title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: A renewed search disclosed an entrance to a secret courtyard hidden behind a large scroll; the courtyard held a small building for storing charcoal and firewood, where two hidden armed retainers were overcome and killed. A search of the building disclosed a man hiding; he attacked the searcher with a dagger, but the man was easily disarmed. He refused to say who he was, but the searchers felt sure it was Kira, and sounded the whistle. The "rōnin" gathered, and Ōishi, with a lantern, saw that it was indeed Kira—as a final proof, his head bore the scar from Asano's attack.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Ōishi went on his knees, and in consideration of Kira's high rank, respectfully addressed him, telling him they were retainers of Asano, come to avenge him as true samurai should, and inviting Kira to die as a true samurai should, by killing himself. Ōishi indicated he personally would act as a "kaishakunin" ("second", the one who beheads a person committing seppuku to spare them the indignity of a lingering death) and offered him the same dagger that Asano had used to kill himself. However, no matter how much they entreated him, Kira crouched, speechless and trembling. At last, seeing it was useless to continue asking, Ōishi ordered the other "rōnin" to pin him down and killed him by cutting off his head with the dagger. They then extinguished all the lamps and fires in the house (lest any cause the house to catch fire and start a general fire that would harm the neighbors) and left, taking Kira's head.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: One of the "rōnin", the "ashigaru" Terasaka Kichiemon, was ordered to travel to Akō and report that their revenge had been completed. (Though Kichiemon's role as a messenger is the most widely accepted version of the story, other accounts have him running away before or after the battle, or being ordered to leave before the "rōnin" turned themselves in.)


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: As day was breaking, they quickly carried Kira's head from his residence to their lord's grave in Sengaku-ji temple, marching about ten kilometers across the city, causing a great stir on the way. The story of the revenge spread quickly, and everyone on their path praised them and offered them refreshment.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: On arriving at the temple, the remaining 46 "rōnin" (all except Terasaka Kichiemon) washed and cleaned Kira's head in a well, and laid it, and the fateful dagger, before Asano's tomb. They then offered prayers at the temple and gave the abbot of the temple all of the money they had left, asking him to bury them decently and offer prayers for them. They then turned themselves in; the group was broken into four parts and put under guard of four different "daimyō". During this time, two of Kira's friends came to collect his head for burial; the temple still has the original receipt for the head, which the friends and the priests who dealt with them had all signed.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The shogunate officials in Edo were in a quandary. The samurai had followed the precepts by avenging the death of their lord; but they had also defied the shogunate's authority by exacting revenge, which had been prohibited. In addition, the "shōgun" received a number of petitions from the admiring populace on behalf of the "rōnin". As expected, the "rōnin" were sentenced to death for the murder of Kira; but the "shōgun" finally resolved the quandary by ordering them to honorably commit "seppuku" instead of having them executed as criminals. Each of the assailants ended his life in a ritualistic fashion. Ōishi Chikara, the youngest, was only 15 years old on the day the raid took place, and only 16 the day he committed "seppuku".


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Each of the 46 "rōnin" killed himself in . This has caused a considerable amount of confusion ever since, with some people referring to the "forty-six rōnin"; this refers to the group put to death by the "shōgun", while the actual attack party numbered forty-seven. The forty-seventh "rōnin", identified as Terasaka Kichiemon, eventually returned from his mission and was pardoned by the "shōgun" (some say on account of his youth). He lived until the age of 87, dying around 1747, and was then buried with his comrades. The assailants who died by "seppuku" were subsequently interred on the grounds of Sengaku-ji, in front of the tomb of their master. The clothes and arms they wore are still preserved in the temple to this day, along with the drum and whistle; their armor was all home-made, as they had not wanted to arouse suspicion by purchasing any.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The Satsuma man who had mocked and spat on Ōishi as he lay drunk in the street was also buried there. He addressed Ōishi's grave, begged for forgiveness for his actions and for thinking that the latter was not a true samurai. He then committed suicide and was buried next to Ōishi.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The tombs at Sengaku-ji became a place of great veneration, and people flocked there to pray. The graves at the temple have been visited by a great many people throughout the years since the Genroku era.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Though the revenge is often viewed as an act of loyalty, there had been a second goal, to re-establish the Asanos' lordship and find a place for their fellow samurai to serve. Hundreds of samurai who had served under Asano had been left jobless, and many were unable to find employment, as they had served under a disgraced family. Many lived as farmers or did simple handicrafts to make ends meet. The revenge of the forty-seven "rōnin" cleared their names, and many of the unemployed samurai found jobs soon after the "rōnin" had been sentenced to their honorable end.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Asano Daigaku Nagahiro, Naganori's younger brother and heir, was allowed by the Tokugawa shogunate to re-establish his name, though his territory was reduced to a tenth of the original.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Below are the names of the 47 "rōnin" in the following form: family name – pseudonym ("kemyō") – real name ("imina"). Alternative readings are listed in italics.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The "rōnin" spent more than 14 months waiting for the "right time" for their revenge. It was Yamamoto Tsunetomo, author of the "Hagakure", who asked the well known question: "What if, nine months after Asano's death, Kira had died of an illness?" His answer was that the forty-seven "rōnin" would have lost their only chance at avenging their master. Even if they had claimed, then, that their dissipated behavior was just an act, that in just a little more time they would have been ready for revenge, who would have believed them? They would have been forever remembered as cowards and drunkards—bringing eternal shame to the name of the Asano clan. The right thing for the "rōnin" to do, writes Yamamoto, was to attack Kira and his men immediately after Asano's death. The "rōnin" would probably have suffered defeat, as Kira was ready for an attack at that time—but this was unimportant.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Ōishi was too obsessed with success, according to Yamamoto. He conceived his convoluted plan to ensure that they would succeed at killing Kira, which is not a proper concern in a samurai: the important thing was not the death of Kira, but for the former samurai of Asano to show outstanding courage and determination in an all-out attack against the Kira house, thus winning everlasting honor for their dead master. Even if they had failed to kill Kira, even if they had all perished, it would not have mattered, as victory and defeat have no importance. By waiting a year, they improved their chances of success but risked dishonoring the name of their clan, the worst sin a samurai can commit.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The tragedy of the forty-seven rōnin has been one of the most popular themes in Japanese art and has lately even begun to make its way into Western art.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Immediately following the event, there were mixed feelings among the intelligentsia about whether such vengeance had been appropriate. Many agreed that, given their master's last wishes, the "rōnin" had done the right thing, but were undecided about whether such a vengeful wish was proper. Over time, however, the story became a symbol of loyalty to one's master and later, of loyalty to the emperor. Once this happened, the story flourished as a subject of drama, storytelling, and visual art.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The incident immediately inspired a succession of "kabuki" and "bunraku" plays; the first, "The Night Attack at Dawn by the Soga", appeared only two weeks after the ronin died. It was shut down by the authorities, but many others soon followed, initially in Osaka and Kyoto, farther away from the capital. Some even took the story as far as Manila, to spread the story to the rest of Asia.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The most successful of the adaptations was a "bunraku" puppet play called "Kanadehon Chūshingura" (now simply called "Chūshingura", or "Treasury of Loyal Retainers"), written in 1748 by Takeda Izumo and two associates; it was later adapted into a "kabuki" play, which is still one of Japan's most popular.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: In the play, to avoid the attention of the censors, the events are transferred into the distant past, to the 14th century reign of "shōgun" Ashikaga Takauji. Asano became En'ya Hangan Takasada, Kira became Kō no Moronao and Ōishi became Ōboshi Yuranosuke Yoshio; the names of the rest of the "rōnin" were disguised to varying degrees. The play contains a number of plot twists that do not reflect the real story: Moronao tries to seduce En'ya's wife, and one of the "rōnin" dies before the attack because of a conflict between family and warrior loyalty (another possible cause of the confusion between forty-six and forty-seven).


