13.13
The Agony Is The Ecstacy
Adulterers Anonymous

Article: Scan of Pleasant Gehman's column "L.A. Dee Da - On The Streets" from LA Weekly 13-Feb-81. "Lydia Lunch, of Teenage Jesus, Eight-Eyed Spy and Devil Dogs fame (the woman's had a checkered career, and she's barely even old enough to drink!), has moved out here and is forming a new band called ELECTRIC WRECK. In Ms. Lunch's own words, Electric Wreck will be “Hypnotic, brutal, simply psychedelic and ridiculous.” Anyway, they're looking for a bass player, and if you're interested, call 8761893."

Note: Formation of the band, then called Electric Wreck, looking for a bass player.

Setlist: Stares To Nowhere/ ?/ Teenage Twilight/ and more...

Ad: Scan of ad from LA Weekly 29-May-81.

Review 1: Scan of review by Bruce D.Rhodewalt and article by Craig Lee from LA Weekly 05-Jun-81.

Review 2: Review by Byron Coley taken from new York Rocker September 1981.

Note: Debut concert at a club which started as THE place for the Californian Mod/Ska scene, but by 1981 was equal parts reggae club, new wave/ska club, and retro-soul dance club.

Flyer: Scan of flyer. Photo of alternative flyer. Photo of alternative version. Photo of another flyer.

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from San Francisco Examiner 06-Jun-81.

Listing: Scan of listing from LA Weekly 12-Jun-81.

Flyer: Scan of flyer.

Photo: Taken from "Sonic Youth etc..: Sensational Fix" book, credit Paula Court.

Handbill: Original handbill.

Photo: Photo 1 and Photo 2, credit Joseph Szkodzinski.

Ad: Scan of ad, taken from Boston Rock #18 (04-Jun-81).

Listing: Scan of listing Philadelphia Daily News 19-Jun-81.

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from San Francisco Examiner 21-Jun-81.

June 1981
Drummer Alex is replaced by ex-Weirdo Cliff Martinez [later Red Hot Chili Peppers]. Alex MacNicol joins Green On Red. He died in 2004 at the age of 44.

Article 1: Scan of article from LA Weekly 26-Jun-81.

Article 2: Scan of Pleasant Gehman's column "L.A. Dee Da - On The Streets" from LA Weekly 10-Jul-81. "An interesting week for cultural information, the first being a definite statement by Ms. Lunch. She was engaged to play the C.A.S.H. art space, but her band, 13.13, was not prepared, having recently lost drummer Alex McNichol. So the fearless Lydia bought 40 pairs of shoes, glued them to the walls of C.A.S.H. and wrote "You make me climb the fucking walls" next to them. A throng of Lunch fans showed up and paid three bucks a head to catch Lydia's latest creation. When someone accosted Ms. Lunch, angrily stating that he had paid three dollars to see her, Ms. Lunch fixed him with a steely glare and replied, "Well, you are seeing me!" What made this evening truly absurd, however, was that certain self-styled members of the L.A. "intelligentsia" actually tried to find artistic significance in shoes glued to the wall! As for Ms. Lunch, her band has found a new drummer, recently played the Cathay De Grande, and will be opening for the current rage of New York, the Bush Tetras, when they bring their predominantly female brand of mono-chordish city funk and roll to the Whisky."

Note: Show canceled, drummer Alex MacNicol had left the band.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Photo: Photo 1 and photo 2, courtesy Sebastien Greppo.

Ad: Scan of advert from LA Weekly 03-Jul-81.

Note: First show with new drummer, Cliff Martinez.

Ad: Scan of ad from newspaper 09-Jul-81, courtesy of Mike Ziegler.

Article: Scan of Pleasant Gehman's column "L.A. Dee Da - On The Streets" from LA Weekly 24-Jul-81. "Johnny Nation is out of 13.13, and the new guitarist for Lydia Lunch's band is Dix Denney, formerly of the Weirdos. Since bassist [Greg] was also in the Weirdos, as well as drummer Cliff Martinez, it seems that Lydia is the only group member not to have been a Weirdo, though some might call her that. The new 13.13 lineup can be seen at the Whisky this weekend."

Note: Johnny Nation is replaced by another ex-Weirdo, Dix Denney.

Photo: Google street view, 2014.

Ad: Scan of ad taken from the Los Angeles Times 05-Jul-81.

First show with new guitarist Dix Denney.

Ad: Scan of ad from LA Weekly 07-Aug-81.

Review: Scan of review by Pleasant Gehman from LA Weekly 14-Aug-81.

Note: Not a 13.13 show. Lydia Lunch attends this event.

Flyer: Design Steve Martinez.

Ad 1: Scan of ad from The Boston Phoenix 08-Sep-81.

Ad 2: Scan of advert, taken from Boston Rock #21 (03-Sep-81).

Review: Scan of review, taken from Boston Rock #22 (01-Oct-81).

Note: Streets opened on 12-Aug-81, after The Underground (on the same avenue) closed on 14-Jun-81.

