On this day, 38 years ago, Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, better know as Poly Styrene, passed away.

Poly left her home at the age of 16 and became interested in punk music after attending a concert by The Sex Pistols in the mid 70s. Shortly after she placed an advertisement in a local newspaper saying she was looking for people to start her own punk band. Ultimately this band became the legendary X - Ray Spex, featuring the 19 year old Poly as the flamboyant figurehead. She stood out for her striking appearance. She wore clashing colours and braces to emphasize she did not want to be seen as a sex object.

The band had an instant underground hit with their debut 7” 'Oh Bondage! (30 September 1977). In 1978 two more successful singles followed ,’The Day The World Turned Day-glo' and 'Identity'.

In 1978 Poly Styrene started to suffer from hallucinations that prevented her from focusing on the band and music. She was hospitalized where she was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic. It was not until 1991 that she was diagnosed correctly with bipolar behavioral disorder.

After X - Ray Spex broke up in 1980, Poly Styrene released her solo album 'Translucence'. The loud punk sound and her characteristic shrill voice gave way to calmer jazzy music and a more subdued singing style.

Even when solo album became a minor success, Poly Styrene withdrew from the music world soon after. In 1983 she joined the Hare Krishna movement, which she was actively involved with until 1988.

For many years she lived in anonymity but suddenly, in 2004 she made a comeback with the album 'Flower Airplane'. Six years later another new album, ‘Generation Indigo' was released (March 28, 2011). It would become her final album …

In February 2011, Poly Styrene was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, with metastases to the spine and lungs. She died on Easter Monday, 25 April 2011 at her home in Sussex at the age of 53.

DISCOGS

On this day, 36 years ago, MUTE records released their first Nitzer Ebb product. Although it was initially released by Nitzer Ebb themselves as their official 3rd single (NEP3), through their own label Power Of Voice and featuring 'Get Clean' as b-side in May 1986. 'Let Your Body Learn' was re-released by Mute Records (EU) and Geffen Records (US) in April 1987 with different song versions, track-lists and variating artwork, preceding their cult album to be, That Total Age (1987) on Mute Records (1987).

Let Your Body Learn (7” - MUTE58)

A.. Let Your Body Learn (DM Hansa Mix) 2:48
B. Let Your Body Learn (Instrumental) 3:08

Let Your Body Learn (12” - 12MUTE58)

A.. Let Your Body Learn 6:27
B1.. Let Your Body Learn (Instrumental) 3:08
B2. Let Your Body Learn (7" Edit) 2:50

Let Your Body Learn (Lyrics)

Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands
Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands

Melt in the music
The music of drums
Melt in the music
The music of drums

Choose the fast beat
Choose the hard line
Choose the fast beat
Choose the hard line

Try to show us one better
Not sick to the heart
Not calling with flesh
Suffer little children
Suffer little children
Suffer little children
Written in pain

Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace

Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands
Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands

Hold onto rhythm
The music of drums
Hold onto rhythm
The music of drums

The pulse is alive
Making me sane

Let your body learn
Let your body build
Let your body learn
Let your body build

Suffer little children
Suffer little children
Suffer little children
The pulse is alive

Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands

Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace
Boys at one
Girls at peace

Freedom from fear
Giving release
Freedom from fear
Giving release
Giving release
Giving your heart

Fast beating feet
Fast falling hands
Fast beating feet
Fast falling hands
Fast beat the feet
Fast fall the hands

Choose
Fast beat the feet (learn)

Choose
Fast beat the feet (learn)

Feel

Choose

Let your body learn
Let your body build
Let your body learn
Let your body build

Choose

Learn

Build

Choose

Learn

Build

Choose

Learn

Build

Choose

DISCOGS

Author/Music Scribe/TV Presenter/Environmental Activist and Bass Player for perennial post-punk survivors The Membranes, John Robb is a man who cannot sit still. When he’s not touring with his band (they recently toured in Europe with The Stranglers, The Chameleons and Fields Of The Nephilim), he’s presenting, moderating or writing for his popular UK music site Louder Than War. John has previously written the best-selling books “Punk Rock : An Oral History” and “The North Will Rise Again : Manchester Music City 1976-1996”. His latest opus is the 650-page “The Art Of Darkness : The History of Goth”, an in-depth account that he feels presents the first major and comprehensive overview of Goth music and culture and its lasting legacy.

