William 'Bill' Corbett
Encyclopedia
'William 'Bill' Corbett' (born 10 September 1965, Surbiton
, Surrey
) is a musician, historian
, disc jockey
and photographer who lives in London
, England
.
Corbett was one of the founding members of The Apostles
, an anarcho-punk
band
that formed in Hackney
in 1979. He published many anarchist diatribes and fanzines in the early 1980s, such as Precautions essentiales pour la bonne and Luz y Fuerza, and promoted gigs
for Crass
, Zounds
, The Mob
, Rudimentary Peni
, Flux Of Pink Indians
, Primal Chaos and Hagar the Womb
. For several years he was the 'key-holder' for the Wapping Autonomy Centre
. Corbett studied art and photography
at Chelsea College of Art from 1982 till 1984, when he dropped out and formed the band Savage Eden with Julian Portinari (ex Apostle) and Seamus Brady (Crux and ex-IRA
H-Block resident). The band were hounded by authorities until their demise in 1987, when Corbett and Portinari formed Pallor
with Ben Bethell and Dan Macintyre (another ex-Apostle) The band released one album 'Four more cunts on the road to nowhere' which achieved cult status on the anarcho-punk scene in the late 80's. Corbett was often guest session
guitarist
for bands The Cannibals
and The Creepshow
.
He was married in July 1987 to Bodil Magdalena Hortlund, the same year he appeared in two of film director
Alex Chandon
's horror film
s, Bad Karma and Drillbit, both of which won several awards, and Chandon has gone on to become one of UK's premier horror film directors with the films Pervarella and Inbred to his name. In 1990 Corbett became a DJ at the London nightclub
Spoon, and from 1992–2004 travelled the world under the name DJ Bill Dup, playing at the Full Moon Party
in Ko Pha Ngan
, Thailand
. The punk connection continued in to the new techno scene, seeing Cobett work with D.A.V.E The drummer aka Henry Cullen
on the ground-breaking single 'The Big G' considered to be the forerunner of bands The Prodigy
, Orbital
and The Chemical Brothers
. In 1996 he moved to Hong Kong
and spent two years working for The Triads following Lee Burridge
as resident DJ in the seedy Wan Chai
district at The Big Apple. Bill Dup played an eclectic mix of Trance and Techno dance music six nights a week, working from midnight until 10am or beyond and he released remix
es for local band, EXP. In 1999 he released the album
Dusted Down and played at the Ministry of Sound
, Cream
, Renaissance
and Filthy Society, as well as supporting pioneers like Danny Rampling
, Dave Clark and Sasha
. In 2002 he played at Tate Britain
for the young British artists exhibition and followed this with a tour in 2003 of the United States and Mexico.
In 2004 he returned to photography and now works in the fashion industry and music. In August 2006 his portrait of Bella Freud
appeared in Harper's Bazaar
. In 2008 he was interviewed by the New York Times while shooting on location in Essaouira
, Morocco
. Essaouira is a windswept port made famous by visits from Orson Welles
and Jimi Hendrix
, it now hosts the Essaouira Gnawa
festival every year in June. He photographed the band Alabama 3
of The Sopranos
fame in 2008 for their CD 'M.O.R.
'and in 2010 he photographed Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction for their CD 'We are Volsung'.
Although he is not a member of the Colony Room
or Gerry's club, he has photographed extensively in both, releasing a book of smokers portraits before the smoking ban came into force in 2007 called; Gerry-Go-Round.
In 2011 he published a book of photographs documenting the demise of the Soho drinking establishment, the Colony Room Club, entitled Behind the Green Door and exhibited them as part of the 'One More for The Road' show at Soho's reading Room Gallery, curated by Carlo Zenone.
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) is a musician, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, disc jockey
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...
and photographer who lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
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...
.
Corbett was one of the founding members of The Apostles
The Apostles
The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.-History:...
, an 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...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that formed in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
in 1979. He published many anarchist diatribes and fanzines in the early 1980s, such as Precautions essentiales pour la bonne and Luz y Fuerza, and promoted gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
for Crass
Crass
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...
, 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...
, The Mob
The Mob
The Mob may refer to:* The Mafia, an Italian organized crime secret society* The American Mafia, an offshoot of the Italian Mafia and also an organized crime secret society* Irish Mob, the first organized crime group for which the term was used...
, Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni are a British anarcho-punk/deathrock band formed in 1980.-Line-up:*Nick Blinko - guitar, vocals, artwork, lyrics*Grant Matthews - bass guitar, lyrics*Jon Greville - drums-History:...
, Flux Of Pink Indians
Flux Of Pink Indians
Flux of Pink Indians were an English anarcho-punk/post punk band, that originated from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.-Biography:...
, Primal Chaos and Hagar the Womb
Hagar the Womb
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.-History:...
. For several years he was the 'key-holder' for the Wapping Autonomy Centre
Wapping Autonomy Centre
Wapping Autonomy Centre was a social centre set up in a rented former warehouse space in the Wapping area of London Docklands from late 1981 to 1982...
