Nerve Rack

Nerve Rack was a post-punk / indie-noise band from Leeds, UK. They formed in late 1987, when Mark (bass/vocals) responded to an ad placed by Doug (guitar/vocals) in a Leeds record shop, citing an interest in the work of Sonic Youth, Big Black and That Petrol Emotion. Mark and Doug were joined on drums by Mark's brother, Steve, to forge an uncompromising, confrontational noise unit. Their first gig was a 120-band all-dayer at Leeds University in spring of 1988. Subsequently, they were regular fixtures on the punk/anarcho/indie-noise "scene" of the time, regularly performing live all across the north of England, with occasional forays further afield. Nerve Rack's first release (1988), the cassette-only "Fish Struck By Virus" received positive reviews in national and international fanzines, leading to an arrangement with Meantime Records to put out Nerve Rack's debut album "Gnaw", which was released in the summer of 1990. Sounds (UK national music weekly) described "Gnaw" as "a mighty affair, relating tales of claustrophobic tension and anger, walking a thin tightrope between structured aggression and mindless violence" and concluding that "Gnaw may not be the most innovative LP to be made this year, but as a cleansing, impassioned experience, few will come close to it." International Hardcore bible, Maximum Rock'nRoll also embraced "Gnaw" with terrific enthusiasm, its reviewer Lance Hahn stating "F****** great! Powerful and driving punk, heavy on the drums and schizophrenic guitar/bass action. This makes for an amazing sound which gets under your metaphoric skin. Post-situ lyrics that hit as hard as the music. Best album debut in ages. Essential." Also in summer 1990, a Nerve Rack track "Lifesaver" featured on a flexi-disc distributed as a free gift with the legendary Ablaze! fanzine. The same track also features on the vinyl album "A Nightmare On Albion Street: The Worst of the 1 in 12 Club, Vol 11." A second vinyl album "Experiments With Facial Hair" followed in 1991, also on the Meantime label. A simultaneous CD release entitled "Unhinged" collected both albums onto one disc. "Experiments With Facial Hair" also gained critical acclaim; again in Maximum Rock'n'Roll "...jangly, twisted, sharp, discordant post-punk... ...powerful and extremely well-crafted", and in Italian glossy monthly "Rockerilla": "Agonia ed estasi, dolore e rabbia, delirio e trance; la carica rivoluzionaria dei Nerve Rack non si evidentemente esaurita con il 33 di debutto Gnaw, questo secondo album "Experiments..." trasmette emozioni e vibrazioni ancora piu intense e dirette... ...C'e vita dopo il punk!"

In between times, Nerve Rack played many live shows, appearing with the likes of: Fugazi, PJ Harvey, Rollins Band, No Means No, Snuff, Alice Donut, Head Of David, The Young Gods, Senseless Things, Chumbawamba, The Jesus Lizard, Fudge Tunnel, The Three Johns, Thrilled Skinny, Slum Turkeys, UK Subs, UT, AC Temple, Stretchheads, Hotalacio, Shudder To Think, Godflesh, Poison Girls, Fini Tribe, Citizen Fish, Death By Milkfloat, The Boo Radleys, and many more.

Following the demise of Meantime Records, Nerve Rack were forced to look elsewhere for a label to release a batch of new material. However, by the time an interested label came a-calling (in early 1993), a series of dispiriting gigs in depressed northern towns had caused the band to call it a day. Mark and Steve went on to form indie-lounge combo Rudolf Rocker: a string of releases are available on Leeds-based Mook Records. Doug formed a band - Blind Fitters - with the former bass-player/vocalist of Doncaster anarcho/space-rockers Crow People, before unintentionally retiring from music to raise a family. All three former members of Nerve Rack remain on friendly terms: a reunion has been mooted, and may yet happen.