Aug. 31, 2024, 11:02 p.m.
Formed around 1982/1983 Morbid Humour had its roots in several Bradford bands: Subvert, The Abhorred, Anti System, Dachau, and The Barbed Wire Bootboys.
"...We quickly arranged a recording session at Lion Studio in Leeds. I’d been there a couple of times with Anti System and found that the owners, Tony Bonner and Len Liggins, were both encouraging and sympathetic in their approach to dealing with young noiseniks. We laid down “Animals,” “Landscapes,” “Give Us This Day,” and “Oh My God” in a four-hour session. Upon hearing the demo tape, Marcus Featherby at Pax Records was thrilled—he thought it was great! We were slated for an appearance on the Daffodils to the Daffodils compilation LP, with “Give Us This Day” and “Oh My God” chosen by Marcus. Later, after the band had split, Marcus decided to reissue those two tracks on a split with Anti System. I’m not sure why Marcus did that—I reckon it would have made more sense to press up the other two tracks from the demo. The band did one more recording session at the 1 in 12 Club with Nick Goss at the controls. That session was a bit of a haphazard affair—we basically played live, with the sound being captured on a number of mics placed around the venue. As evidenced by the Peaceville tape, the sound was awful. It’s a shame that the only versions we have of great songs such as “The Face,” “Follow the Bear,” and “Plastic Revolution” are those poor recordings.
In terms of gigs, there were a few forays out of Bradford: Wakefield, Oldham, and Leeds—the latter at the Old Corn Mill squat, playing alongside The Three Johns, Chumbawamba, and Bastard. Aside from those few excursions, most Morbid Humour gigs were played in Bradford at the 1 in 12 Club across three of its host locations: Tickles, The Market Tavern, and Checkpoint—and an appearance at the 1 in 12 Festival on July 28, 1984. The 1 in 12 Club was a perfect fit for the band. We had good relations with the management and found that our sound was appealing enough to be invited to play many times—most notably at the Club’s 3rd Anniversary bash on April 8, 1984, with The Three Johns, The She He’s, Requiem, Screaming Jellyfish, Pariah, and a host of the Bradford Ranters. One of the Bradford Ranters, Dirk Spig, particularly took us under his wing and was rather insistent about introducing us onstage at most of our gigs—Dirk’s spiel usually described the band as ‘the Beach Boys on Mogadon’! Morbid Humour was active around the time of the Miner’s Strike, so our natural inclinations and association with the 1 in 12 Club saw us reflexively lending support to the miners’ cause. Band members from both Anti System and Morbid Humour got involved by supporting meetings, attending rallies, and joining picket lines. Of course, benefit gigs were arranged—two memorable events being the Spectre, The Word, Morbid Humour, and Rudi the Poet gig at Checkpoint on June 8, 1984—a joyous occasion—and the 1 in 12 Club’s Not the International Garden Festival on July 28, 1984, which saw all funds raised donated to the striking miners. Morbid Humour built up a strong and loyal support base in Bradford, so all of our gigs were quite energetic—we’d always end the set with a throwaway song called “The End,” which usually prompted a stage invasion where the mics were commandeered by enthusiasts who’d bellow ‘THE END’ to hilarious effect. The band’s last gig was that NTIGF event..."