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The play has been made into a movie at least six times in Japan, the earliest starring Onoe Matsunosuke. The film's release date is questioned, but placed between 1910 and 1917. It has been aired on the Jidaigeki Senmon Channel (Japan) with accompanying "benshi" narration. In 1941, the Japanese military commissioned director Kenji Mizoguchi, who would later direct "Ugetsu", to make "Genroku Chūshingura". They wanted a ferocious morale booster based on the familiar "rekishi geki" ("historical drama") of "The Loyal 47 Ronin". Instead, Mizoguchi chose for his source "Mayama Chūshingura", a cerebral play dealing with the story. The film was a commercial failure, having been released in Japan one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese military and most audiences found the first part to be too serious, but the studio and Mizoguchi both regarded it as so important that Part Two was put into production, despite lukewarm reception to Part One. The film wasn't shown in America until the 1970s.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The 1962 film version directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, "", is most familiar to Western audiences. In it, Toshirō Mifune appears in a supporting role as spearman Tawaraboshi Genba. Mifune was to revisit the story several times in his career. In 1971 he appeared in the 52-part television series "Daichūshingura" as Ōishi, while in 1978 he appeared as Lord Tsuchiya in the epic "Swords of Vengeance" ("Akō-jō danzetsu").


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Many Japanese television shows, including single programs, short series, single seasons, and even year-long series such as "Daichūshingura" and the more recent NHK Taiga drama "Genroku Ryōran", recount the events. Among both films and television programs, some are quite faithful to the "Chūshingura", while others incorporate unrelated material or alter details. In addition, "gaiden" dramatize events and characters not in the "Chūshingura". Kon Ichikawa directed another version in 1994. In 2004, Mitsumasa Saitō directed a nine-episode mini-series starring Ken Matsudaira, who had also starred in a 1999 49-episode TV series of the "Chūshingura" entitled "Genroku Ryōran". In Hirokazu Koreeda's 2006 film "Hana yori mo nao", the story was used as a backdrop, with one of the ronin being a neighbour of the protagonists.


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: Most recently, it was made into a 2013 American movie titled "47 Ronin", starring Keanu Reeves, and then again into a more stylized 2015 version titled "Last Knights".


title: Forty-seven rōnin

text: The forty-seven rōnin is one of the most popular themes in woodblock prints, or "ukiyo-e" and many well-known artists have made prints portraying either the original events, scenes from the play, or the actors. One book on subjects depicted in woodblock prints devotes no fewer than seven chapters to the history of the appearance of this theme in woodblocks. Among the artists who produced prints on this subject are Utamaro, Toyokuni, Hokusai, Kunisada, Hiroshige, and Yoshitoshi. However, probably the most widely known woodblocks in the genre are those of Kuniyoshi, who produced at least eleven separate complete series on this subject, along with more than twenty triptychs.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 () is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. Debuted on July 7, 2016, the current lineup consists of nine active members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. Since 2016, NCT 127 have released four studio albums, two repackaged albums, and four extended plays in South Korea. They broke into the mainstream in 2017 with "Cherry Bomb", now recognized as one of their signature songs, and received greater international attention from the general public following the release of "Kick It" in 2020. NCT 127 are known for their experimental hip hop and R&B-based music and energetic dance performances, as seen in their title tracks such as "Cherry Bomb", "'Kick It", "Sticker", and "2 Baddies".