Ad: Scan of ad from the Village Voice.

Note: Chase Park (a slightly Bowie- "Diamond Doggish" affair) was atop an old Chase Bank @ 622 Broadway on the south west corner of Broadway and Houston.

Ad: Scan of ad from Philadelphia Daily News 11-Sep-81.

Ad: Scan of ad, taken from American Eagle 11-Sep-81.

Ticket: Photo of ticket.

Review: Scan of of review & interview from George Washington University --Students-The Hatchet 21-Sep-81.

Ad: Microfilm image of ad from the Village Voice September 1981, courtesy of Jonathan Luftig.

Note: Lydia sang most of the set lying on stage.

Note: A Birthday Party show attended by about 20-30 people, including Lydia Lunch [then in 13.13], who meets the band backstage. Lydia would open for The Birthday Party at two of their UK concerts in November 1981. The Chase Park (a slightly Bowie- "Diamond Doggish" affair) was atop an old Chase Bank @ 622 Broadway on the south west corner of Broadway and Houston.

Photos: Taken from LA music mag, showing marquee and Lydia and Siouxsie backstage.

Article: Scan from Pleasant Gehman's column "L.A. Dee Da - On The Streets" from LA Weekly 23-Oct-81.

Setlist: 3X3(*)/ Snakepit Breakdown/ Stares To Nowhere/ Lock Your Door(*)/ Suicide Ocean/ Afraid Of Your Company/ I Fell In Love With A Ghost(+)(*).

Note: (+) In March 1982 Lydia recorded this track with Rowland S.Howard and released it on their "Some Velvet Morning" 12". (*) released as extra tracks on "13.13" album CD reissue (Widowspeak 2017).

Ad 1: Scan of ad, courtesy of Weasel Walter.

Ad 2: Scan of advert from Village Voice/Soho News.

Photo: Photo credit Tom Bessoir.

Note: After the show, Lydia asked if Ike Yard could be her backing band. They did not accept.

Ad: Scan of ad.

Setlist: Snakepit Breakdown/ 3X3/ Stares To Nowhere(*).

Photo: Credit Catherine Ceresole, taken from "Beauty Lies in the Eye", photobook (Edition Patrick Frey 2013).

Note 1: The set is cut short by a visit from the fire department. Lydia then announces they are only going to be able to play one additional song, which they start and stop. Siouxsie plays as scheduled. (*) released as extra track on "13.13" album CD reissue (Widowspeak 2017).

Note 2: "A year later [after Siouxsie's first US tour in November '80], I was back in America with the Banshees, and 13.13 supported on a couple of shows. We ended up at Studio 54 of all places, and Lydia made a move on me, and, for the next week, she moved into my hotel room. When I headed back to London, she came with me." Murray Mitchell [Siouxsie's roadie], quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Note 1: "[Lydia and Murray] moved into a really sleazy hotel on Westbourne Grove that, for some reason, I've always remembered the name of: the Venus Hotel. She had just abandoned 13.13 -at the time, she told me that she didn't want to have to pay to get them to Europe, even though they already had shows booked as support for The Birthday Party and The Cure. I imagine that was supposed to be 13.13 doing the gigs- I can't imagine they meant for 13.13 to break up and Lydia to start an entirely new band to do the gigs! She and Steve Severin had already cooked up what was going to happen. He was somewhat obsessed by Lydia at the time. That led to Lydia asking me to be in the band. I'm guessing it was just convenient because we were shacked up, plus it helped financially. Next thing was, she got Kristian Hoffman to come over [from New York], and that was the band: Lydia, Steve, Kristian, and me. " Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020). On 21-Dec-81 Lydia Lunch writes some poetry ("4 Ugly Walls" and "The Venus Hotel") that would later appear on pages 94-95 of her "Adulterers Anonymous" book (with Exene Cervenka).

Note 2: In the 80's, when Latif Gardez personal life hit a downward spiral, the band Mystery Slang was born. He found himself staying at a flophouse in Westbourne Grove called The Venus Hotel where his fellow hostellers were all shades of dodgy. The six months he spent there later became the main source of inspiration for the first album "Venus Grove" (released in '91).

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: First date supporting The Cure on some dates of their (8 dates) "Eight Appearances" tour. "The first [..] gig in Sheffield, Steve, Kristian, and me- we were all meant to wear these leather gimp masks, but I ended up being the only one wearing one. I was probably the most nervous. It was all totally freeform feedback with Lydia ranting over the top. To say it wasn't well received is an understatement. " Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy: Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*)/ Silent Headed With A Scarlet Heart(*)/ A Day Of Waiting/ Kiss Of Death From The Boy Of My Dreams.

Photo: Credit David Corio. Sourced from Gettyimages/Redferns music photo libraries. Another photo, credit unknown.

Ad: Advert, taken from UK mag 28-Nov-81.

Review: Review, taken from The Guardian.

Note: Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. An 18 minutes excerpt is available on the split "The Agony Is The Ecstacy" 12" (4AD 1982), other side by The Birthday Party recorded live on the same date.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Note: Lydia joins on The Birthday Party for the encore, "Jackson" [by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood].

