Voorhees (band)

Voorhees

Background information
Origin	County Durham, England
Genres	Hardcore punk
Years active	1990–2001, 2004, 2010, 2012–Present
Labels	Armed With Anger Records
Associated acts	We Be The Echo

Voorhees is a hardcore punk band formed in Durham, England. From early 1990 until late 2001 they released records on international record labels^[1] and toured Europe and the USA. Although essentially disbanded, the group reformed for rare shows in 2004, 2010 and have reformed again in 2012 and will be playing several shows.

History

Voorhees formed from the ashes of other Durham-based hardcore bands (Steadfast, Know Your Enemy, False Face, The MacDonalds). Ian Leck and Sean Readman were the driving force and principal songwriters, and the first line-up was completed by Darrell Hindley, Gary Cousins and David Brown. They played their first gig at the Rowing Club in Durham in September 1991, and recorded their first demo the following December (late reissued as a 7" flexi).

Voorhees started gigging regularly including a UK tour with Slapshot, and released the Violent... EP on Armed With Anger Records in early 1993. Michael Gillham (drums, aged 15) and Graeme Nicholls (lead guitar) joined in autumn 1993 to form the first stable line-up. The band's debut LP, "Spilling Blood Without Reason" was recorded in May 1994 at Studio 64 in Middlesbrough and released on AWA Records the following August just in time for the band's first European tour.

Maximumrocknroll magazine's review of the first album; "...I sensed that Voorhees could blow doors off, not just peel the paint. So here you've got it – a 26 track LP harkening back to the days of hardcore bands having something that drove them, the kind of anger and frustration that drives some people out of the room and has others turning it up louder. Wow!"

Kerrang! described the band's sound as a 'blistering" cross between "Discharge and Extreme Noise Terror".

Voorhees recorded a John Peel Session^[2] for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale studios in London in March 1995, and which was first broadcast the following month (in contrast, Aphex Twin was also in session the same programme).

Other releases recorded by the Voorhees line-up of this period were a split 7" with Stalingrad (AWA Records) and the "What You See Is What You Get" EP on Crust records. Voorhees made it to the US for the first time in April 1996, playing shows with Hatebreed, 25 Ta Life, Charles Bronson, Dropdead, Fit For Abuse and Los Crudos among others, and playing in infamous hardcore dives like ABC No Rio, CBGB's and the Bomb Shelter in Minneapolis. The line-up metamorphisized in the coming years, and Voorhees embarked on several more US and European tours before recording the final album, Crystal Lake's Legacy, on 6 Weeks Records in 2001.

Reunion

In October 2004, the 'Spilling Blood Without Reason' line-up of Voorhees got together for a one-off show, "Night of the Living Dead at Sea", which was played on a ferry boat on the Mersey River in Liverpool.

On 23 and 24 April 2010, Voorhees re-banded to do shows in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Leeds(UK). These gigs were meant to be with the classic 'Spilling Blood' line-up, but the volcano ash cloud which grounded all flights to and from Europe the week previous meant Graeme and Paul could not make it as they got stuck in the US Sam Layzell filled in for both shows. He also played in Leeds bands such as Closure, Bonestorm and SickFuckinO with Ian Leck. Ian Leck and Sam Layzell have gone on to provide vocals and bass respectively for Rot in Hell alongside fellow Voorhees guitarist James Atkinson.

Recent Activity

On Sunday 13 May 2012 Voorhees played an impromptu set at Morrowfest in Nottingham as a tribute to their friend John Paul Morrow who died 10 years ago. This prompted them to reform with a pick and mix line up from all the previous incarnations of the band, they played with Negative Approach in Manchester on Tuesday 16 October 2012, followed by '20 years of Violent' at Bradford 1 in 12 club 23 March 2013, 'Slow End Fest' in Eindhoven 8 June 2013, with Sick of it all (20 years since the first time they played together) in Manchester 28 August, with Indecision in London (Underworld, Camden)on 25 October 2013 and in October 2014 Voorhees returned to Eindhoven for Bloodshed Fest.

