About this Event
Throbbing Gristle: An Endless Discontent documents and dissects the actions, statements and output of the confrontational and archetype-destroying band Throbbing Gristle through their original period of 1975 to 1981. Coinciding with punk and the overlap to post-punk, Throbbing Gristle demanded more and asked for “nothing short of a total war”. Working through a contextualising sequence of live performances, the book plots the band within the wider sphere of British popular culture, politics and social structures, as they set about to both question and extend the critical intentions of punk and associated music subcultures.
The talk will specifically include material relating to the band’s Manchester connections. This includes their two landmark gigs in the city - an appearance at The Factory in spring 1979 and a fraught event at Rafters club in winter 1980 as the band were about to split apart – and links between Throbbing Gristle and seminal Manchester post-punk bands such as A Certain Ratio and Joy Division.
Author bio
Ian Trowell is an independent researcher who documents punk, post-punk and other popular cultures. He has written extensively on British fairgrounds and their relationship to pop music and subcultures, completing a PhD on this subject in 2017. His work has been published in numerous academic journals and magazines, with a particular emphasis on looking at the role of memory, archival evidence and how mythology becomes entrenched in many historical narratives.
Born in 1965, he grew up in Derby and moved to Sheffield in 1984 where he remained until 2017, enjoying the vibrant subcultures and music of the city and the stunning landscapes on the Peak District. He currently lives and works in Cambridge, but is hoping to get back up north at the first opportunity.
An Endless Discontent is his first full-length book, exploring the troublesome and heavily mythologised trajectory of Throbbing Gristle.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
INNSIDE Manchester, 1 First Street, Manchester, United Kingdom
GBP 6.00 to GBP 8.00