Hagar the Womb are an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

punk rock band, originally active in the early 1980s and part of the

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

movement. In hiatus from 1987, members went on to form We Are Going To Eat You and Melt, with vocalist Julie Sorrell. A 2011 compilation of their back catalogue brought members back into contact with each other, and invitations to reform and play gigs and festivals led to Hagar The Womb gigging again from 2012. The band released a new EP in 2016.

History

The band was formed in London in 1980, in the toilets of the

Wapping Anarchy Centre Wapping Autonomy Centre (also known as The Anarchist Centre) was a self-managed social centre in the London Docklands from late 1981 to 1982. The project was initially funded by money raised by the benefit single ''Persons Unknown''/''Bloody Re ...

, established by the efforts of seminal anarchist bands

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

and

Poison Girls The Poison Girls were an English anarcho-punk band from Brighton. The 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, often from an anarchist pers ...

.Glasper, Ian (2006) ''The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980-1984'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 154-9 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 Amsden (vocals), Nicola Corcoran (vocals), Janet Nassim (guitar), and Steph Cohen (bass guitar). One week after forming they played their first gig with

Zounds Zounds are an England, English anarcho punk/post-punk band from Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Berkshire, England, formed in 1977. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records label, and ...

and The Mob, with 'Scarecrow' playing drums. They soon recruited a second guitarist, 'Jon From Bromley', and a permanent drummer, Chris Knowles, formerly of Cold War. Prior to joining Hagar the Womb, Chris Knowles had already recorded the

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

n single 'The Machinist/Illusion' with Cold War, playing bass and providing vocals, creating a sound akin to the work of

Antisect Antisect are a punk rock band based in London, England. Their roots are in hardcore/ anarcho punk and metal. Formed in Daventry in 1982, their debut album, ''In Darkness There Is No Choice'', was released in 1983. 1985's follow-up EP ''Out fr ...

and

Amebix Amebix were an English crust punk band. Formed as the Band with No Name, the band's original run was from 1978 to 1987, during which time they released two EPs and three albums. The group reunited in 2008, released another full-length album ...

. A rare demo tape of Chris Knowles work with Cold War exists, containing music that still remains unreleased. Corcoran left, leaving two vocalists. The band's first demo included the track "For the Ferryman", which was released on the

Mortarhate Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based in Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood (vocals), Francisco 'Paco' Carreno (drums), John (bass guitar), Steve (guitars), Pauli ...

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

compilation LP ''Who? What? Why? When? Where?'' in 1984. Cohen was replaced by Mitch Flacko (also of

The Mekons The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...

) prior to the band's first release proper. The band toured the UK punk circuit for five years, releasing two 12-inch EPs and recording a

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

on 11 February 1984.11/02/1984 - Hagar The Womb
, ''Keeping It Peel'',

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Hagar the Womb

* ''Funnery in a Nunnery'' (12" EP, Abstract Sounds, 12ABS029, UK, 1985) - UK Indie No. 9 * ''A Brighter Shade of Black'' (LP,

Mississippi Records Mississippi Records is a record store and label. It was founded by Eric Isaacson in 2003 in Portland, Oregon. It also houses a café, equipment repair shop, and the Portland Museum of Modern Art. The Mississippi Records motto is: "Love over gold ...

, MR-095, USA, 2011) ompilation* ''Life of Lies / Distant War / You Never Learn'' (7" EP, All the Madmen, MAD25, 2014) * "Hated By The Daily Mail" (7" split with Anthrax (UK), Grow Your Own Records, GYOEP3, UK, 2016) * ''Hagiography'' (CD, One Bright Spark Records 001, 2016) ompilation* ''Hagitate'' (EP/10"/DD, Grow Your Own Records, GYO21, UK, 2016)

We are Going to Eat You

*''Four Heads Feast'' (Cassette, 69 Tapes, 1987) *"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)

Melt

*''Neverland'' (12" EP, Big Cat, 1991)

References

{{Authority control Anarcho-punk groups English punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1985

History

Line-up

Discography

Hagar the Womb

We are Going to Eat You

Melt

References