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 debuted on July 7, 2016, with the single "Fire Truck" and an original lineup of seven members: Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan. Their debut extended play (EP) "NCT #127" (2016) was a commercial success upon release, winning them the Best New Artist title at several South Korean music award shows. Members Doyoung and Johnny later joined the unit in December 2016, ahead of their second EP "Limitless" (2017) and its title track of the same name; Jungwoo, the final member, was introduced in September 2018 for the group's first studio album "Regular-Irregular" (2018).


title: NCT 127

text: In April 2019, NCT 127's increasing global popularity prompted SM Entertainment to sign marketing and distribution deals with Capitol Music Group and Caroline Distribution, respectively. The unit subsequently released the EP "We Are Superhuman" that year and their second Korean studio album, "Neo Zone", in 2020, the latter becoming their first top-five entry on the US "Billboard" 200 and their first release to sell over one million copies. In 2021, NCT 127 released their record-breaking third Korean studio album, "Sticker", and its repackaged album "Favorite", which sold a combined 3.58 million copies, becoming the best-selling album of all time by an act under SM Entertainment and earning the group the Daesang award at the 31st Seoul Music Awards. The album also debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200, the longest and highest-charting K-pop album in the US in 2021. In 2022, NCT 127 released their fourth Korean studio album "2 Baddies", which surpassed 1.5 million sales in its first week and made the group the second K-pop act to have three albums debut within the Top 5 of "Billboard 200". NCT 127 have also ventured into the Japanese music scene with the release of a Japanese version of their second single "Limitless", an EP, and a studio album.


title: NCT 127

text: In January 2016, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man delivered a presentation at the SM Coex Artium titled "SMTOWN: New Culture Technology 2016". Lee announced that the label planned to debut a new boy group with an "unlimited" number of members, in alignment with their "culture contents" strategy. The group would have "sub-unit teams" of different members from different cities around the world, and the units would collaborate with each other frequently. Lee revealed the name of the group to be NCT, an acronym of the presentation title. NCT was to be SM Entertainment's first idol group to debut since Red Velvet in August 2014 and the label's first boy group to debut since South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo in 2012. During the presentation, Lee also announced plans to debut the first NCT unit within the first half of 2016 in Seoul and Tokyo, with sub-units based in Chinese cities to follow in the latter half of the year and units in Southeast Asia and Latin America later.


title: NCT 127

text: On July 1, 2016, NCT 127 was announced as the second sub-unit, a Seoul-based, multi-national boy group that would promote actively in South Korea. The name "NCT 127" combines the acronym for Neo Culture Technology with the number "127", the longitude coordinate of the city of Seoul.


title: NCT 127

text: All ten members of NCT 127 were originally introduced through SM Rookies, a pre-debut training team established by SM Entertainment. Johnny was the first member to join the label through an American audition at Chicago, Illinois in 2007, while Yuta was recruited through the SM Global Audition in Osaka, Japan and Mark in Vancouver, Canada in 2012. The same year, Taeyong and Jaehyun joined the label after being cast by label employees and passing auditions and were the first members to be introduced through SM Rookies. Taeil was the next member to join the label in 2013, despite having chosen twice before to not pursue an idol career. Doyoung and Donghyuck joined the label in 2013, with Winwin being introduced through SM Rookies on January 5, 2016, and Jungwoo on April 17, 2017.


title: NCT 127

text: Prior to the unit's debut, several members had solo activities during their time in SM Rookies, including Taeyong's music video for "Open the Door" and feature in Red Velvet's second single "Be Natural" (credited as SR14B's Taeyong) in 2014. Taeyong then joined fellow trainees Johnny, Mark, Donghyuck, Yuta and Jaehyun in the Mnet-produced reality show "". Doyoung and Jaehyun became fixed MCs for the music show "Show Champion" from January to June 2015, while Mark and Donghyuck were Mouseketeers on Disney Channel Korea’s "The Mickey Mouse Club" in July 2015. The members eventually had their first official show, titled "SMRookies Show", in Seoul in September 2015 and later in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2016. Taeil released his first solo soundtrack “Because Of You” for the television series "" on January 26, 2016, and Winwin, who appeared as a dancer for the live performance of NCT U's "The 7th Sense" during the sub-unit's first live performance in China at the 16th Music Feng Yun Bang Awards later in April 2016. Along with other SM Rookies trainees, the members starred in their first reality show series, titled "NCT Life", in the same month. Taeyong, Taeil, Jaehyun, and Mark—all of whom previously debuted in NCT U—as well as Yuta, Winwin, and Donghyuck (who selected the stage name Haechan) were confirmed to debut in NCT 127, the Seoul-based unit of NCT, on July 1, 2016.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 officially debuted with the release of the music video for "Fire Truck" on July 7, 2016, and had their debut performance on Mnet's "M Countdown" on the same day. They performed the single alongside another promotional song, "Once Again". They released their self-titled extended play (EP) on July 10, 2016. The record was a commercial success, debuting at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and rising to the number one position by the third week of its release, while reaching number two on the "Billboard" World Albums Chart. In collaboration with Coca-Cola, NCT 127 released the single "Taste the Feeling" under the SM Station project on July 29 while continuing promotions for "Fire Truck" on television music shows such as "Music Bank", "Show Champion", and "Inkigayo." The group then collaborated with the "W Korea" magazine and modeling agency ESteem for a special performance video, which featured five members (Yuta, Taeyong, Jaehyun, Mark, and Winwin) performing a then-unreleased track, titled "Good Thing". On December 20, NCT 127 released the music video for "Switch", previously issued as a bonus track on "NCT #127", which featured other SM Rookies trainees (who were referred to as SR15B at the time of release). The unit was named the Best New Group of 2016 at several music award shows, including Asia Artist Awards, Seoul Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards and Gaon Chart Music Awards.


