Reissue of the Week: HEX Poison In The System: The Demos LP
HEX — “Poison In The System: The Demos” CDIf you liked your punk, the UK in the early to mid ’80s was a good place to be. Not only were all kinds of genres flourishing within said rubric, but there was a significant community of like-minded souls, putting on gigs, writing (and distributing) fanzines, (cassette) tape labels, and whatnot. It meant that bands could (and did!) release demos, on cassette, and distribute them far and wide. The anarcho-punk “scene,” spawned by the likes of CRASS and their progeny (SUBHUMANS, CONFLICT, FLUX OF PINK INDIANS, MOB, et al.) were the inspiration and incubator for HEX. Hailing from the Northeast of England, they were part and parcel of the legendary (well, to us folks, anyways) Sunderland Bunker, a venue, and musicians collective. Herein you’ll find four demos tapes (fourteen tracks in all), recorded in 1986 and 1987. A variety of musical styles, evocative of KILLING JOKE, ANTISECT, and the FAMOUS IMPOSTERS grace the demos. It all features the music gifts of Dickie Hammond and Dave Lainey, better known for playing in HDQ and later LEATHERFACE. Really great stuff all round, and some excellent liner notes do a superb job of capturing the sense of community, and possibility that was nurtured by the scene. (Ramsey Kanaan)
(Boss Tuneage)
