Post-punk band Theatre Of Hate are set to give a full release to their latest album, which was funded by a crowd-funding campaign.
Frontman Kirk Brandon originally formed the gothic rock band back in 1980 from the ashes of his punk band The Pack.
He was joined by bassist Stan Stammers and drummer Luke Rendall, along with old school friend Steve Guthrie on guitar and John ‘Boy’ Lennard, who revolutionised the band’s sound with his haunting sax lines.
Their debut double-A-side single Legion/Original Sin topped the independent chart in 1980, while their 1982 debut album Westworld, produced by Mick Jones from The Clash, was No 1 in the indie chart for a staggering 21 weeks.
The single taken from the album, Do You Believe In The Westworld?, has become an anthem, but that didn’t stop Theatre Of Hate imploding in 1982.
Brandon took Stammers to form Spear Of Destiny, and later formed punk supergroup Dead Men Walking, but in recent years Theatre Of Hate has resurfaced to play some very special shows.
After being asked to join The Damned for a massive show at the Roundhouse in London in 2014, they began writing new music again, and have stayed together as a going concern.
2015 saw them play two short UK tours which both drew good crowds, and the band recorded and released their first new studio album in more than 30 years.
Kinshi was funded by a PledgeMusic campaign, and was released in November 2016 to acclaim from fans and critics alike.
With a now settled line-up of original members Brandon and Stammers, plus Adrian Portas on guitar, Chris Bell on drums and Clive Osborne (deputising for Lennard) on sax, the band released two EPs I.Sensou (War) & II.Heiwa (Peace) in 2019.
They paved the way for the band’s latest studio album, 2020’s A Thing Of Beauty, which was again crowd-funded by their loyal fanbase pre-ordering some very specially packaged releases.
Recorded during the 2020 lockdowns, the album is now to be given a full release in April. It has a bumper 23 tracks and will be released on vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Featuring the trademark Theatre Of Hate sound, it has already become a favourite among Theatre Of Hate’s loyal fanbase.
