Ausgang was an English
gothic rock
Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
band formed in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England in 1983.
History
Ausgang formed from the ashes of previous band Kabuki.
[Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 24-5] Some members had also been members of another band, the Solicitors.
Max (vocals), Cub (bass guitar) and Matthew (guitar) were all previously in Kabuki, who released one 1982 single ("I Am a Horse") before splitting up.
With drummer Ibo, they formed Ausgang and played their first gig in September 1983 at the Powerhouse in Birmingham.
They toured with
The Cult
The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...
before signing to Criminal Damage Records,
who released their debut EP, ''The Teachings of Web'', in 1984. Their next release, the "Solid Glass Spine" 7" single, reached No. 28 on the
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...
. Their final release that year, the ''Head On !'' EP, was produced by
Andi Sex Gang
Andi Sex Gang (born Andreas McElligott) is the founder, vocalist and main songwriter of the band Sex Gang Children who were a prominent act in the gothic rock movement of the 1980s. His band played at the infamous Batcave club in 1982.Strong, Mar ...
.
Cub was replaced by Stu, and Ausgang signed to
FM Records
Revolver Music was a British record label. It was created by Paul Birch in 1979 as a guitar music label. Its sister labels are FM Records and Heavy Metal Records.
History
Revolver is best known for signing the Manchester band, The Stone Roses, ...
, who issued the ''Hunt Ya Down'' EP in 1985, followed by the band's debut album, ''Manipulate'', in January 1986.
The band and label parted ways, and after a tour with
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a British rock band formed in the early 1980s by identical twin brothers Jay (born John) and Michael Aston. Gene Loves Jezebel's best-known songs include "Heartache", "Desire (Come and Get It)" (1986), "The Motion of L ...
, Ausgang set up their own Shakedown label, returning with the "King Hell" 12" single later that year.
Inspired by a friend who had painted the slogan on his jacket, the band briefly lengthened their name to Ausgang-a-Go-Go in an attempt to break away from their goth reputation, releasing the ''Los Descamisados''
mini-LP
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
under that name in 1987 before splitting up.
["Ausgang the story so far...Death Disco", ''Underground'', April 1987, p. 45] A cassette-only collection of demos, ''In Retrospect (Out Of Our Minds)'', was released that year on the Fourth Dimension label.
In 2001, Anagram Records issued a collection, ''Last Exit... The Best of Ausgang''.
Reunion
Ausgang reformed in 2003, and issued the ''Licked'' album in 2005. The reunited band played at several editions of the
Drop Dead Festival, including New York City in 2004 and 2006, and Prague in 2007.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Manipulate'' (1985,
FM)
*''Licked'' (2005, Shakedown)
Singles and EPs
*''The Teachings of Web'' 12" EP (1984, Criminal Damage)
*"Solid Glass Spine" 7" single (1984, Criminal Damage)
*''Head On !'' 12" EP (1984, Criminal Damage)
*''Hunt Ya Down'' 12" EP (1985, FM)
*"Bad Hand" flexi 7" single (1986, Fourth Dimension)
*"King Hell" 12" single (1986, Shakedown)
*''Los Descamisados'' mini-LP (1987, Shakedown)
as Ausgang-A-Go-Go
Compilation albums
*''In Retrospect (Out Of Our Minds)'' cassette (1987, Fourth Dimension)
*''Last Exit... The Best of Ausgang'' (2001, Anagram)
References
External links
Official websiteFan site
at Deathrock.com
at Starvox.net
English gothic rock groups
Musical groups from Birmingham, West Midlands
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