title: NCT 127

text: On December 27, SM Entertainment confirmed that NCT 127 would release their second EP "Limitless" in January 2017. The label then announced that new members Johnny and Doyoung would join with NCT 127, becoming a nine-member boy group, with Doyoung having previously debuted with NCT U in April 2016. The group premiered two versions of the EP's eponymous lead single on January 4 and January 5, 2017. The EP, released the next day, was commercially successful, becoming NCT 127's second chart-topper on the Gaon Album Chart and their first to reach number one the "Billboard" World Albums Chart. The lead single also received positive reviews from music critics, hailed by "Dazed Digital" as one of the top 20 best K-pop songs of 2017, and a fan favorite. Similar to their previous releases, the unit began their promotion cycle for "Limitless" and "Good Thing" on "M Countdown" on January 5. They released their EP "Cherry Bomb" on June 14, led by their single of the same name. The release marked NCT 127's breakthrough, with "Cherry Bomb" being their first single to enter the Gaon Digital Chart, peaking at number forty-seven, and earning the group their first music trophy. The song has since become one of the group's signatures and was named by "Billboard" and "Idolator" "one of the best K-pop songs of 2017".


title: NCT 127

text: In addition to their initial activities in South Korea, NCT 127 promoted overseas with their first live performances at the 2017's KCON music festival in Mexico City, followed by their appearance at the KCON Festivals in Los Angeles and New York City, respectively. They also became the first K-pop act to be introduced as Apple Music's “New Artist of the Week” list, attending and performing at the Apple Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on June 25, 2017. The group released a Japanese version of "Limitless" on November 4, 2017, as their debut Japanese single, along with a new music video. In December, after signing with Avex Trax, NCT 127 was confirmed by SM Entertainment to make their official Japanese debut in spring of 2018, accompanied by their first showcase tour.


title: NCT 127

text: In mid-January 2018, SM Entertainment announced that all current members and units would participate in NCT 2018, a project by parent group NCT. NCT 127 released "Touch" as the fourth single from "NCT 2018 Empathy", the studio album that united the existing sub-units of NCT, with different members collaborating under the rotational unit NCT U. The group released their first Japanese EP "Chain" via Avex Trax on May 23, 2018, which debuted and peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. Its eponymous second single was also successful, peaking at number twenty-one on the Oricon Singles Chart.


title: NCT 127

text: On September 17, SM Entertainment introduced a new logo for NCT 127 on all social media platforms. On October 1, they were announced as Apple Music's "Up Next" Artist of the October, making them as the first K-pop artist to be selected for the series. Along with the release of a new teaser video, the label confirmed that member Jungwoo would officially join the lineup for their upcoming first full-length album, titled "Regular-Irregular", on October 12. Jungwoo previously debuted in the rotational unit NCT U for the single "Boss" in February 2018. The album was a commercial success domestically, remaining at number one on the Gaon Album Chart for two weeks and becoming NCT 127's first to receive a Platinum KMCA certificate for selling over 250,000 copies. In addition, the album debuted at number eighty-six on the US "Billboard" 200, earning the group their first charting title on the chart and leading all ten members to extend their promotions to the United States. In association with their role as one of Apple Music's "Up Next" artists, album promotions included a group performance of an English version of the lead single "Regular" and "Cherry Bomb" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" as the group's first appearance on US national television. NCT 127 also performed on ABC's "Mickey's 90th Spectacular" TV special on November 4 and released an Apple Music-exclusive digital EP, "Up Next Session: NCT 127", on October 21. The digital EP contained an English version of "Cherry Bomb", remixes for "Fire Truck" and "Regular," and the original song "What We Talkin’ Bout" featuring American singer Marteen. NCT 127 re-released "Regular-Irregular" under the title "Regulate" on November 23, led by the single "Simon Says". The single was moderately successful in South Korea but experienced greater success in the US, becoming NCT 127's first to top the "Billboard" World Digital Songs chart and their first to enter the New Zealand Hot 40 Singles chart.


title: NCT 127

text: Due to his preparations to debut with China-based sub-unit WayV, member Winwin did not join the group's promotional activities for the release of the repackage. On December 19, it was announced Haechan would be taking a hiatus from the group due to injury.


title: NCT 127

text: In January 2019, NCT 127 announced their first concert tour, Neo City – The Origin, with stops in South Korea and Japan from January to March. The tour was extended to North America, with twelve shows on April and May 2019, and an additional nine in Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia from May through July 2019. Haechan rejoined the group beginning with the Japan leg of the tour in March 2019. The group featured on Jason Derulo's single "Let's Shut Up & Dance", which was released on February 22, alongside labelmate Lay Zhang. On March 18, NCT 127 released "Wakey-Wakey" as the lead single of their first Japanese studio album, "Awaken", which was released on April 17.


title: NCT 127

text: In April 2019, NCT 127 signed a worldwide distribution deal with Capitol Music Group and Caroline Distribution via SM Entertainment. Ahead of the North American leg of their tour, the group made appearances on "Good Morning America" and "Strahan and Sara" on April 18; they were the third K-pop act to perform on the former. In the same month, the group announced their fourth EP, "We Are Superhuman", released on May 24, 2019, and performed once again as a nine-piece group, with Winwin continuing to promote solely as a member of WayV. The group performed the EP's lead single, "Superhuman", on "Good Morning America" and "Strahan and Sara". They also performed the song on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on May 14. NCT 127 appeared in the Japanese variety show "NCT 127 Teach Me JAPAN!", which began airing on dTV from June 9.


