I remember the shock of seeing them "live" first on one of those.... Old Europa Cafe compilation VHS tapes! Exactly what described. Smoke machines, big stage, lightshow, long haired dudes moshing hard with noisy industrial loops.
There was No Fun Fest Slogun show, where guy of Villains did some guest vocals. It was high pitched long screams, that didn't sound like Whitehouse or something, but almost like King Diamond vocals over droning PE synth tone. Since seeing that gig, I have been thinking that someone would have to do one day power electronics/industrialnoise blending with heavy metal vocals. Not growls. Not screams, something in lines of early Helloween, King Diamond and Agent Steel! Perhaps also first ever PE songs with someone doing shredding solo works. As far as I know, there is actually couple harsh noise dudes who are also into shredding guitar solos. It may sound as joke, but I would think it could work out.
One of the most difficult names to write correctly. It is half & half chance will the letters go in right order, still after multiple decades, when typing: M L E H S T .
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/06/29/in-conversation-with-mlehst/Great interview I listened instantly when it went public. It is amusing to listen to interview of artist, who ends up ditching his entire archive of masters to garbage bin, since it doesn't seem to matter. Nobody really cares, and other things to do in life. Meanwhile, there just isn't really way how appreciation for project could be visible. Most often no idea what someone is working on, what they have available, are they looking for deals, did they have deals and looking to get rid of items...? Output is so huge, that it is hard to pick up absolute favorites. Tape on SPITE, old collaboration with Macronympha, they remain my favorite, but should probably remind myself how did the tape on Nuit & Bruillard was. I have feeling I listened it couple years ago and liked.. 7" on Self Abuse, mandatory of course.
They discuss a lot about the seedy and shady UK humor. Expressions, the sweaty and dirty, Sunday tabloid type of things. There used to be so much so British specialities even 15-20 years ago when you visited porn shops of London. Something so British. Men in diapers. Rubber fetish, that would present itself differently thank germany, Denmark or USA. British trannies and cross dresses. Certainly used to be dirty old men, nothing elegant. Food-mess, cake in the face type of erotica, etc etc. Mlehst or Smell & Quim are (or used to) charmingly representing that type of purely unique seedy and bizarre culture. In what other city than London, you would have shop like Janus, just focusing on school uniformed girls getting spanked? I think both the magazine and the shop is no longer there, but luckily have been there in times when physical XXX oddities existed.
On one tour, Grunt was playing some shows that included Onomatopoeia. The man of Cheeses International. On one nightly drives back from gig, I mentioned few days ago, I had bought book at Soho area porn store, called Tricking With Daddy, but didn't realize it was gay incest, which made it kind of hard to enjoy during tour, eh eh... I said "gay incest, is not really my cup of tea" and Onomatopoeia could not stop laughing for hours. It was literally hours of drive, and Steve just looks at me, says "not my cup of tea" and burst into endless giggles...
What I feel about British noise, may not be 100% reality how it really is, but hanging out with some of these beer-monger, red faced, seedy gentlemen with sense of humor is something what I associate UK noise to be.
