Soundmaker : 7 May 1983

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY/SPK
The Electric Ballroom, London

And so the capital came to be blessed with the opening of a club that had hosted so many previous sweaty nights of mayhem. The Electric Ballroom remains hot, claustrophobic and an ideal alternative to the club scene and pubs. It's good that it's back in use.
SPK hardly rechristen the place with vital 'rock'n roll', an atonal trio immersed in smoking pyres and chanted backing tapes. Brian, the focal point, smashes with fervour at various bits of metal, tubes and drums; he hacks at meat and nearly decapitates some of the crowd. Like Einsturzende Neubauten they create a feeling of unease but lack the tension and menace of the Berlin Boys. Worth seeing though.