The Comedy of Errors: Bivouac - Spine [Peel Session] (20 June 1992)

I wasn’t aware of Bivouac in the 1990s.  Even when they were releasing albums on Nirvana’s record label, I was oblivious.  It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I was talking about this blog with Simon Chatterton, a near neighbour of mine, and he told me that he played in a band which included the Derby trio among its influences.

Spine is the only track from the session which I heard and wanted to include.  It was repeated on the 20/6/92 show having been originally broadcast 28 years ago today.  The version recorded for Peel is a work in progress with scant lyrics - they would be completely rewritten and expanded when the track was released two years later as part the Marked and Tagged EP - but the reference to feelings stretching “from the kitchen all the way upstairs to the bedroom” accompanied by the haunting bass line from Granville Marsden and then supplanted by Paul Yeadon’s full throated roar of the title line gives the track the feel of a haunted house with danger lurking around the corner which must be fought, and apparently is to judge by the loud guitar bursts on the choruses.  The record version made more of the spooky atmosphere, though both share the slightly hopeful end resolution sequence which runs from 2:36 up to the end of the song and which with a final burst of energy and drummer Anthony Hodginkson whacking baddies on each landing of the house, features the session version resolving with a final burst of chainsaw like guitar - the end scene jump scare still being in vogue in early 90s horror films.

I heard this Peel show in two 45 minute chunks which meant I didn’t hear Drank, which would probably have ended up on the metaphorical mixtape.  The other tracks were Two Sticks and Lead.

Video courtesy of 101misanthrope.