S*M*A*S*H T*H*E D*E*M*O*S - A R*E*P*O*S*T

Here's a repost request, nice'n'timely as there's a film due to be released about S*M*A*S*H and their fellow partners in the new wave of the new wave scene; These Animal Men.  More details about the FLAWED IS BEAUTIFUL DVD can be found here

“This is the sound of the suburbs” Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire to be exact “a satellite of London.” Local lads S*M*A*S*H’s flame shone brightly for a couple of years, when they went from ’local band’ status to darlings of the music biz, thanks to the music press sponsored pre Brit Pop;
New Wave of The New Wave, which was basically a load of bands with the attitude, style and sound of bands from between 77-79 lumped together by the NME and Melody Maker, S*M*A*S*H along with These Animal Men were the best of the bunch.
Like the Stone Roses on PCP was how S*M*A*S*H were described by the NME in 1994. On this their first demo recorded in 1990 when they were called Smash At The Blues they sounded more like The Stone Roses without the PCP. With their second demo, (not sure if it is actually their second demo, but it’s the second one in this post) an MC5 aural assault had started to creep into their songs, and they were just S*M*A*S*H. By the time of their 1993 Self Abused demo the PCP had kicked in and thanks to favourable reviews in fanzines, local radio station and a review in the NME the band were on their way, and what a great fucking band they were ,touring tirelessly up and down, and across the country with cheap gigs, cheap merchandise and their own fanzine; Petal Buzz, which helped to spread the word and build them a large and loyal following. Two independently released singles in 1993 received rave reviews and sold out endorsements from The Jesus and Marychain, Joe Strummer, New Statesman and The Guardian soon followed as did a Top Of The Pops appearance and a record deal with Virgin subsidiary Hi-Rise which saw the 2 singles re-released as a mini-album before their debut album Self Abused hit the streets in Sept 1994. More gigs followed including support slots with The Ramones, The Cramps and Corrosion of Conformity.
Sadly S*M*A*S*H disappeared from the radar in 1996. They did start playing again in 2003 and released a second album Icon in 2007, which I don’t think is a patch on their debut, the PCP seemed to have worn off, saying that though, it’s a ton better than a lot of the shite that’s been about over the last few years. Maybe S*M*A*S*H were a band of a moment and that moment may well have past, who knows, because I saw ’em live again at Club 85 in Hitchin a few years back, and they were still on the ball.

The above text is from the original post but the links to the demos are new.  Enjoy'n'Destroy!

S*M*A*S*H - THE D*E*M*O*S (R*E*P*O*S*T)

In true Andy Warhol fashion S*M*A*S*H exploded onto the front covers of the national music press in 1994, and then disappeared a couple of years later...Shame! Having witnessed them from their early SMASH AT THE BLUES days (their 1^st demo's on this download) to SKY TV following them around a gig at their local venue in Welwyn Garden City, The Ludwick Club, when they signed their record deal, to seeing them on Top Of The Pops, the first band to appear on the show without having a single out, was real surreal.  Anyway, here's another blast of some 90's New Wave Of New Wave Rock'n'Roll....E*N*J*O*Y

S*M*A*S*H - T*H*E D*E*M*O*S

“This is the sound of the suburbs” Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire to be exact “a satellite of London.” Local lads S*M*A*S*H’s flame shone brightly for a couple of years, when they went from ’local band’ status to darlings of the music biz, thanks to the music press sponsored pre Brit Pop;
New Wave of The New Wave, which was basically a load of bands with the attitude, style and sound of bands from between 77-79 lumped together by the NME and Melody Maker, S*M*A*S*H along with These Animal Men were the best of the bunch.
Like the Stone Roses on PCP was how S*M*A*S*H were described by the NME in 1994. On this their first demo recorded in 1990 when they were called Smash At The Blues they sounded more like The Stone Roses without the PCP. With their second demo, (not sure if it is actually their second demo, but it’s the second one in this post) an MC5 aural assault had started to creep into their songs, and they were just S*M*A*S*H. By the time of their 1993 Self Abused demo the PCP had kicked in and thanks to favourable reviews in fanzines, local radio station and a review in the NME the band were on their way, and what a great fucking band they were ,touring tirelessly up and down, and across the country with cheap gigs, cheap merchandise and their own fanzine; Petal Buzz, which helped to spread the word and build them a large and loyal following. Two independently released singles in 1993 received rave reviews and sold out endorsements from The Jesus and Marychain, Joe Strummer, New Statesman and The Guardian soon followed as did a Top Of The Pops appearance and a record deal with Virgin subsidiary Hi-Rise which saw the 2 singles re-released as a mini-album before their debut album Self Abused hit the streets in Sept 1994. More gigs followed including support slots with The Ramones, The Cramps and Corrosion of Conformity.
Sadly S*M*A*S*H disappeared from the radar in 1996. They did start playing again in 2003 and released a second album Icon in 2007, which I don’t think is a patch on their debut, the PCP seemed to have worn off, saying that though, it’s a ton better than a lot of the shite that’s been about over the last few years. Maybe S*M*A*S*H were a band of a moment and that moment may well have past, who knows, because I saw ’em live again at Club 85 in Hitchin a few years back, and they were still on the ball.

S*M*A*S*H - "Bang, Bang, Bang. It's the sound of my head against the wall....Fuck 'em all!'

The year was 1993. The World trade Centre was bombed for the first time. Iraq was under attack, Britain was still under Tory rule and musically the nation was raving on. The time was ripe for a dose of healthy punk rock anger, and it came in the shape of S*M*A*S*H, a 3 piece from suburban Welwyn Garden City. One part The Clash, a bit of Jesus and The Mary Chain, MC5 and a lot of soul and passion. With the help of the music media and their need to create little scenes S*M*A*S*H found themselves as part of ’The New Wave Of New Wave’, which was what it said on the tin, bands like Elastica and S*M*A*S*H touring buddies These Animal Men who had their roots in late 70’s punk/new wave. The band were never really comfortable with this tag. An appearance on Top Of The Pops without having a chart record saw them blasted into the nations front rooms and endless touring , saw the yoof of the nation take them to their collective hearts. Here was a band that mattered. Championed by the likes of Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg, It’s a shame that their singles and album didn’t capture the bands live intensity. But hey that’s were this release comes in. Originally issued in a limited run of 50 cassette tapes it has been unavailable for 13 years. Recorded at one of their many gigs in Stevenage, this is raw and emotional stuff. Just check out their Tory baiting Kill Somebody. The names and party may have changed but the sentiments still ring true 14 years later. Get it here. By 1995 the band had split up due to a combination of bad reviews and inter band tensions, shame. Any way fast forward, it’s now 2007, S*M*A*S*H are back playing live and have just released a new album, can’t comment on that cos I’ve not heard it yet, but saw ‘em live in 2006 and they still rawked.