title: NCT 127

text: "We Are Superhuman" debuted at number eleven at the "Billboard" 200 with 27,000 units, becoming NCT 127's second entry on the chart. The EP also became their second number-one album on the "Billboard" World Albums chart. An English version of "Highway to Heaven" was released as the EP's second single on July 18, 2019. In August 2019, SM Entertainment announced that Jungwoo would sit out the group's activities for undisclosed health reasons, although the label clarified in November 2019 that his health had been improving and that he may be able to rejoin the group in 2020.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 performed as special guests at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in New York in September 2019. They released their first live album, "Neo City: Seoul − The Origin", on October 24, and performed at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards in Seville, Spain on November 3, becoming the first K-pop group to do so. NCT 127 also performed at the 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on November 28, making them the first Korean artist to perform at the event, as well as on the program "Today" on November 29.


title: NCT 127

text: As the group's United States promotional activities for their previous release came to a conclusion by the end of November 2019, NCT 127 released a shortened music video for "Dreams Come True" on their official YouTube channel on January 27. After the announcement of Jungwoo's return, the group released their second Korean studio album, "Neo Zone", on March 6, 2020, featuring lead single "Kick It". Several members took part in songwriting for the album. "Neo Zone" debuted at number five on "Billboard" 200 with more than 87,000 units sold in the first week. The album sold over 700,000 units in the first month in the US, becoming their best-selling album to date, as well as topping the Korean album sales chart in March.


title: NCT 127

text: In addition to promotional activities in South Korea, NCT 127 promoted in the US, beginning with performances at the 2020 RodeoHouston in Houston on March 10, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the event. They were scheduled to embark on their second tour, Neo Zone – The Awards, in June 2020 in North America, although the tour was indefinitely postponed and later canceled entirely due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: NCT 127

text: In April, NCT 127 was chosen as ambassador for Korean cosmetics brand Nature Republic. On May 17, they became the fourth act to hold an online concert, titled "" as part of SM Entertainment's Beyond Live online concert series. The concert sold over 104,000 virtual tickets to audience members from 129 countries.


title: NCT 127

text: On May 19, the group released "Neo Zone: The Final Round", a repackage of "Neo Zone". The album was released alongside lead single "Punch", which NCT 127 premiered live during their Beyond Live concert two days prior. Combined sales of "Neo Zone" and "The Final Round" exceeded 1.2 million copies, making it the group's best-selling album at the time and their first to exceed one million total sales.


title: NCT 127

text: The group reunited with the rest of the NCT members for their second studio album, "NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1" and "NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 2", released on October 12 and November 23, respectively. NCT 127 recorded the track "Music, Dance" for the album.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 announced in January that they would release their second Japanese EP, "Loveholic", on February 17.


title: NCT 127

text: On June 28, SM released a presentation on the future of the company and the comebacks of their artists. The presentation explained that the group planned to release a third studio album and repackage. At a fanmeet for the group's fifth anniversary, they confirmed the album would have a September release window. Their third Korean studio album, "Sticker", was released on September 17. The album consists of eleven tracks, including the lead single of the same name. It achieved 1.13 million pre-orders within the first 24 hours, making it the highest pre-ordered K-pop album in one day. In total, the album recorded 2.2 million pre-orders and sold 2.4 million copies within a week after its release, making it the first album from SM Entertainment to sell over two million copies without a repackage version. "Sticker" also became the group's highest-ranking album on the "Billboard" 200 at number three and the highest-ranking K-pop album on the chart in 2021.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 released the repackage version of "Sticker", "Favorite", and its lead single "Favorite (Vampire)" on October 25, 2021. The repackage accumulated 1.06 million copies in pre-order sales and sold over 1.1 million copies in one week after its release. As of November 3, 2021, "Sticker" and "Favorite" have sold a combined total of 3.58 million copies, making it the best-selling album by an artist under SM Entertainment.


title: NCT 127

text: On December 17, NCT 127 kicked off their second world tour with three shows at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, promoted as NCT 127 2nd Tour 'Neo City: Seoul – The Link'.


title: NCT 127

text: From May 22 until June 26, NCT 127 continued their world tour with 'Neo City: Japan — The Link'. They performed with five sold-out shows at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, the Vantelin Dome in Nagoya, and the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, garnering a total of 220,000 spectators. This marks NCT 127 as the first NCT unit to embark on a dome tour in Japan. They later performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, earning 12,000 and 15,000 spectators, respectively.


title: NCT 127

text: On September 16, NCT 127 made their comeback with their fourth studio album "2 Baddies" and its title track of the same name. The album sold 1.5 million copies in its first week, becoming the highest-selling album by an SM Entertainment act within its week debut. On the "Billboard 200" chart in the United States, the album sold 55,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number three, becoming the group's third album to debut within the top five and their second consecutive album to debut at number three. This makes NCT 127 the second K-pop act to have three albums debut in the Top 5 of the chart, following BTS. "2 Baddies" also became the group's highest-charting album in Australia's ARIA Charts, debuting at number three. A reissue of the album will be released in January 2023.


title: NCT 127

text: On October 6, NCT 127 held a sold-out concert at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, as part of the North American Leg of Neo City – The Link. They later performed with another sold-out show at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on October 13. On October 22 and 23, the group performed with a 2-day special concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, the largest concert stadium in South Korea. The show was titled Neo City: Seoul – The Link+, and featured a new set list that includes the tracks from their fourth studio album "2 Baddies." They are also set to perform at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 4 and 5, and at the IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on December 3, 4 and 5.


title: NCT 127

text: Originally a septet at the sub-unit's debut in July 2016, the lineup now consists of nine active members as of 2022:


