Punk was first born, as a word, inside an article written by music critic Lester Bangs. Or maybe it was the opposite of the hippie movement just when this came to an end and long before it was invented as a word. Then came ‘Satan Suicide’ a story inside the comic book ‘Ghost Rider‘, a favourite of Alan Vega that inspired the name of the band. ”We were talking about society’s suicide, especially American society,” (extract from the book ‘Totally Wired‘). The meaning of punk music meant to be defined for the first time in America in the context of a flyer that was advertising a gig by Suicide in 1970 at Museum:A Project of Living Artists (a communication and community center with social, aesthetic and political fluidity, which was initially run by artists). On November 1970, a few years before the punk subculture became a widespread attitude towards the system, art and life in general and before it created vibrant music scenes in New York, London, Melbourne, Sydney and Boston, the audience of this first gig by Suicide had a first taste of what punk music would sound and most importantly how it felt!
Suicide’s first homonymous album was released in 1977 and planted the seeds of experimental electronic music. The agonizing yet highly emotional and determined vocals coupled with caustic lyrics, created an atmosphere that has been unsurpassed until today. The atmosphere of this album inspired the attitude towards music that the pioneers of industrial music would adopt and evolve almost a decade later. The electrifying waves tha
t the entire ‘Suicide’ album is sending up anybody’s spine coupled with the impression that one is under a constant, gradual and almost hypnotizing electric shock are just a few of the elements that make listening this album a unique experience that can’t be replicated by any other album of any other band.
Alan Vega has collaborated with Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy for the release of the album ‘Gift’ by The Sisterhood and both Alan Vega and Martin Rev have released solo albums. So far, many musicians have listed Suicide as a major influence and covered some of their songs. Following the release of their 5th studio album ‘American Supreme’ in 2002, the band has performed their legendary first album in its entirety twice, in 2009 and in 2010 in two London concerts. ‘American Supreme‘ is an album that was received with mixed feelings. The album is performed in the unique agonizing way characteristic of Alan Vega and creates a haunting minimal electronic atmosphere in a way that only Suicide can achieve. In 2011 Agent Side Grinder who consider Suicide a major influence in their sound, shared the stage with Suicide in Switzerland and the recording of the whole gig was released in cassette format by Klangarkivet under the title ‘Suicide and Agent Side Grinder-Live in Switzerland’.
On 9th July 2015, Alan Vega and Martin Rev will appear live once again at the Barbican as part of Doug Aitken project entitled “Station to Station: A 30 Day Happening“. Suicide will bring some of the spirit of the 1970s with them, a glimpse into the beginning of punk culture which could provide valuable inspiration and motivation especially today when the world is going through a moral, economic and cultural crisis of equivalent importance with the end of the 1960s.
Blaue Rosen 