Suicide

As the British punk scene reached a nihilistic, violent nadir in 1978, The Clash took unknown, New York, experimental, synth rock pioneers Suicide with them on tour in the north of England. It didn't go down well. They were spat at, arrested and beaten up by raging gangs of skinheads. One time a bottle missed front man Alan Vega by inches. Legend has it, he picked the bottle up and smashed it over his own head in defiance. "Vega was one of the bravest men I've ever seen on stage," said Joe Strummer, "no-one in England had ever seen anything like Suicide." Originally formed by Vega and Martin Rev in 1970 as part of New York's Lower East Side performance art scene, Rev's fizzing dissonant synths, minimal drum machines and eerie effects were offset by front man Vega's mumbling, agitated delivery and naturally confrontational persona. Their debut album Suicide (1977) became a cult classic and hugely influential to the likes of Joy Division, Soft Cell, Sonic Youth and Primal Scream, but they were still regarded as oddball outsiders, too menacing for the mainstream at the time. Producer Ric Ocasek from The Cars tried to soften their sound on later albums Suicide: Alan Vega And Martin Rev (1980) and A Way Of Life (1988), but they remained challenging, industrial works of sonic drone loved by a cult audience. Through numerous break-ups and solo albums they carried on touring, even supporting Iggy and the Stooges in 2010, and their reputation continues to grow; with M.I.A. sampling their classic track Ghost Rider on her single Born Free, Bruce Springsteen declaring himself a fan, and Neneh Cherry recording a version of Dream Baby Dream.

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