The Leather Nun are a Swedish rock group. Careening from garage rock to goth and industrial, Leather Nun became cult heroes in their native land. In the early eighties they often shocked their audiences by showing adult movies and being accompanied by strippers when on stage.
The Mock Turtles are an English indie rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1985, who enjoyed some success in the early 1990s. Their most famous song "Can You Dig It?", which was released in the UK in 1991, charted at number 18. When the song was re-released in slightly remixed form in 2003, it again reached number 18 in the UK charts.
Corpus Christi Records is an independent record label started by some of the members of Crass and their recording engineer and business partner John Loder, to release records by artists who did not perhaps fit in with some of the stricter ideals of the Crass Records label.
Halo of Flies was an American noise rock band from Minneapolis. Named after an Alice Cooper song from Killer, Halo of Flies was formed in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer, John Anglim and Tim Mac. Over the next 5 years they released a series of 7 inch singles and mini LPs starting with a limited edition, hand numbered single called “Rubber Room”. These singles were released on Hazelmyer’s label Amphetamine Reptile Records and were later compiled on a CD in 1991. The band partially reformed in 2007 under the name H•O•F, and continued to release new material.
Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk record label. Founded in 1981 by the Effigies, it was not a real business, but a name used by Chicago and Minneapolis punk bands from 1981 to 1990: Big Black, the Effigies, End Result, Naked Raygun, Rifle Sport and Urge Overkill. The Effigies operated the label from its creation in 1981 until 1984, when they found the label to be distracting from their priorities with the band. They handed the label over to Big Black founder Steve Albini, who ran the label until it dissolved in 1990.
Razorcuts were an indie pop band formed in 1984 in London. The group centred on Gregory Webster and Tim Vass, with various musicians including Peter Momtchiloff of Heavenly. Early releases on the Subway Organisation label, including the debut Big Pink Cake led to a deal with Creation Records for whom they released two albums. Razorcuts split up on 21 April 1990, with Vass going on to form Red Chair Fadeaway, and Webster to The Carousel and Saturn V. The duo were reunited under the name 'Forever People' in 1992 for a one-off single on Sarah Records.
Hagar the Womb are an English punk rock band, originally active in the early 1980s and part of the Anarcho-punk movement. In hiatus from 1987, members went on to form We are Going to Eat You and Melt. A 2011 compilation of their back catalogue brought all members back into contact with each other, and invitations to reform and play gigs and festivals have had Hagar The Womb gigging again since 2012.
The Shrubs were an English rock music group, formed in Watford in 1985, releasing three albums before splitting up in 1989.
The Great Leap Forward was a band formed by former Big Flame member Alan Brown, when his previous band split up in 1987. Great Leap Forward was essentially a solo project, although various musicians were added for live performances. The sound was more melodic and danceable than his earlier band, still with overtly political lyrics. After three 12" EPs on Ron Johnson Records, that label's collapse led to a move to Communications Unique for debut album Don't Be Afraid Of Change, receiving critical acclaim. A final 12" single Heart and Soul was followed by the LP compilation Season 87-88 which largely comprised tracks from the three Ron Johnson singles, and the CD compilation Great Leap Forward before Brown called it a day in early 1990. A mini-LP, Tolerance & Respect had been planned for a Spring 1990 release but was shelved.
The Mackenzies were an indie band from Glasgow active around 1986/87, releasing two singles of jagged indie-funk on Ron Johnson Records and contributing the track Big Jim to the NME's C86 compilation. They also recorded two sessions for John Peel, the first of which was repeated seven times, such was Peel's high regard for it. When the band split up, the drummer Paul Turnbull resurfaced in The Secret Goldfish.
Velvet Crush is an American power pop band from Providence, Rhode Island, United States, that achieved prominence in indie-rock circles in the early- and mid-1990s. The band broke up in 1996 but re-formed in 1998 and have continued to record, releasing their most recent album in 2004. Vocalist/bassist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck are the band's core members, having previously worked together as Choo Choo Train, Bag-O-Shells, and The Springfields, and they share singing and songwriting duties. Guitarist Jeffrey Borchardt played on the band's first three albums, In the Presence of Greatness, Teenage Symphonies to God, and Heavy Changes. In the Presence of Greatness was produced by Matthew Sweet, while the second and third albums were produced by Mitch Easter.
BOB were an indie pop band from North London, England, formed in 1985.
Twang were an indie band from Manchester/Preston, England, signed to Ron Johnson Records. Their first release was a flexi-disc, "What's The Rub" in 1985 distributed with Debris magazine. Debut single proper, "Sharp" was released on the Stet label, and later released by Ron Johnson, reaching number 19 on the UK Indie Chart in 1986. This was followed by "Kick and Complain", which reached number 35. A final 12-inch release, "Snap Back", was issued late in 1987. The band were bracketed with other indie acts as part of the 'shambling' genre. However the band and similar hard edged label mates Big Flame and The MacKenzies somewhat disliked what they saw as lazy journalism.
The Subway Organization was an independent music label founded in 1985 in Bristol, by Martin Whitehead.
SLAB! are an industrial music/alternative rock band initially active between the mid-1980s and early 1990s. They reformed in 2009.
Jackdaw with Crowbar is an English multi-media indie band from Leamington Spa. The band was formed in 1985, but consolidated in 1987, when signed to Ron Johnson Records, until it went bust.
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterized by jangling guitars and melodic power pop song structures, although other musical styles were represented on the tape. In its time, it became a pejorative term for its associations with so-called "shambling" and underachievement. The C86 scene is now recognized as a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK, as was recognized in the subtitle of the compilation's 2006 CD issue: CD86: 48 Tracks from the Birth of Indie Pop. 2014 saw the original compilation reissued in a 3CD expanded edition from Cherry Red Records; the 2014 box-set came with an 11,500-word book of sleevenotes by one of the tape's original curators, former NME journalist Neil Taylor.
