Naked Lunch
In 1979 Tony Mayo left a punk band and began writing some material with Gary Shepherd, a local guitarist. The aim was to do something different and build on the influences of early electronic music and also punk, creating a new form of electronic music.
An advertisement in the Melody Maker resulted in Mick Clarke, who had a mini moog and a solo electronic album released in Germany, linking up and the embryonic formation of Naked Lunch began.
Tony and Mick moved into a flat and began writing more songs and seeking others to join the formative band. A drummer, Tim York, joined and so did Cliff Chapman, who had a Roland system and an ARP. This line up was short lived and for the first gig at the Thomas Abecket in South East London, the band was called “the sons of Perdition” . Before an appearance at Studio 21 on Oxford Street, London, it was unanimously agreed to change the name to Naked Lunch.
Naked Lunch did a tour in 1980, called Naked Lunch’s Electronic Indoctrination Tour, which finished with an appearance at the Leeds Futurama. This was filmed and eventually broadcast on BBC2.
Naked Lunch – We Are
Before the Some Bizarre Album was released Tony Mayo, Stevo and Daniel Miller (Mute records) met in an Indian restaurant in Kings Cross and discussed if the album should be independent or licensed release. Tony was for licensing through a major label, to maximise exposure of the bands and Daniel was for it being independent.
It was after this meeting that the deal with phonogram was agreed and the album released. In 2010 Paul Davies and Tony Mayo linked up again and agreed to recommence writing material and during 2011 relinked up with Mick Clark and Cliff Chapman.
Naked Lunch are now working on material, discussing how to present our music live, linking in with other artists and trying to promote a renaissance in electronic music. Naked Lunch, however, still believe that music should be heard live and that releasing records or placing tracks on sound cloud etc. should not be seen as the end of the creative process.
The attitudes of Naked Lunch are the same as those so many years ago, that stagnation in normality is to be avoided and that freedom to challenge perceptions and boundaries is essential in any art form.