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127's music is known for its versatility, having released songs in different genres including hip hop, R&B, EDM, and ballad. Their most prominent style, however, is experimental hip-hop, which leader and main rapper Taeyong dubs as "neo", as a reference to NCT's name, Neo Culture Technology. Since the group's debut in 2016 with "Firetruck", NCT 127 has continuously released hip hop-based experimental title tracks such as the hardcore hip hop song "Cherry Bomb", the Latin-inspired hip hop song "Regular", the "powerful" hip hop and R&B song "Kick It", and the critically polarizing minimal hip hop song "Sticker". The group has also consistently worked with American producer Dem Jointz, who has composed many of their title tracks alongside Yoo Young-jin. Critics dubbed NCT 127 as "K-pop's kings of noise music", after experimental songs were noticed to be prominent among fourth generation K-pop groups.


title: NCT 127

text: Members of NCT 127 have been active in the songwriting department of their songs since their debut. Main rappers Taeyong and Mark often write their own lyrics in title tracks, including "Cherry Bomb", "Kick It" and "Sticker", while main vocalist Jaehyun had also participated in the songwriting for "Firetruck". According to the Korea Music Copyright Association, Mark has written a total of 62 songs, while Taeyong has 51 songs under his songwriting and producing credits. NCT 127 is among the few acts in SM Entertainment to be known for writing their own tracks.


title: NCT 127

text: NCT 127 are popular for their intense and complex choreography, along with the members' synchronized dance moves of different styles. Leader and main dancer Taeyong has actively participated in the conception of the group's dances, both for title tracks and side tracks such as "Kick It" and "Bring the Noize". Critics have praised NCT 127's dance performances, which is noted as what sets them apart from other K-pop groups under SM Entertainment. Tim Chan of "Rolling Stone" described their choreography as "difficult for even professional dance troupes to master."


title: NCT 127

text: In 2016 and 2017, NCT 127 received "Best New Artist" awards from the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards. In 2022, they won the Grand Prize (Korean: 대상 "Daesang") award at the 31st Seoul Music Awards for the commercial success of "Sticker", becoming the first NCT sub-unit to win a Daesang from a major award show.


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street Corporation is an American financial services and bank holding company headquartered at One Lincoln Street in Boston with operations worldwide. It is the second-oldest continually operating United States bank; its predecessor, Union Bank, was founded in 1792. State Street is ranked 15th on the list of largest banks in the United States by assets. It is one of the largest asset management companies in the world with US$3.9 trillion under management and US$43.3 trillion under custody and administration. It is the largest custodian bank in the world, providing securities services and it is considered a systemically important bank by the Financial Stability Board. Along with BlackRock and Vanguard, State Street is considered to be one of the Big Three index fund managers that dominate corporate America.


title: State Street Corporation

text: The company is ranked 316th on the Fortune 500 as of 2022. The company is on the list of the banks that are too big to fail published by the Financial Stability Board.


title: State Street Corporation

text: The company is named after State Street in Boston, which was known as the "Great Street to the Sea" in the 18th century as Boston became a flourishing maritime capital. The company's logo formerly included a clipper to reflect the maritime industry in Boston during this time.


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street Bank and Trust Company, also known as Global Services, is the securities services division of State Street that provides asset owners and managers with securities services (e.g. custody, corporate actions), fund accounting (pricing and valuation), and administration (financial reporting, tax, compliance, and legal) services. Global Services handles assets from many classes, including stocks, derivatives, exchange-traded funds, fixed income assets, private equity, and real estate. State Street administers 40% of the assets under administration in the US mutual fund market. Global Services also provides outsourcing for operations activities and handles US$10.2 trillion of middle-office assets.


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street Global Advisors is the investment management division of State Street that provides asset management, research, and advisory services to corporations, mutual funds, insurance companies, and other institutional investors. Global Advisors develops both passive management and active management strategies using both quantitative and fundamental approaches.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1993, the company created the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF, the first exchange-traded fund (ETF), and is now one of the largest ETF providers worldwide.


title: State Street Corporation

text: Global Markets is State Street's securities business that offers research, trading, and securities lending services for foreign exchange, stocks, fixed income, and derivatives. To avoid a conflict of interest, the company does not run proprietary trading books. Global Markets maintains trading desks in Boston, London, Sydney, Toronto, and Tokyo.


title: State Street Corporation

text: The company traces its roots to Union Bank, which received a charter in 1792 from Massachusetts Governor John Hancock. It was the third bank to be chartered in Boston and its office was at the corner of State and Exchange Streets. In 1865, Union Bank received a national charter and became the National Union Bank of Boston. The bank later built a headquarters at Washington and State streets.


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street Deposit & Trust Co opened in July 1891. The name was shortened to State Street Trust Company in 1897. It became the custodian of the first U.S. mutual fund in 1924, the Massachusetts Investors Trust (now MFS Investment Management).


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street and National Union merged in October 1925. The merged bank took the State Street name, but National Union was the nominal survivor, and it operated under National Union's charter, thus giving the current entity its rank among the oldest banks in the United States.


title: State Street Corporation

text: The company merged with Second National Bank in 1955 and with the Rockland-Atlas National Bank in 1961.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1966, the company completed construction of the State Street Bank Building, a new headquarters building, the first high-rise office tower in downtown Boston.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1973, as a 50/50 joint venture with DST Systems, the company formed Boston Financial Data Services, a provider of shareholder record-keeping, intermediary and investor services, and regulatory compliance. More than 100 top staff from IBM were hired by State Street as it set about implementing IBM mainframe computer systems.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1975, William Edgerly became president and chief executive officer of the bank and shifted the company's strategy from commercial banking to investments and securities processing.