Discography

Everybody's Good at Something... Demo Tape 50 copies made – self-released 1992
Fowlers Yard Demo Tape 1 copy made – unreleased 1992
Violent 7" 2000 copies made – Armed With Anger – 1993
Everybody's Good at Something... Except Us! 7" flexi 1000 copies made – Armed With Anger – 1994
Spilling Blood Without Reason LP 3000 copies made – Armed With Anger – 1994
Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie / State Oppression 7" Acetate 1 copy made – Armed With Anger – 1994
split 7" w/ Stalingrad 1000 copies made – Thinking Smart / Caught Offside – 1995
Smiling at Death CD 1500 copies made – Grand Theft Audio – 1996
What You See Is What You Get 7" 2000 copies made – Crust – 1997
Fireproof 7" 1000 copies made – Chainsaw Safety – 1998
13 LP 3000 copies made – Six Weeks / Armed With Anger – 1998
13 CD – Six Weeks / Armed With Anger – 1998
split LP" w/ Devoid of Faith 5000 copies made – Coalition / Gloom 1999
split CD w/ Devoid of Faith – Coalition / Gloom – 1999
split 7" w/ Kill Your Idols 2000 copies made – Indecision – 2000
Bookburner 7" 1500 copies made – THD – 2000
split 7" w/ Insult 1000 copies made – Balowski Records – 2000
split CD w/ Out Cold – Blackfish – 2000
split 12" w/ Out Cold 1000 copies made – Deranged – 2001
Crystal Lake's Legacy LP 1000 copies made – Six Weeks – 2001
Crystal Lake's Legacy CD – Six Weeks – 2001
Spilling Blood Without Reason – Reissue LP (with 4 extra tracks) 500 copies made – Armed With Anger – 2001
split CD w/ Out Cold – Reissue – Thorp Records – 2002
Spilling Blood Without Reason – Reissue LP (with 4 extra tracks) 500 copies made – Zandor – 2004
split 7" w/ Radio Alice 1000 copies made – Hermit – 2004
The Final Chapter CD – Violent Change – 2008
Spilling Blood Without Reason Repress on Grot Records – 500 copies made – 2010

Compilations

Consolidation 7" 2000 copies made – Armed With Anger – 1992
Illiterate 12" 2000 copies made – Ebullition – 1993
All For One... One For All CD – Grand Theft Audio – 1995
Endless Struggle: The Worst of the 1 in 12 Club vol. 12/13 2x12" 2000 copies made – 1 in 12 Records – 1995
The Boredom & the Bullshit 7" 1000 copies made – Refusenik – 1995
Strictly Ballroom 7" 1000 copies made – Caught Offside – 1996
A Means to an End 12" 2000 copies made – Armed With Anger – 1997
Reproach 7" 5000 copies made – Ugly Pop – 1998
Decade of Dissidence – Worst of the 1in12 Club Vol 14/15 CD 1000 copies made – 1 in 12 Records – 1999
Hurt Your Feelings CD – Six Weeks – 2001
Indecision Records Split Series CD – Indecision – 2001
Off Target CD – Coalition – 2004
The Bitter Days Ahead CD – Ghost City – 2005

Line Up

Demo line-up, around 1990–1992

Ian Leck – vocals
Sean Readman – guitar
Darrell Hindley – guitar
David Brown – bass
Gary Cousins – drums

"Violent EP" line-up, around 1993

Ian Leck – vocals
Sean Readman – guitar
Darrell Hindley – guitar
Paul Rugman-Jones – bass
Gary Cousins – drums

"Spilling Blood LP" line-up around 1993–1996

Ian Leck – vocals
Sean Readman – guitar
Graeme Nicholls – lead guitar
Paul Rugman-Jones – bass
Michael Gillham – drums

"13 LP" line-up around 1997–1998

Ian Leck – vocals
Richard Armitage – guitar
James Atkinson – lead guitar
Andrew Wright – bass
Dave Allen – drums

"Crystal Lake's Legacy LP" Line-up ca. 1998–2001

Ian Leck – vocals
Richard Armitage – guitar
James Atkinson – lead guitar
Steve Stewart – bass
Dave Allen – drums

Current line-up – 2012–2014

Ian Leck – vocals
Sean Readman – guitar
James Atkinson – lead guitar
Sam Layzell – bass
Dave Allen – drums

References

External links

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