music

Along with Front 242, Nitzer Ebb (who are from Chelmsford in Essex despite their impossibly Germanic name and sound) codified the pulsing, punky early-80s sound of electronic body music, or EBM, which is very much not to be confused with EDM. 

Albums such as 1987's That Total Age and 1989's Belief set out a trademark sound based on minimalism, with pounding drum-machine patterns, chant-like vocals and serrated synth lines, and tracks like Join in the Chant, Let Your Body Learn and Control I'm Here are bona-fide anthems of the underground, found on innumerable DJ mixes and cited as primary inspirations by successive generations of musicians and DJs.

This show is also a chance to pay tribute to Douglas McCarthy, Nitzer Ebb's much-loved original frontman, who died this year. Fellow founding Bon Harris took over frontman duties as of 2024. Support comes from Die Selektion, and doors are at 7.30pm.