title: State Street Corporation

text: During the 1980s and 1990s, the company opened offices in Montreal, Toronto, Dublin, London, Paris, Dubai, Sydney, Wellington, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.


title: State Street Corporation

text: By 1992, most of State Street's revenue came from fees for holding securities, settling trades, keeping records, and performing accounting. In 1994, the company formed State Street Global Advisors, a global asset management business.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1995, State Street acquired Investors Fiduciary Trust of Kansas City for $162 million from DST Systems and Kemper Financial Services. In 1996, Bank of New York acquired the unit investment trust servicing business of Investors Fiduciary Trust Co., Kansas City, Mo.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 1990, State Street Bank Luxembourg was founded, and is the largest player in the country's fund industry by assets.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2003, the company acquired the securities services division of Deutsche Bank for $1.5 billion. The company also sold its corporate trust business to U.S. Bancorp for $725 million. Also in 2003, State Street sold its private asset management business to U.S. Trust.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In October 2008, the United States Department of the Treasury invested $2 billion in the company as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and in July 2009, the company became the first major financial firm to repay the Treasury.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2010, the company acquired Mourant International Finance Administration. It also acquired the securities services group of Intesa Sanpaolo for $1.87 billion. In December 2010, the company announced that it would be retrenching 5% of its workforce and effectively reducing the hourly wages of remaining employees by 10% via increased standard work hours.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2012, the company acquired Goldman Sachs Administration Services, a hedge fund administrator, for $550 million.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2016, State Street launched a program called Beacon, focused on cutting costs and improving reporting technology. Their main focus was to shrink their US workforce in order to bolster profits in excess of $2.5 billion (2018 figures). Also in 2016, the company acquired the asset management business of General Electric.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2017, the company announced that Jay Hooley, the chief executive officer of the company, would retire.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2018, State Street completed its acquisition of Charles River Development, a Burlington, Massachusetts provider of investment management software. The deal closed October 1, 2018, at a cost of approximately $2.6 billion that will be financed by the suspension of share repurchases and the issuing of common and preferred equity. News of the acquisition led to a drop in State Street shares of nearly 10% with share prices remaining flat since the purchase.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In January 2019, State Street announced that it planned to lay off 1,500 employees, increasing the number to 2,300 in July. During that period, the company shifted their workforce from the United States to countries like China, India and Poland and operated under a hiring freeze. The increased overseas hiring resulted in a net gain of employment of over 3,000.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In September 2021, State Street agreed to buy Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.'s investor-services business for $3.5 billion in cash. Nearly a year since the announcement, the deal was pending regulatory approval. CEO O'Hanley noted that a restructuring of the business unit is expected to achieve the approval which would require negotiating a lower price with Brown Brothers. Following continued scrutiny in getting the regulatory approvals, the deal was mutually agreed to be dropped in November 2022.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2009, California alleged on behalf of its pension funds CalPERS and CalSTRS that State Street had committed fraud on currency trades handled by the custodian bank. In October 2011, two executives from State Street Global Markets left the company following charges over the pricing of a fixed income transaction. In April 2016, they were charged by the United States Department of Justice.


title: State Street Corporation

text: On February 28, 2012, State Street Global Advisors entered into a consent order with the Massachusetts Securities Division. The Division was investigating the firm's role as the investment manager of a $1.65 billion (USD) hybrid collateralized debt obligation. The investigation resulted in a fine of $5 million (USD) for the non-disclosure of certain initial investors taking a short position on portions of the CDO.


title: State Street Corporation

text: During the May 2012 annual shareholders meeting, chairman and chief executive Jay Hooley was shouted down on numerous occasions by protesters in relation to the outsourcing and other grievances.


title: State Street Corporation

text: On January 18, 2017, State Street agreed to pay $64.6 million to resolve U.S. investigations into what prosecutors said was a scheme to defraud six clients through secret commissions on billions of dollars of trades.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In 2018 former employee of State Street, Edward Pennings was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the scheme.  Employee Ross McLellan was also sentenced in the United States to 18 months in prison.


title: State Street Corporation

text: In March 2017, State Street Global Advisors commissioned a statue called "Fearless Girl" by Kristen Visbal and placed it temporarily in the Financial District, Manhattan, in front of the Wall Street icon "Charging Bull". The statue is an advertisement for an index fund which comprises gender diverse companies that have a higher percentage of women among their senior leadership. While some have seen it as an encouragement of women in business, some women criticized the statue as "corporate feminism" that violated their own feminist principles. In October 2017, the company paid $5 million to settle a lawsuit charging that it had paid certain female and black executives less than their male and European-American peers.


title: State Street Corporation

text: State Street announced in January 2020 that State Street Global Advisors will vote against directors of companies in major stock indices that do not meet targets for environmental, social and governance changes. According to Morningstar Proxy Data, State Street, "supported a majority of the climate-related disclosure requests that shareholders placed on the ballot," during the 2020 proxy season.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Song Seung-heon (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean model and actor. He has acted in various television dramas, notably "Autumn in My Heart" (2000), ""East of Eden"" (2008), ""My Princess"" (2011), "Black" (2017), "Player" (2018), "The Great Show" (2019), and "Dinner Mate" (2020). His latest on-screen appearance was in the fourth season of "Voice" (2021).


