Review: Nash The Slash – 'Hammersmith Holocaust'

NASH THE SLASH
'Hammersmith Holocaust'
ARTOFFACT RECORDS

Another re-release courtesy of Artoffact Records, Nash The Slash's legendary live album 'Hammersmith Holocaust', which captures Nash's (AKA Jeff Plewman) performance supporting Gary Numan in 1980. makes its way into the 21^st century. A rare release to find in its original form (a mint condition copy will set you back $500!), remastered and repackaged in an expanded gatefold and including liner notes from Gary Numan to boot.

A direct from the soundboard recording the album is pretty good quality throughout. There isn't a large amount of crowd noise and the on-stage mix is pretty good. It still has a wonderfully crackly and low-fi edge to it that captures the atmosphere of the gig and emphasises the age of the recording, but it conveys a genuine warmth that is hard to resist.

Featuring his signature garage rock-tinged blend of synthesised sounds and electronic violin leads, Nash hurtles through a collection of classic tracks including 'Wolf, 'Children Of The Night', 'Danger Zone', and a glorious cover of Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water'.

This is another classic that was in great need of reissuing not only as a tribute to the late Jeff Plewman, but also as an important artefact from the formative years of popular electronic music. Fans of classic electronic music who are unfamiliar with the recording due to its elusive nature, will undoubtedly enjoy this, in part due to the brilliant music, but also due to the fact that this feels like the unearthing of something genuinely special.  

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Review: Nash The Slash – 'Dreams & Nightmares'

NASH THE SLASH
'Dreams & Nightmares'
ARTOFFACT RECORDS

Pioneering Canadian musician Nash The Slash may have flown under a lot of people's radars over he course of his 40 year career but his influence cannot be discounted in any way. A pivotal influence on a young Gary Numan and a host of other new wave artists for his progressive blend of synthesized sounds and garage rock attitude. The man behind the bandages, Jeff Plewman, sadly passed away in 2014, and the time is right for his classic albums to see a long overdue re-release.

'Dreams and Nightmares' was Nash The Slash's 1979 début album and sees the reclusive and enigmatic artist embark on a violin, synthesizer, and drum machine manifesto that blends the likes of Pink Floyd, Jean Michele Jarre, Walter Carlos, and Tangerine dream filtered through distopian sci-fi and surrealist art into a unique sonic tapestry.

Songs such as 'Islands', 'Ylla', 'Moon Curse', 'Til Death Us Do Part', and the wonderfully meandering 'Un Chien Andalou' (a soundtrack to the film of the same name) are stunning pieces of conceptual brilliance that show off the multi-instrumentalists raw and unbridled talent. They maintain a raw but cinematic style that is devoid of genre or trend and are still fascinating to listen to today.

Also included is the 'Bedside Companion' EP which explores earlier synthpop territory while maintaining a sense of grandiose scale with its instrumental construction. It's easy to hear how songs such as 'Fever Dream', 'Blind Windows', 'Masquerade' and 'The Million Year Panic' would shape ideas by the likes of Gary Numan, The Human League and OMD in the 1980s.

As you'd expect from an independent recording from the late 70s the sound quality is of its era, but it has been spruced up nicely for its re-release and sounds as good as it ever has.

This is a great album by a truly unique and sorely missed artist. His influence and talent defy categorisation. Always an outsider for the majority of his career these are a perfect retrospective in which modern listeners can explore his discography.  

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