas in Madrid. He now dedicates himself to playing in his new band The Self-Saboteurs.

In recent years[ when? ], the band have toured extensively in Europe.

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart. [11]

Singles and EPs

Albums

Reissues and collections

  • Complete Disorder: The Singles 12" EP (Disorder, 1984)
  • Under the Scalpel Blade/One Day Son... CD (Anagram, 1995)
  • Senile Punks (Bastard Records , Czech republic circa 1994)
  • Live in Oslo/Violent World CD (Anagram, 1995)
  • The Rest Home for Senile Old Punks Proudly Present... Disorder (Anagram, 1996)
  • Driller Killer – The Collection CD (Cleopatra, 1995)
  • The Best of Disorder CD (Anagram, 1998)
  • Total Disorder (Dead Ringer, 2003)
  • Riot City Years 81 – 83 (Step 1, 2005)

Compilation appearances

DVDs

Compilation appearances

Band line-ups

See also

References

  1. Ankeny, Jason "Disorder overview", AllMusic
  2. Webb, Peter (2007) "Once Upon a Time in Bristol", The Wire, October 2007
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Glasper, Ian (2004) Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984, Cherry Red Books, ISBN   1-901447-24-3
  4. Thompson, Dave (2000) Alternative Rock, Miller Freeman Books, ISBN   978-0-87930-607-6
  5. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C. (1999) The Great Alternative & Indie Discography, Canongate Books, ISBN   0-86241-913-1
  6. 1 2 3 Larkin, Colin (ed.) (1995) The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Guinness Publishing, ISBN   978-0-85112-662-3
  7. "Disorder Interview", Skull & Crossbones No. 6, 1988
  8. Whiteley, Sheila, Bennett, Andy, & Hawkins, Stan (2005) Music, Space and Place: Popular Music and Cultural Identity, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, ISBN   978-0-7546-5574-9
  9. Mason, Stewart "Kamikaze review", AllMusic
  10. Neuhaus, Constanze. "R.I.P. an den liebevollen Schreihalz". Der Tagesspiegel Online. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021.
  11. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN   0-9517206-9-4.