Theatre Of Hate have today announced that they will be performing live at Patterns in Brighton on Sunday 19th April, with support act notification to follow.
In 1980, Kirk Brandon formed Theatre Of Hate from the ashes of heralded punk band The Pack. Joining Kirk on vocals were notable punk musicians Stan Stammers and Luke Rendall, along with old school friend, Steve Guthrie and Canadian born John “Boy” Lennard, who revolutionised the band’s sound with his haunting sax lines.
Theatre Of Hate’s debut double-A-side single, ‘Legion’/’Original Sin’, topped the independent chart in 1980, and ‘Westworld’, their debut album, produced by Mick Jones from The Clash and released in 1982, held the number one position in the independent chart for 21 weeks. The single taken from the album, ‘Do You Believe In The Westworld?’ has become an anthem and is still widely played in clubs and on international radio, as well as featuring on numerous compilation albums. Theatre Of Hate supported the likes of The Clash and Ian Dury led to Theatre Of Hate headlining major venues across the UK & Northern Europe.
Unfortunately Theatre Of Hate imploded in 1982, with Kirk taking Stan forward to form Spear Of Destiny, but the band has resurfaced over the years to play some very special shows. Having been asked by John Curd to join The Damned for a massive show at London’s infamous Roundhouse in December 2014, the band once again joined the fray. A short set of dates around the London anchor show attracted rave reviews, as did a 6 night sold out run in December 2014. The following year saw the band play two short jaunts across the UK in April and December both sets of dates wowed large crowds.
During touring in 2014 and 2015, the band constantly recorded at Oxygen Studios in Manchester, the first new studio album in 30+ years ‘Kinshi’ was released on 14th October 2016. The 12 new songs were simply stunning and signalled a true return to form. Four years ago the outfit dropped another long player in the form of ‘Utsukushi-sa (A Thing Of Beauty)’.
With a now settled line up of Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers, Chris Bell and Clive Osborne (currently deputising for John Lennard) the band released two EP’s ‘I.Sensou (War)’ and ‘II.Heiwa (Peace)’ in 2019 which have maintained the ongoing success and paved the way for the band’s latest and, appropriately named, studio album, ‘A Thing Of Beauty’, again funded by the growing fanbase via very specially packaged releases on CD & Vinyl. Recorded during the 2020 lockdowns and officially released in March 2021 this venture has already become a favourite amongst the loyal fanbase, many shows to support the release followed.
During 2023 TOH joined both The Mission and The Chameleons for a now legendary 39 date coast to coast of the USA, sell out shows with The Mission in Manchester, Whitby and London’s Roundhouse finished the year.
In 2024 TOH released a completely re-recorded and re-worked version of their iconic 1982 ‘Westworld’ album, and many live shows have followed.
Tickets for this Patterns concert can be purchased HERE.
