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.
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.
Free improvised noise from the deep UK Underground, enriched with dark pagan folky vibe and horror/supernatural elements. Dedicated to HP Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and Austin Osman Spare.
For this 2001 recording, the core Pesterepeller trio of Savage Pencil, Ed Pinsent and Harley R were joined by vocal artiste Rob Brown and Peter Hope-Evans of Medicine Head.
“…an oppressively dark slab of freestyle Improv recorded in a single session… the epic sprawl and sustained impact of the music retain an undiluted potency.” – Tom Ridge, The Wire
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 Projectorradio show and magazine – Harley R – publisher and editor of Ugly Mugcomic – 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. Mold With a Mind (15:13) 2. No Screeches and Snakes And Deep Dark Menaces (07:15) 3. My Gun Scatters, My Gun Kills (20:18) 4. Dismembered Dead Things (14:54) 5. The Smell of Wet Fur in the Rain (06:05) 6. Teaching the Clouds to be Inverted Flames (12:35)
Recorded at LMC Sound. Released in 2005 on Important Records.
Engineered by Xentos and Lepke B, former members of cult bands The Homosexuals and Milk from Cheltenham. Cover image was supplied by Martin Stone, guitarist with Mighty Baby and Chili Willi and the Red Hot Peppers.
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 £15+ p&p each from our Etsy shop. While stocks last!