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Ad: Taken from a UK mag Nov-81.

Note: Second and third date supporting The Cure.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Fourth date supporting The Cure.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Ad: Taken from a UK mag Nov-81.

Note: Fifth and final date supporting The Cure. "By the time we got to the Hammersmith Palais there were three thousand people chanting 'Fuck off 'Fuck off!' Which I thought was quite wonderful, to get that intensity of dislike. Usually, Lydia was first offstage, then the rest of us would follow, and maybe Kristian would stay, thumping a beat out, but that night I was the last one to leave because it was my home town, and I was really soaking up having this rammed venue all chanting 'Fuck off!' Steve baled as soon as we'd finished the gigs with The Cure. The thought of going to Europe in the middle of winter wasn't very appealing to him. There wasn't any question we weren't going to do Europe -Lydia was determined to fulfil the obligations that had been booked. We never thought replacing Steve. We were going to get the money." Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Note: Start of a 10-date European tour.

Photo: Credit Mats Bäcker. Scan taken from Schlager magazine #32-33, 22-Dec-81.

Ad: Scan taken from Schlager magazine #30, 24-Nov-81, courtesy of Matti.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13.

Poster: Original poster, courtesy of Matti.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13. At one of the Swedish shows they do such a horrible and embarrasing performance that Lydia has to go and hide for some time in the bathrooms. "I remember being in Sweden [..] In one place, we were barricaded in the dressing room as glass bottles were hitting door; there were these wooden steps up at the back of the stage, so the door to the dressing room was in full view of the audience but half a level. We put the sofa up against it until the promoter came to bang on the door to tell us it was all right. That wasn't an unfamiliar reaction. I don't remember any bottles thrown during the gig, though, because it was only a half-hour thing, the length of the backing cassette." Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Poster: Credit Martin Kaye.

Ad: Scan of advert from Vinyl mag #9, Dec-81.

Review: Taken from Trouw newspaper 17-Dec-81. "The [sound] volume in Paradiso was deafening. [...] During her singing, the singer is completely overcome by the ominous content of her lyrics. What the public thinks does not matter. After all, the most important thing is the authenticity of the feelings expressed. The concert was over after less than half an hour."

Poster: Scan of poster, sourced from Regionaal Archief Nijmegen.

Note: Poster warns for the early start (8PM) of the concert.

Review: Taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 19-Dec-81. "[...] The spectacle lasted exactly half an hour. In fact, one long song, monotonous, provocatively annoying, tasteless outburst of non-music, which had the unmistakable intention of being irritating, of offending people and which completely succeeded. In the past, Lydia Lunch has more than proven that she is not someone who is a follower. Averse to clichés, she flouted all conceivable conventions. As a poet who set her products to unusual and intriguing music, she rightly became one of the most important figures in the so-called New York No Wave movement. [...] However, what Lydia Lunch now thinks she can create shows a gross disregard for her audience. Under the guise of art (whatever that may be) she displayed a piece of musical ignorance that made you feel sick. Waddling like a stoned witch, she hummed her lyrics through the microphone, extremely tired and completely unintelligible. And this against a backdrop of a heavy and gothic wall of sound constructed by a guitarist who could only play everything in a distorted E-minor and in C, and a drummer who also did not vary any of his playing".

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 17-Dec-81.

Article: Scan of article, taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 11-Dec-81.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13. 225 persons attended.

Setlist: Rip It Up/ Stares To Nowhere/ Silent/ I Don't Know Why-Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*)/ Killing You.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad 1: Scan of advert from Vinyl mag #9, Dec-81.

Ad 2: Scan of advert from Algemeen Dagblad 17-Dec-81.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13. Broadcast by Dutch FM radio. Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. Audio of concert available as download from Lydia Lunch's Bandcamp page. 276 persons attended.

Setlist: ?/ Silent/ What You See Is Not What You Get/ ?/ Stares To Nowhere/ Rip It Up/ I Don't Know Why-Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*).

Poster: Photo (by FromTheArchives) of poster, on display at the traveling exhibition "Punk Graphics: Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die", based on Andrew Kristine’s extensive collection of punk memorabilia.

Note: At the Royal Academy of Fine Arts around 3AM. Second show of the day. Last date of tour. Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. Also screening of Tod Browning movie "Freaks" and videos by Throbbing Gristle and Factory records.

Note: On 21-Dec-81 Lydia Lunch writes some poetry ("4 Ugly Walls" and "The Venus Hotel") that would later appear on pages 94-95 of her "Adulterers Anonymous" book (with Exene Cervenka).

18-Feb-82
UK Release of "The Agony Is The Ecstacy" 12" (4AD).

27-Jun-82
US Release of the "13.13" album (Ruby).

September-82
UK/DE Release of the "13.13" album (Situation2/Line).

20-Jan-11
FR Re-release of the "13.13" album (Le Son Du Maquis).

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Last modified 30th of December, 2024.