Scatology / COIL
Coil is a band formed by Peter Christopherson of Psychic TV and John Balance.
Peter was also a member of Throbbing Gristle, and I think the sound of both bands doesn’t overlap.
This is Coil’s first album, and the songs are extremely polished.
The album title and cover are sensational, but the sound itself feels very refined.
Because of this, I had trouble thinking of Coil as noise music, as I had always viewed them within the noise music framework based on my past experience.
However, I later realized that I was simply trapped by a foolish idea of categorization.
To give an example of the album’s unrestrained nature, there are tracks featuring vocals by Gavin Friday of the Virgine Prunes, and although it wasn’t included on the original album, the reissue includes a cover of Tainted Love, which was a hit when Soft Cell covered it. The connections between the artists are also interesting.
In 2000, Coil performed a concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall called TIME MACHINE Live, and I was lucky enough to catch it live.
The members appeared in spacesuit-like costumes and operated equipment on a darkened stage, creating an elaborate performance with a mysterious feel that you won’t find anywhere else.
From this performance, I could sense that Coil is a band whose music was born out of gay culture, and that they are unique and always at the cutting edge.