Section 25: Hymns From the Bardo – album review + interview

Section 25: Hymns From The Bardo

(Klanggalerie)

CD|DL|Streaming

Out now

Section 25 reach back into the archive for Hymns From The Bardo, a companion to 2021’s Jams From The Bardo. Iain Key listens for Louder Than War and chats to Vin Cassidy and Paul Wiggan about the release.

While the previous release focussed on unreleased rehearsal room recordings from 1978-1981, Hymns From The Bardo is an insight into Section 25’s live career, with Paul Wiggin and Vincent Cassidy presenting several recordings from the early years of their pioneering career.

In the notes on the CD case, Vin explains that the band’s modus operandi came in a three-pronged attack: 1) as the drummer, he would get the audience’s attention as quickly as possible; 2) brother Larry would deliver his message via bass and vocals and 3) Paul would overlay everything with a “gossamer and moving guitar soundscape.”

This is clear from the off, with recordings made at The Imperial Ballroom in Blackpool on Friday 27th July 1979 which, as Vin explains, was an important gig for the band. That night, they supported Joy Division and met Ian Curtis and Rob Gretton for the first time, the duo promptly encouraging the local trio to record a demo for Factory Records. If you’re a Factory obsessive and wondering if you should buy this, then I guess that’s as good a reason as any.

As you would maybe expect from the live recordings made forty years ago of a then unsigned band, the quality is rough and ready, yet there is an atmosphere that comes with it that has the power to draw you back to the period. The opening Fucked In The Head is a tremendous piece of post-punk frustration, which wouldn’t sound out of place on compilations from the era. With only a couple of the tracks later being recorded for official releases, it will be of great interest to fans of the band. As with last year’s release, the collection is a real treasure trove and an essential document of a time and place long since passed.

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LTW: Were there any tracks you’d forgotten about or ones that surprised you?

Vin: Yes. I was very pleasantly surprised at the variety and number of tracks that we had to consider. So much of the material was, in a way, like hearing it for the first time. I was impressed at the way we played and took chances, and were determined to follow our own path.

LTW: How many tracks did you have to choose from? I guess that Jams From The Bardo must have been well received in order for this release to follow?

Vin: We have a base of very devoted fans all over the world and ‘Jams’ and ‘Hymns’ are really meant for them. They have been well received. The first CD did well and encouraged us and our label, Klanggalerie, to go for the second release. The idea for the whole project came from Paul and our phone discussions that followed on during lockdown. Paul always wanted to get the live and rehearsal room material released, because he wanted it to get that wider audience. The CDs would not have happened without Paul’s ideas.

LTW: Although the quality is quite rough and ready, it captures Section 25 as a very powerful and tight unit. What are your memories of those early gigs?

Paul: Lots of memories really. I think in some ways it was very different for me than Larry and Vin. They had a fundamental grasp of their instruments and I didn’t, so every gig was like surfing a wave. I never knew how it would turn out. At worst it was stressful, nerve-racking; at best, it created the conditions to really let go, not care and allow something deeper to come up to the surface. There was the known, our stock of numbers, and the unknown that were spontaneously created. The bands we played with also made a big difference, so the audience could be more open or closed. Supporting Talking Heads was painful and JD or Ratio was generally fun. I loved playing in Europe. I think being from a different culture makes people more open to you and that allows for a more relaxed approach to the music.

LTW: The CD opens with recordings from the night you supported Joy Division in Blackpool. Do you have strong memories of that night? I understand that Paul and Larry had approached Joy Division after seeing them in Liverpool. Were they always your No. 1 choice to play the event? Was it an ‘easy sell’ to get them to play?

Vin: Yes I do have strong memories of the night. After we played, Bernard from Joy Division rushed up to me to tell me he thought the band were great and he loved the set! I was totally gobsmacked because we were used to people in Blackpool telling us we were shit all the time. There was (and is) a lot of cabaret in Blackpool and we really didn’t fit the mould! To be fair, we didn’t give a fuck about the negative vibes, but it is nice when a musician you respect tells you what you are doing is good. Joy Division were always a key part in the Year Of The Child concert.

LTW: Of the fifteen tracks on the CD, only two were later recorded for Factory: Babies In the Bardo appears on 1981’s Always Now and Regions on 1982’s The Key Of Dreams. Were you very prolific writers?

Paul: Larry was a naturally creative person, so art, lyrics, basslines were, I think, sort of effortless for him. I think the three of us were very comfortable in our component parts, and we just did our own thing, knowing it would work out fine. Probably like a lot of bands that start out together, there is a point where everything falls into place and it all just pours out.

LTW: Other than Joy Division and New Order, you played with a number of other bands at the time, such as Stockholm Monsters, The Fall and The Cure. Were you fans of any of these?

Vin: Oh yes, we were keen on these bands – The Cure especially. I think we played with them at the Rainbow… never got to meet them, though. We didn’t play with The Fall until a festival in Milan in about 2008. Our tour manager at the time (James Nice) was really ‘pleased’ because Mark E Smith told him to fuck off as he had wandered onto his side of the dressing room. There was only one dressing room and it had been split in two with an imaginary line for some weird reason.

LTW: I think last time we spoke, we touched on what PIL were doing at the time. With the tight rhythm section captured here and with Paul’s spontaneous guitar, it sounds like they may have been an influence?

Paul: PIL were a big influence. Larry went into them deeper than me, but yes, Keith Levene – although he was a great player, he was a big inspiration to someone less competent.

LTW: Are you still playing in Estonia in December? Must be an interesting place to have a fanbase?

Vin: Yes we are really looking forward to Estonia; should be great playing to and meeting fans in Tallinn.

LTW: Other than your own (Vin), have either of you been to any gigs recently?

Vin: The last band I saw were a little combo at the AO Arena called Roxy Music. Bloody great show and experience.

LTW: Bringing things up to 2022, what are you listening to now?

Paul: Well, I’m listening to a lot of music these days. Mostly new to me, like a lot from back in the day that I missed out on from doing our own. Always searching for great guitar music. Boris and Nova Twins are a couple of examples of what is contemporary and fresh.

LTW: Finally, is there more material still in the archive? I don’t suppose you have a copy of the Derby Hall gig from 8th April 1980?

Paul: I think that’s it now for the archive. There is more, but nothing I personally would want to put out. As for the Derby Hall gig, I’ve not heard of one, but there was usually a tape on the desk, so maybe Joy Division is the place to look?

For more Section 25 you can find their official site here and also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him on Twitter as @iainkey

Source: louderthanwar.com