SPK live in Sydney, 1981

I've had a rather difficult time looking for footage of classic Australian industrial group SPK live from their strongest era, that being the from the years 1979 through to around 1983. Their subsequent forays into pop music have done nothing for me, and unfortunately, much of the live footage I've come across online has been taken from this period.

Finally, I found this gem tonight, footage from a live performance in Sydney in 1981. Donning cryptic costumes that run the gamut from Arthurian knights with Nazi armbands to bondage gimps, the band debuts material that would end up on 1982's superb Leichenschrei LP, still probably my favorite industrial record of all-time. The uncompromising noise and metallic percussion are in full force, definitly bringing to mind some of the more unforgiving aspects of 1981's Information Overload Unit album. Speaking of "unforgiving," some unsettling autopsy/medical autrocity footage in spliced into the performance (a live tactic carried over from much of the group's album art motifs), so probably NSFW or NSFWS (not safe for weak stomachs).

Comments

[Mindwrecker]

Lovely ! This is my favorite period for them as well, saw them in April 1982 with this similar setup and it was magnificent (it helped that Graeme had borrowed a flamethrower from Mark Pauline for the gig). That album is indeed one of the greats (Information Overload isn't bad either!). Hmmm, perhaps it's time for me to do a blog about them on here - I have a couple of rare shows from 1981-82, including a board mix done by a member of Tuxedomoon. Knowing that someone out there likes this stuff will push this up on my agenda.