Altered Zones

Antony of Antony and the Johnsons says:
Savoy Books is a British press that has been publishing counterculture materials since the '80s. They did a bunch of apocalyptic comic books surrounding Lord Horror, a character who traversed horrific landscapes, picking through mind-poppingly graphic holocausts on a kind of existential quest. Savoy also did a bunch of dance tracks and brutal covers, including a vinyl reading corner with P.J. Proby.

I found out about Savoy through my friend Johanna Constantine, who was studying in Leeds in 1990 and had stumbled upon these guys in Manchester. At the time, the Savoy offices and printing press were constantly being raided and shut down by the local police. With Johanna as our DJ, "Shoot Yer Load" became one of the defining anthems at our club, Blacklips at Pyramid, in 1992. The track, released as a 12" in 1989, was ferocious, blending perfectly with SPK, Kim Fowley, Divine, The Flirts, Princess Tinymeat, and Rozz Williams-era Christian Death. It would be several more years before Lil' Kim would start to graze the lyric territory that Savoy defined here, but she never came close to "Shoot Yer Load" in terms of pure refreshment. Rowetta from the Happy Mondays and D'nise Johnson formerly of Primal Scream were the session vocalists for this track, and they sound incredible together. Meng and Ecker are the names of two characters in the Savoy comic books.

MP3: Meng & Ecker: "Shoot Yer Load"

Savoy Wars compilation is available via the Savoy Books website. Information on the original Shoot Yer Load 12" here. Illustration by Kris Guidio from La Squab: The Auschwitz of Oz