. Corbett studied art and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
at Chelsea College of Art from 1982 till 1984, when he dropped out and formed the band Savage Eden with Julian Portinari (ex Apostle) and Seamus Brady (Crux and ex-IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
H-Block resident). The band were hounded by authorities until their demise in 1987, when Corbett and Portinari formed Pallor
Pallor
Pallor is a reduced amount of oxyhaemoglobin in skin or mucous membrane, a pale color which can be caused by illness, emotional shock or stress, stimulant use, lack of exposure to sunlight, anaemia or genetics....
with Ben Bethell and Dan Macintyre (another ex-Apostle) The band released one album 'Four more cunts on the road to nowhere' which achieved cult status on the anarcho-punk scene in the late 80's. Corbett was often guest session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for bands The Cannibals
The Cannibals
The Cannibals may refer to:* The Cannibals , a garage punk band active since the end of the 1970s* The Cannibals , a 1970 Italian film...
and The Creepshow
The Creepshow
The Creepshow is a band from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2005 when the four original members got together with the purpose of starting a psychobilly band. The Creepshow writes the majority of their songs about horror films....
.
He was married in July 1987 to Bodil Magdalena Hortlund, the same year he appeared in two of film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Alex Chandon
Alex Chandon
Alexis Chandon is a film director, writer and digital artist.-Directing career:His early films, Drillbit and Bad Karma featured many musicians from the UK anarcho punk scene, notably Ben Bethell, Dan MacCintyre, William 'Bill' Corbett and Julian Portinari from, The Apostles and Pallor,...
's horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s, Bad Karma and Drillbit, both of which won several awards, and Chandon has gone on to become one of UK's premier horror film directors with the films Pervarella and Inbred to his name. In 1990 Corbett became a DJ at the London nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
Spoon, and from 1992–2004 travelled the world under the name DJ Bill Dup, playing at the Full Moon Party
Full Moon Party
The Full Moon Party is an all-night beach party that originated in Haad Rin on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand on the night before or after every full moon....
in Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in South East Thailand. It is famous for its full moon party at Haad Rin Beach and as a backpackers destination. Ko Pha Ngan has two sister islands: the larger Ko Samui to the south and the smaller Ko Tao to the north.* Area: about 168 km²*...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The punk connection continued in to the new techno scene, seeing Cobett work with D.A.V.E The drummer aka Henry Cullen
Henry Cullen
Henry Cullen FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish physician. He was Chair and Professor of Medicine at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. A member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh when it received its royal charter, he automatically became a founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783.Born...
on the ground-breaking single 'The Big G' considered to be the forerunner of bands The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Orbital
Orbital
Orbital may refer to:In chemistry and physics:* Atomic orbital* Molecular orbitalIn astronomy and space flight:* Orbit* Orbital resonance* Orbital period* Orbital plane * Orbital elements* Orbital speed...
and The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
. In 1996 he moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and spent two years working for The Triads following Lee Burridge
Lee Burridge
Lee Burridge is a DJ, producer, and record label owner who helped launch the underground club scene in Hong Kong during the early 1990s, and today plays at nightclubs across the world....
as resident DJ in the seedy Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
district at The Big Apple. Bill Dup played an eclectic mix of Trance and Techno dance music six nights a week, working from midnight until 10am or beyond and he released remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es for local band, EXP. In 1999 he released the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Dusted Down and played at the Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
, Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Filthy Society, as well as supporting pioneers like Danny Rampling
Danny Rampling
Danny Rampling is a British House Music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene. His long career began in the early 1980s playing hip-hop, soul and funk around numerous bars and clubs in London.-Ibiza:...
, Dave Clark and Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
. In 2002 he played at Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
for the young British artists exhibition and followed this with a tour in 2003 of the United States and Mexico.
In 2004 he returned to photography and now works in the fashion industry and music. In August 2006 his portrait of Bella Freud
Bella Freud
Bella Freud is a London-based fashion designer with a number of celebrity clients.-Life and career:Freud was born in London, England. She is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and artist Lucian Freud and great granddaughter of the inventor of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Her father Lucian Freud...
appeared in Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
. In 2008 he was interviewed by the New York Times while shooting on location in Essaouira
Essaouira
Mogador redirects here, for the hamlet in Surrey see Mogador, Surrey.Essaouira is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. Since the 16th century, the city has also been known by its Portuguese name of Mogador or Mogadore...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Essaouira is a windswept port made famous by visits from Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, it now hosts the Essaouira Gnawa
Gnawa
The Gnawa people originated from North and West Africa; to be precise the ancient Ghanaian Empire of Ouagadougou .This name Gnawa is taken from one of the indigenous languages of the Sahara Desert called Tamazight...
festival every year in June. He photographed the band Alabama 3
Alabama 3
Alabama 3 are a British band mixing rock, dance, blues, country, and gospel styles, founded in Brixton, London, in 1995. In the United States, they are known as A3, allegedly to avoid any possible legal conflict with the country music band Alabama...
of The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
fame in 2008 for their CD 'M.O.R.
M.O.R. (album)
M.O.R. is the official 6th studio album by Alabama 3. It was released on September 9, 2007.-Track listing :# "Check In" - 1:21# "Fly" - 3:48#* featuring Devlin Love# "Lockdown" - 4:12# "Monday Don't Mean Anything" - 4:09#* featuring Errol T...
'and in 2010 he photographed Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction for their CD 'We are Volsung'.
Although he is not a member of the Colony Room
Muriel Belcher
Muriel Belcher was the founder and proprietress of a private drinking club known as the Colony Room at 41 Dean Street, Soho, London....
or Gerry's club, he has photographed extensively in both, releasing a book of smokers portraits before the smoking ban came into force in 2007 called; Gerry-Go-Round.
In 2011 he published a book of photographs documenting the demise of the Soho drinking establishment, the Colony Room Club, entitled Behind the Green Door and exhibited them as part of the 'One More for The Road' show at Soho's reading Room Gallery, curated by Carlo Zenone.