Starting with a night out in a Goth club, it then takes us on a deep-dive into the wider culture, exploring the social conditions that created ‘Goth’ in the post-punk period. It examines the fall of Rome, Lord Byron and the romantic poets, European folk tales, Gothic architecture and painters, the occult to modern-day Instagram influencers.

The book is built mainly around the 80s post-punk Goth period featuring interviews with Andrew Eldritch, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, The Cult, The Banshees, The Damned, Einstürzende Neubauten, Johnny Marr, Trent Reznor, Adam Ant, Laibach, The Cure, Nick Cave and many others. …it looks at the music, style and the political and social conditions that spawned the culture and the great music, fashions and attitudes - clubs that defined it, and is also a first-hand account of being there at some of the legendary gigs and clubs that made the scene happen...

JOHN ROBB

“The Art Of Darkness : The History Of Goth”
Louder Than War Books
550 Pages + Photographs by Mick Mercer
Release Date: March 24, 2023

Follow John Robb on social media
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Today 17 years ago, Nine Inch Nails released ‘Every Day Is Exactly the Same’ as their third single taken from the album With Teeth. It became NIN 21st official release thus baring the Halo 21 catalogue number.

The radio single reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock singles chart in the Modern Rock Tracks category and #12 in the Mainstream Rock Tracks category. The song also reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart, and received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 49th annual Grammy Awards. Though a planned music video was scrapped in the post-production stage, "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" still topped Billboard's 2006 year-end Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, it has so far spent 94 weeks on the chart.

Every Day is Exactly the Same (US CD EP tracklist)

1 "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" – 4:57

2 "The Hand That Feeds" (DFA Mix) – 9:03

3 "The Hand That Feeds" (Photek Straight Mix) – 7:47

4 "Only" (El-P Mix) – 4:22

5 "Only" (Richard X Mix) – 7:25

6 "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" (Sam Fog vs. Carlos D Mix) – 5:03

Every Day is Exactly the Same (Lyrics)

I believe I can see the future

'Cause I repeat the same routine

I think I used to have a purpose

But then again, that might have been a dream

I think I used to have a voice

Now I never make a sound

I just do what I've been told

I really don't want them to come around, oh no

Every day is exactly the same

Every day is exactly the same

There is no love here and there is no pain

Every day is exactly the same

I can feel their eyes are watching

In case I lose myself again

Sometimes I think I'm happy here

(Sometimes)

Sometimes, yet I still pretend

I can't remember how this got started

Oh, but I can tell you exactly how it will end

Every day is exactly the same

Every day is exactly the same

There is no love here and there is no pain

Every day is exactly the same

I'll write it on a little piece of paper

I'm hoping, someday, you might find

Well I'll hide it behind something

They won't look behind

I am still inside her

A little bit comes bleeding through

I wish this could've been any other way

But I just don't know, I don't know what else I can do

Every day is exactly the same

Every day is exactly the same

There is no love here and there is no pain

Every day is exactly the same

Every day is exactly the same

Every day is exactly the same

There is no love here and there is no pain

Every day is exactly the same (every day is the same)

DISCOGS

2022 was a great new start for Divine Shade. Traveling in Europe and back from a major UK tour supporting Gary Numan was the pinnacle of a successful year! Divine Shade would like to continue to ride on these good vibes.

The Project:

An album divided into three parts: Fragments (Volume 1,2 and 3) - a trilogy of Eps with original songs, several surprise guests and friends. Each EP contains four songs, four remixes and will have one accompanying music video.

Multiple contribution levels & perks!

Your name in the EP credits, digital edition of the EP, physical CDs, and bundles that include all of these plus shirts, stickers and posters in addition to original artwork.

"We need you to help us finance the project. Thank you, everyone!" - Divine Shade

bit.ly/42JoMJm