{"title":"Alternative TV","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn March 1977, Alternative TV was formed by Mark Perry (vocals\/guitar) and guitarist Alex Fergusson. They played their first gig at the Nottingham Punk Festival in May 1977 and released their first album in May 1978. After experimenting with different styles, the band broke up for the first time in late 1979 but reformed in '81. They have since split and started again multiple times and are still active as of early '08.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlternative TV's sound is influenced by punk rock and they have been associated with other bands such as Subway Sect, Penetration, The Adverts, Slaughter \u0026amp; The Dogs, 999, The Rezillos, The Members, Patrik Fitzgerald, Suburban Studs, The Ruts, The Lurkers, The Vibrators, Generation X, Richard Hell Chelsea ,The Only Ones Kleenex Magazine ,The Carpettes Buzzcocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a history spanning several decades and a willingness to experiment with different musical styles within the punk genre,\nAlternative TV has left an indelible mark on the music scene. Led by Mark Perry's vocals and guitar work,\nthe band has released numerous albums throughout their career. Despite lineup changes and periods of disbandment,\nthey continue to create music that resonates with fans old and new.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"vibing-up-the-senile-man","title":"Vibing Up The Senile Man","description":"\u003cp\u003ePossibly one of the weirdest experiment in the post-punk realm, \u003ci\u003eVibing Up the Senile Man (Part One)\u003c\/i\u003e is the second studio album by English anti-heroes Alternative TV, released in March 1979 on small indie label Deptford Fun City. Forget about the influential 1978 debut - \u003ci\u003eThe Image Has Cracked \u003c\/i\u003e– frontman Mark Perry is literally leaving the planet in this effort. ‘There are free jazz influences; I'd got into the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sun Ra ..) I'd moved into this house with an amazing music room – pianos, clarinets, you name it – and we'd always be picking up stuff from junk shops.’ The description set the pace for a unique performance, not only the afro-american heritage , traces of the Canterbury school are almost evident as the early experiment of the BBC Radiophonic workshop. Is it safe to consider \u003ci\u003eVibing up The Senile Man\u003c\/i\u003e on the same time-line as Robert Wyatt ‘The End Of An Ear’ and Throbbing Gristle ’20 Jazz Funk Greats’ (Genesis P-Orridge is on board on two tracks, playing assorted percussion) ? Judge by yourself and don’t be scared.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Spittle","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50411397054795,"sku":"1116448","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/87247b4c-2363-440b-bf8b-2b7cdf2ab030_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726657437"},{"product_id":"was-it-white-and-sticky","title":"Was It White and Sticky?","description":"\u003cp\u003eLimited edition 12” EP to help fill the void before the next Alternative TV album, here collecting Mark Perry's slightly playful cover of, or nod towards a medley of, Throbbing Gristle's 'United', 'Discipline' and 'Persuasion', called 'Alternative TG' and originally released on 1997's\u003ci\u003e Punk Life \u003c\/i\u003eCD, b\/w two cuts that first appeared on 1999's \u003ci\u003eApollo\u003c\/i\u003e CD, 'Oh Shit, We Fell from Grace' and 'Slap and Tickle'. A one- off snapshot of some of the music that appeared from this much overlooked period of Alternative TV. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fourth Dimension","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50453195718987,"sku":"1116304","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/fa3f4c9c-6647-401f-97f4-67a133f536b9_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727169346"},{"product_id":"the-image-has-cracked","title":"The Image Has Cracked","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst album by seminal British punk band Alternative TV, originally released in 1978, \u003ci\u003eThe Image Has Cracked\u003c\/i\u003e displays the broad minded Mark Perry's vision of modern music. The album is a crossover between dub, reggae, punk and kraut rock, bringing to life the musical ideas of the author of one of the earliest and most acclaimed punk fanzines, the infamous \u003ci\u003eSniffin' Glue\u003c\/i\u003e - whose last issue also served to launch the band's first single on flexi disc in 1977. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Radiation","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50483910246731,"sku":"2191494","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50483909919051,"sku":"1019321","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d6b62857-653f-46c5-8172-253356f76f36_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727576038"},{"product_id":"the-image-has-cracked-atv-collection","title":"The Image Has Cracked : Atv Collection","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRepressed\u003c\/em\u003e is a 20-track collection that showcases the best of the 'straight' years of \u003cstrong\u003eAlternative TV\u003c\/strong\u003e. The album includes all the tracks from \u003cem\u003eThe Image Has Cracked\u003c\/em\u003e album, as well as 11 bonus and B-sides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlternative TV\u003c\/strong\u003e were one of the founding fathers of punk, and their influence can still be heard today in the 'post-punk' scene. Their music is considered seminal and has left a lasting impact on the music industry.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cherry Red","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50485614543179,"sku":"162353","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/25cb1703-ef2d-469c-b437-410c86c5dbed_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727601480"},{"product_id":"dark-places","title":"Dark Places","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis is a Record Store Day 2018 item. It will be available to purchase from our stores from 8am 21st April. Remaining stock will be available to purchase from this page at 00.01 28th April.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark Perry, founder of Sniffin’ Glue fanzine, formed the group either due to or as a response to punk in 1977. Since the debut \u003ci\u003eHow Much Longer\u003c\/i\u003e 7” released that very same year, however, Mark has remained the sole surviving original member and driving force. Not one to stand still, he has taken the group through a succession of lineup changes embarking on a wide spectrum of styles since then; the only truly unifying factor amounting to a sensibility that never once strayed from its original status. It is through this justifiably much vaunted approach that Alternative TV have bee\u003ci\u003en responsible for around fifteen albums since their formation, with the last one, \u003c\/i\u003eOpposing Forces, from 2015 on Public Domain Records, proving to be their strongest thus far with its marrying of igneous rock, idiosyncratic touches, barbed commentary and occasionally seething undercurrents of dark psychedelic noise. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDark Places\u003c\/i\u003e, the newest EP, expands the mantle set by \u003ci\u003eOpposing Forces\u003c\/i\u003e, introducing four songs cascading between full-on rock to a kind of abstract minimalist electronics approach perfectly in keeping with Alternative TV’s occasional traverses to the furthest reaches. Each track, pinned into place by Dave Morgan and Clive Giblin, arrives with its own distinctive approach, enhanced further by the legendary Vic Godard’s guest appearance on guitar on \u003ci\u003eLike a Tomb\u003c\/i\u003e, once more encapsulating a vision as perfectly widescreen as it is bifurcated.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fourth Dimension","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":50497487470923,"sku":"1030562","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/06cfa18d-dabd-4654-be66-62ad3ac522f2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727728227"},{"product_id":"scars-on-sunday","title":"Scars On Sunday","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally available on a cassette released in 1979 on Fuck Off Records, a label co-run by Keith Dobson (Here and Now, World Domination Enterprises), this selection of songs recorded live at two venues by both ATV and The Good Missionaries that captures the essence of ideas behind the \u003ci\u003eVibing Up the Senile Man\u003c\/i\u003e album has long deserved to be heard by more. Includes new Mark Perry sleevenotes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Winter Hill Recordings","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498353529163,"sku":"1061625","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5867f165-7c57-4907-9c59-c48de2ab0922_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727745598"},{"product_id":"how-much-longer-1","title":"How Much Longer","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst time reissue of the 1977 debut single of London's punk pioneers Alternative TV, founded by Mark Perry (editor of the zine Sniffin' Glue) and Alex Fergusson (member of Psychic TV years later). An absolute must-have! First time reissue of the 1977 debut single of London's punk pioneers Alternative TV, originally released on Deptford Fun City Records. The band was founded by Mark Perry (editor of the zine Sniffin' Glue) and Alex Fergusson (member of Psychic TV years later). Early rehearsals took place at Throbbing Gristle's studio with Genesis P-Orridge on drums. The line-up of the band during the recording of this single was completed with drummer John Towe (ex-Generation X) and Tyrone Thomas on bass, sporting a straight-forwardy punk sound that eventually would evolve into a more experimental direction in the following years. 'How Much Longer' is a sharp critique of punk style: \"How much longer will people wear \/ Nazi armbands and dye their hair? \/ Talk about anarchy, fascism and boredom \/ When you don't know nothing\", that anticipated their own boredom towards the punk scene. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Munster","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":51177939927371,"sku":"1134779","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/b6d7324a-90ca-46e4-9100-c5343d4a9c95_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1738172662"},{"product_id":"direct-action-special-edition-wy","title":"Direct Action (Special edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince their formation in 1977 Mark Perry’s group Alternative TV have moved far away from their more direct punk rock beginnings into all manner of other areas of music that have sometimes themselves drawn from improvisation, free jazz, industrial and electronic music. On the CD reissue of 2023’s \u003cem\u003eDirect Action\u003c\/em\u003e, Alternative TV’s first studio album since \u003cem\u003eOpposing Forces\u003c\/em\u003e in 2015, we are presented with seven instrumental tracks which steadily rip apart all expectations as they shed all allusions to rock music in favour of the kinda sonic mutilation that once helped 1979’s classic (and Nurse With Wound list endorsed) \u003cem\u003eVibing Up the Senile Man (Part One) \u003c\/em\u003estumble into weird and wonderful shapes. \u003cem\u003eDirect Action\u003c\/em\u003e marries guttural electronics to sounds most artists would consign to the bin and through Perry’s long perfected mastery of pulling together disparate strands to create something entirely alchemical and invigorating delivers a unique stamp to the ATV story. With the help of longtime collaborator Dave Morgan alongside the input of Gareth Matthews, Ruth Tidmarsh and Cos Chapman, abstract patterns of dishevelled sound rub alongside occasional percussion, disembodied plasma guitar strums and even what seems like an oboe groaning in a murky corner. Similar to its distant cousin of Vibing…, everything adds up to a whole that’s demanding yet completely rewarding as every listen prises open the dark scab of contemporary malaise to reveal something fresh. The front cover’s homage to an incredible album by a pioneering electronic group we are not going to name should in itself point to the unpredictable nature of the music here. If you are savvy enough to get that reference, then you’re on the right path to understanding where Direct Action resides. Easy listening this ain’t. This slightly expanded CD reissue includes a bonus version of the song, ‘Never Went to Art School’, that’s exclusive to this release.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fourth Dimension","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":51419094417739,"sku":"R2714-4521","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/AlternativeTV_DirectAction.jpg?v=1741626227"},{"product_id":"here-come-wi","title":"Here Come...","description":"\u003cp\u003eMark Perry was there at the forefront of the UK Punk Scene thanks to his revolutionary word-spreading fanzine Sniffin' Glue and his band Alternative TV.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Heavy Soul Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56505498861899,"sku":"R9087-6616","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5065025121166.jpg?v=1770903262"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_a420e9fb_thumbnail_4096_a288609f-61ec-43f9-8928-0a973b5b6320.jpg?v=1726657416","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/alternative-tv.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}