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
