More movie posters fed through the House of Harley patent abstractifier… click to enlarge.
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Monthly Archives: May 2025
Not just anybody
Three pencil drawings of art model Nota Mu, hailing a taxi (perhaps). Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
In her playful photoshoots and videos, Nota comes across as someone with a strong sense of humour, so I hope she doesn’t mind the accidentally pneumatic second picture, which gives her the figure of a character in one of Gilbert Hernandez’s comic strips.
See more drawings of Nota.
Pestrepeller’s Rodent And Insect Eliminator
Over an hour of house-clearing noise, recorded by a trio of cartoonists in a North Acton industrial estate. We have a few copies of this incredibly rare 1995 release for sale.
This documents the first time the core Pestrepeller membership of Ed Pinsent, Harley R and Savage Pencil played together. No pussy footing around here – it only took a few minutes for the then-unamed band to conjour up a sound that could destroy all minor life forms on contact. A sound so intense it took a full quarter of hour to subside after the band stepped away from their instruments. A world away from the abstract occult psychedelia that Pestrepeller developed on their later recordings.
“This CD purports to be able to clear your house of insects, and it’s not hard to believe… over an hour’s worth of screeching, rumbling noise – in the grand tradition of the middle bit from Sister Ray, old Sonic Youth Records, Metal Machine Music…”
– Andy Roberts, Comics Forum
About Pestrepeller
Pestrepeller (or Ultrasonic Attack Wave Pestepeller, to give them their full moniker) specialise in a unique brand of detailed and noisy improvised music inspired by the occult.
The core of the band is a trio of Ed Pinsent – cartoonist (Illegal Batman, Windy Wilberforce, Drake Ullingsworth), Sound Projector radio show and magazine – Harley R – publisher and editor of Ugly Mug comic – and Savage Pencil – punk cartoonist (Sounds, NME, The Wire) and designer of album covers and t-shirts for bands such as Sonic Youth, The Fall, Sunn O))) and Rocket from the Crypt. The core trio are sometimes joined by honorary pests such as Sharon Gal, Peter Hope Evans, Rob Brown and Gary Ramon.
Pestrepeller have performed at the ICA and the Equinox ‘Festival of Scientific Illumination’. Recordings include Insect and Rodent Eliminator (Sympathy for the Devil records), Nug Yar (Prescription), The Cruel Sea (a collaboration with the Chelsea Magrigal Group), Isle of Dark Magic (Important Records), As Wolf (a split release picture disc with My Cat Is An Alien), Noises for the Leg, Alphabet of Daggers and Rough on Rats.
About this release
Track listing
1. Rodent and Insect Eliminator (61:07)
Recorded in North Acton, London. Released in 1995 on Sympathy for the Record Industry.
Mixed by Sundial’s Gary Ramon in Camden Town. Sleeve design by Eddie Flowers of The Gizmos.
Listen to this excerpt…
Celophrane-wrapped jewel case CD. Long out of print, but the House of Harley has a very small number of copies on sale for £20 + p&p each from our Etsy shop. (A fraction of what you’ll pay elsewhere). While stocks last!
Also available
Walk like Etonian
Another sketchbook puzzle… what is going on in this scene?
For more fashionable folks and mysterious rituals, see these House of Harley publications…
Above it all
Some rapid pen and ink figure studies, inspired by glamour model Rosa Brighid strutting her stuff. Do check her out.
If you like these drawings, you may enjoy our limited edition art booklets Go Figure 1 and Go Figure 2.
Rub your eyes in disbelief
Some women’s faces from a sketchbook. Probably based on stills from 70s horror films, judging by the fangs, the expression of the lady top left and the presence of Linda Hayden. Colour added digitally.
Give me ten minutes a day
For years I drew my fellow London Underground travellers on my commute to work, and I found it to be a great way to observe live and learn to draw quick in less-than-ideal circumstances. In today’s world of hybrid working, I don’t commute very often, but here’s some sketches from this Friday night after a catchup with some pals.
The last few copies of Dwellers of the Deep 1, our first pocket-sized collection of London Underground sketches are still available while stocks last. And some actual House of Harley sketchbooks can be purchased on our Etsy shop.
Pestrepeller are Rough on Rats
Ed Pinsent has discovered a long-thought-lost 2009 edition of his Sound Projector radio show featuring ‘Rough on Rats’, a 90 minute live performance by Pestrepeller, the musical group he and I formed with Savage Pencil.
On this occasion we were joined by guest pest Peter Hope-Evans and worked from a text-instruction composition he provided. And do I hear the voice of Saphron‘s Jill Tipping? Recorded live-to-air in the Resonance FM studio by Sarah Nicol, who deserves an honorary band membership for her imaginative contributions to the sound.
Listen to ‘Rough on Rats’ on the Internet Archive.
If I recall correctly, this is the most recent time we played together, which is a long while ago, but the possibility of a musical reunion always remains. In the meantime, some rare Pestrepeller and Mystery Dick CDs are available, while stocks last, in our Etsy shop and there are rumours that a lost album may surface on Mr E Discs during 2025.
Partner gone
A new post from an old sketchbook… with bonus short story.
Gift token
