Hagar the Womb
Encyclopedia
Hagar the Womb were an English
punk rock
band, active in the early 1980s and part of the Anarcho-punk
movement. Members went on to form We are Going to Eat You and Melt.
and Poison Girls
. The original line-up was all-female, reflecting the band's purpose of giving women a voice in the anarcho-punk scene: Ruth Elias (vocals), Karen Amden (vocals), Nicola Corcoran (vocals), Janet Nassim (guitar), and Steph Cohen (bass guitar). One week after forming they played their first gig with Zounds
and The Mob, with 'Scarecrow' playing drums. They soon recruited a second guitarist, 'Jon From Bromley', and a permanemt drummer, Chris Knowles. Corcoran left, leaving two vocalists. The band's first demo included the track "For the Ferryman", which was released on the Mortarhate label
compilation LP Who? What? Why? When? Where? in 1984. Cohen was replaced by Mitch Flacko prior to the band's first release proper. The band toured the UK punk circuit for five years, releasing two 12-inch EP
s and recording a Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
on 11 February 1984. Their first EP, The Word of the Womb (released on Conflict
's Mortarhate label) was a hit on the UK Indie Chart
during 1984, peaking at number six, and staying in the chart for more than five months. Elaine Reubens joined the band in time for the recording of their Peel session.
The band released a second EP, Funnery In a Nunnery (UK Indie #9) the next year, now on the Abstract label, drawing comparisons with Siouxsie & the Banshees
, Delta 5
and The Slits
. Flacko left, his replacement being Paul "Veg" Venables, and Julie Sorrell was brought in to replace Amden. They continued for another year, but there were no further releases and the band split up, with Knowles, Sorrell, Venables, and Harding forming We Are Going To Eat You, who signed to Big Cat Records
after their 1987 début EP and went on to release the album Everywhen in 1990. They later changed their name to Melt, releasing a sole EP before splitting up.
The band's drummer, who has a degree in Philosophy and Literature, went on to become a cult DJ
under the name Chris Liberator. Bassist Mitch Flacko has been playing bass in avant garde ensembles, and works as a tour manager.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, active in the early 1980s and part of the Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
movement. Members went on to form We are Going to Eat You and Melt.
History
The band was formed in London in 1980, in the toilets of the Wapping Anarchy Centre, established by the efforts of seminal anarchist bands CrassCrass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
and Poison Girls
Poison Girls
The Poison Girls were an English anarcho-punk band. The female singer/guitarist, Vi Subversa, was a middle-aged mother of two at the band's inception, and wrote songs that explored sexuality and gender roles, usually from an anarchist perspective...
. The original line-up was all-female, reflecting the band's purpose of giving women a voice in the anarcho-punk scene: Ruth Elias (vocals), Karen Amden (vocals), Nicola Corcoran (vocals), Janet Nassim (guitar), and Steph Cohen (bass guitar). One week after forming they played their first gig with Zounds
Zounds
Zounds are an English anarchist band formed in 1977 from loose jamming sessions around the Reading area. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the F**k Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene...
and The Mob, with 'Scarecrow' playing drums. They soon recruited a second guitarist, 'Jon From Bromley', and a permanemt drummer, Chris Knowles. Corcoran left, leaving two vocalists. The band's first demo included the track "For the Ferryman", which was released on the Mortarhate label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
compilation LP Who? What? Why? When? Where? in 1984. Cohen was replaced by Mitch Flacko prior to the band's first release proper. The band toured the UK punk circuit for five years, releasing two 12-inch EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and recording a Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 11 February 1984. Their first EP, The Word of the Womb (released on Conflict
Conflict (band)
Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood , Francisco 'Paco' Carreno , Big John , Steve , Pauline , Paul aka 'Nihilistic Nobody' . Their first release was the EP "The House That...
's Mortarhate label) was a hit on the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
during 1984, peaking at number six, and staying in the chart for more than five months. Elaine Reubens joined the band in time for the recording of their Peel session.
The band released a second EP, Funnery In a Nunnery (UK Indie #9) the next year, now on the Abstract label, drawing comparisons with Siouxsie & the Banshees
Siouxsie & the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. Initially associated with the English punk rock scene, the band rapidly evolved to create "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation"...
, Delta 5
Delta 5
-Career:The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale , Ros Allen and Bethan Peters , formed the band "on a lark", but soon became a part of the thriving Leeds post-punk scene, and later added Kelvin Knight on drums and Alan Riggs on guitar...
and The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
. Flacko left, his replacement being Paul "Veg" Venables, and Julie Sorrell was brought in to replace Amden. They continued for another year, but there were no further releases and the band split up, with Knowles, Sorrell, Venables, and Harding forming We Are Going To Eat You, who signed to Big Cat Records
Big Cat Records
Big Cat Records is a UK record label. It launched around 1990 and originally specialized in industrial and noise-rock releases. Operated a US office in NYC for a few years. Purchased by V2 Records in 1996, at which point their roster became much more diverse in style...
after their 1987 début EP and went on to release the album Everywhen in 1990. They later changed their name to Melt, releasing a sole EP before splitting up.
The band's drummer, who has a degree in Philosophy and Literature, went on to become a cult DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
under the name Chris Liberator. Bassist Mitch Flacko has been playing bass in avant garde ensembles, and works as a tour manager.
Line-up
During its lifetime the bands line-up fluctuated regularly, but often included:- Ruth Ellias aka The Hon. Ruthless Savage (vocals)
- Janet Nassim aka El Janetti Ravioli (guitar)
- Paul Harding aka Hasta Paul Centipede (guitar)
- Paul Venables aka Veg, Com. Mitch Jail Bate (bass guitar)
- Chris Knowles aka Mr. Chris Engelbert Funkadink, Chris Liberator (drums)
- Karen Amsden (Vocals)
- Elaine Reubens (Vocals)
- Julie Sorrell aka Miss K. Penfold (vocals)
Hagar the Womb
- The Word of the Womb (12" EP, Mortarhate, 1984) - UK Indie #6
- Funnery in a Nunnery (12" EP, Abstract, 1985) - UK Indie #9
We are Going to Eat You
- "I Wish I Knew"/"Let's Fly" (12" EP, All the Madmen, 1987)
- "Heart in Hand" (7"/12" single, Big Cat, 1988)
- Ride Upon the Tide (12" EP, Big Cat, 1989)
- Everywhen (LP, Big Cat, 1990)