Like a misguided intercontinental missile…
They shot across the Sussex night sky on the early evening of Thursday 27th May 1982 only to immediately implode somewhere over Cross Levels. Napalm Shakedown were the ultimate one gig wonder!
No recordings, demos, ticket stubs or posters survive. A couple of murky images of young men in dark brown army shirts with severe Afrika Korps haircuts, taken at the infamous Archery rehearsal may survive somewhere in a closely guarded and faded WH Smith’s photo album. But certainly, no photo of the White Horses pre-gig run through ever existed, nor do any polaroids from Mr T’s garage. Napalm Shakedown were barely there before they disappeared.
Or so, everyone thought. The gig had lasted barely 40 minutes. From the truth, a story emerged, from the story a myth, from the myth a legend, a legend which grew and grew. By the middle of August barely 2 months after the event, a small but devoted following had evolved. Rumours of a whole rehearsal session recorded on a simple cassette player circulated – the legendary Archery Tapes.
Within a year Napalm Shakedown were being quoted as a major influence on bands as far away as East Kilbride and Truro, Norwich & Shrewsbury. Imagine a post-punk, proto-funk Velvet Underground and you would be somewhere near the mark – all without a Warholesque Svengali pulling the strings or a Nicoesque chanteuse adding a hint of Nordic glamour to the proceedings.
The NapShack (as they had swiftly become known) saga continued to dilute and regenerate throughout the decade. Even as the former band members joined different outfits and forged new careers, the NS (as they later became barely known) virus mutated more and more…
By Jack Nash
(from the forthcoming book - Whatever happened to Napalm Shakedown? -
Due out late 2023 on Soul Bay Press subsidiary 'Clandestino'
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