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Intro​/​Portapak​/​Pity the Small​/​Dull Sound of Breath​/​Window Shopping.

from A Slice of Live (Free Download) by Storm Bugs

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about

Storm Bugs were even in their heyday of 1978 - 81 never a live band but a recording project. True the VCS3 sequencer tracks to be found on A Safe Substitute were recorded ‘live’ in one take in the studio by Sanderson but performances by Sanderson and Ball in front of an audience were limited to: an impromptu session round the back of the foundation hut at Maidstone College of Art in 1979, a rather aborted gig by Sanderson, Ball, Jackman and Pomeroy in 1980 (again in Maidstone) in 1980 and one or two other outings. Fast forward to 2010 and in between discussion about the re-issue of A Safe Substitute on vinyl Steven Underwood of Harbinger began to suggest a live performance by the Bugs. These requests were politely ignored until after a while it seemed churlish not to agree and so the Bugs were booked for one of Steve’s Rammel Club weekenders up in Nottingham.

There then followed a number of rehearsal sessions – a first for the Bugs and gradually a set was put together comprising golden oldies such as Window Shopping and Car Situations and ‘newer’ numbers such as Portapak and Pity The Small (written in 2002). Eschewing the laptop approach a mix of loops, live electronics and vocals was employed. The line up put together by Steve for the Rammel weekender (9-11 March 2012) was a heady mix including: Sleaford Mods, Cheapmachines, John Wiese and The New Blockaders as surprise guests. The gig was written up in the Wire by Derek Walmsley with him going so far as to say that Storm Bugs contribution was "everything that's right about the weekend".

The Rammel gig was meant to be recorded but unfortunately due to technical reasons this wasn’t possible however the Bugs performed much the same set later in the year on the 7th of July at the Abject Bloc organised by Tim Goldie at Limehouse Town Hall. It is from this gig that ‘A Slice of Live’ is taken; comprising the first 15 minutes of the performance. The recording wasn’t the key priority on the night and though done digitally it is perhaps appropriate that the sound quality is more distorted cassette than bit sharp.

credits

from A Slice of Live (Free Download), released December 30, 2013
Philip Sanderson: loops, vocals, electronics, samples.
Steven Ball: loops, vocals, samples.

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