23:32, 14/12/2008

My bands #2: Six Inch Killaz (1994-9)

Teenage Whores
↑ Six Inch Killaz (minus Mona), Jan 1996. Photograph by Mona, collage by Holly

I've just been posting a few pictures of my old band, Six Inch Killaz on my flickr photostream. I'm going to be finishing writing the whole story of the Killaz here over the next couple of months. I know some readers have been looking forward to that.

I'll also be revising the first few parts as I republish them to include corrections and comments from former members and friends of the band, where my facts have been (frequently) missing or inaccurate.

Update

The Six Inch Killaz story is now complete. You can start reading it at part 1. Glance over to the right sidebar for chapter by chapter links and various links to Killaz related stuff scattered round the web.

In the meantime, here's a brief potted history:

From Six Inch Kiilaz' last.fm wiki page:

Six Inch Killaz were a notorious London, UK based punk rock group in the 1990s. All the members were transgendered and the group described itself as "tranny punks on the verge of chaos". Their live shows were characterised by their uncompromising attitude and by drink and drug fuelled excess, frequent attacks by and on the audience, and instruments played so loud that the music itself was often on the verge of feedback shrouded unlistenability.

Six Inch Killaz formed when guitarist and songwriter Mona Compleine and bass player Luis Hatred met at famous London transvestite nightclub The Way Out. They quickly recruited two renowned beauties from the London drag scene, Jasmine Salome and Holly Cock, as singers. Their first performance was in 1994 at The Way Out Club's talent night. Soon afterward they recruited Medway scene musician and artist Sexton Ming as drummer. This relationship only lasted for one rehearsal.

In summer 1995, they were joined by Mona's friend, Miss K, on second guitar and the permanent line up of the band was established. Their primitive sound was established early on by the duelling overdriven amps of Mona and Miss K, underpinned by a monotonous and brutally deprogrammed drum machine (a BOSS Dr Rhythm, beloved of early rap artists) and Luis' Sid Vicious-esque bass and performance style. Above this backing, Holly and Jasmine would duel in an atonal call-response shouted style.

The group's reputation as an unpredictable and dangerous live act was probably well founded and they gigged regularly around London in a mixture of indie venues such as The Garage, The Hope and Anchor (where they memorably played for 20 feedback-mired seconds before leaving the stage), in the eclectic 90s London club scene, playing nights like Smashing, Alcohol, Nux Vomica, Kitsch Bitch, Vaseline, Cinergy and Jackie, and in the genderqueer subculture including two GLBT Pride festivals in 1996.

Six Inch Killaz recorded irregularly and never encountered success in their quest for a recording contract, despite gaining some exposure in mainstream television media. Their surviving recorded work is available on the collected CD-R, "Wonderful" released in 2000 by Mona Compleine. Most of the material was mastered from cassette tape 4-track recordings and is of extremely lo-fi quality. Also present on the CD is material from their few studio recording sessions, notably at Toe Rag Recordings, and Big Fucking Digital Studio (Britannia Row). The band are on record as saying that the 4-track demo material is more faithful to their sound than the professionally recorded material.

(20 of the 31 tracks on Wonderful are available to hear on last.fm)

In early 1999, Jasmine was sacked for personal reasons. The remaining four members continued for a few months but the group dissolved for good later that year.

Mona continues to write and record original experimental compositions as well as designing and manufacturing musical instruments and effects pedals. Luis is now a visual artist while Holly has withdrawn from public view. Miss K (as Kaoru) is now half of the electronic rock duo Deathline. Jasmine's whereabouts are unknown.

Official site: www.phreak.co.uk/killaz

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