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Song Seung-heon began his career in 1995 as a model for the jeans brand "292513=STORM", and first became known to viewers in the popular sitcom "Three Guys, Three Girls" in 1996. The following year he debuted as an actor. His feature film debut came in 1999 in the film "Calla" co-starring Kim Hee-sun.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: True stardom came to Song in late 2000, with the broadcast of the hugely popular TV drama "Autumn in My Heart". The romantic melodrama series was a ratings success, pioneering a trend in Korean melodramatic series and launching a fever that is commonly referred to as the "Korean Wave" and leading to Song becoming a Hallyu star. Since then he has been actively recruited for film roles and advertisements in Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian countries.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2002, Song starred in the action comedy "Make It Big" by director Cho Ui-seok, and also in the Hong Kong film "So Close" with actresses Karen Mok, Shu Qi and Zhao Wei.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Song further solidified his status as a Hallyu (Korean Wave) star in 2003 with "Summer Scent", co-starring Son Ye-jin. The series is the third "season-themed" Yoon Seok-ho TV drama after "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata", but did not become as popular as the ones that preceded it.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2004, Song appeared in two films, but neither was a success: "Ice Rain", shot in the Canadian Rockies, failed to enthuse viewers with its mixture of mountaineering and melodrama, while "He Was Cool", based on an internet novel by Guiyeoni, was unable to compete with "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and other films from the 2004 summer season.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Meanwhile, in late 2004, just as he was getting ready to start shooting another high-profile TV drama "Sad Love Story", it was revealed that the actor had illegally avoided his compulsory military service by submitting tainted urine samples that suggested he was suffering from certain illnesses and was thus unfit for the army. Amidst the press coverage and scandal this aroused, Song agreed to immediately serve his two-year term in the military. Song was discharged on November 15, 2006, with the rank of corporal, to much fanfare and media attention. For a time he kept a low profile, trying to gauge public opinion on his return to the entertainment world.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: For his comeback, Song took on a tough image, playing aggressive and masculine roles in the 2008 drama "East of Eden", which he won the "Daesang" (Grand Prize) for at the MBC Drama Awards. He also starred in the action film "Fate", and the 2010 remake "A Better Tomorrow".


title: Song Seung-heon

text: His popularity in Japan continued, and in 2010 he starred in "Ghost" remake "" with Matsushima Nanako.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2011, Song starred in "My Princess" opposite Kim Tae-hee, his first romantic comedy. He considers the series a turning point in his career, saying, "Previously, I took on characters living a life full of ups and downs. For me, Hae-young was the first character that was so rich, bright and cheerful. I felt much lighter while acting the character."


title: Song Seung-heon

text: His 30-minute short film "Lucid Dreaming", helmed by director Chang of 2008 feature "Death Bell", was shot particularly for his fans in China and Japan and released on DVD in early 2012.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Based on the original comic by Motoka Murakami and previously dramatized in Japan, in 2012's "Dr. Jin" Song played the titular smart and cold-hearted surgeon who takes a journey back through time to the late 19th century Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). He then played a cold-hearted loan shark and gangster who morphs into a successful businessman for his love in 2013 melodrama "When a Man Falls in Love".


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2014, Song starred in Kim Dae-woo's erotic period film "Obsessed". Set in 1969 at the end of the Vietnam War, he played a high-ranking officer suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who falls into an obsessive love affair with his subordinate's wife.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2015, he starred in the Chinese romantic melodrama "The Third Way of Love", followed by family comedy "Wonderful Nightmare". Song was next cast as a fighter pilot in his second Chinese project, World War II film "Air Strike". He is also set to star in the film "Man of Will", portraying a cruel and cold-hearted prison director.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: Back on the Korean screen in 2017, Song starred opposite Lee Young-ae in period drama "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors", about the Joseon artist and calligrapher Shin Saimdang; Song played a fictional character, an aristocrat and painter who has loved the heroine since childhood. The same year, he was cast in the fantasy thriller drama "Black" alongside Go Ara, playing the role of a grim reaper. Song reunited with "Black" director Ko Jae-hyun in another OCN drama "Player" in 2018, playing the role of a con-artist.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2009 he founded his own management agency, Storm S Company (later renamed Better ENT, now majority-owned by KOSDAQ-listed Signal Entertainment Group). It currently manages actors Kim Min-jung, Chae Jung-an and Goo Jae-yi. Song also owns the Sinsa-dong branch of Italian restaurant chain Blacksmith, launched by Caffe Bene.


title: Song Seung-heon

text: In 2011, Song was named PR ambassador for cultural sharing by the Korea Foundation. His role was to promote Korean language, food and other cultural heritages overseas. In 2015, he was named as a promotional ambassador for the National Tax Service.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since "Utopia Banished" (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris, drummer Danny Herrera and lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway has remained consistent through most of the band's career. From 1989 to 2004, Napalm Death were a five-piece band after they added Jesse Pintado as the replacement of one-time guitarist Bill Steer. Following Pintado's departure, the band reverted to a four-piece.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band is credited as pioneers of the grindcore genre by incorporating elements of crust punk and death metal, using a noise-filled sound that uses distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, vocals that consist of incomprehensible growls or high-pitched shrieks, extremely short songs, and sociopolitical lyrics. The band's debut album "Scum", released in 1987 by Earache Records, proved substantially influential throughout the global metal community. According to the "Guinness World Records", their song "You Suffer" is the shortest song ever recorded, at 1.316 seconds long.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death have released sixteen studio albums, and are listed by Nielsen SoundScan as the seventh-best-selling death metal band in the United States.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death were formed in the village of Meriden near Coventry, in the United Kingdom, in May 1981 by Nic Bullen and Miles Ratledge while the duo were still in their early teenage years. The duo had been playing in amateur bands since 1980 as an extension of their fanzine writing, and went through a number of names (including "Civil Defence", "The Mess", "Evasion", "Undead Hatred" and "Sonic Noise") before choosing Napalm Death in mid 1981. The band were initially inspired by the early wave of punk bands, particularly the anarcho-punk movement (a subgenre of punk music focused on anarchist politics), and associated groups such as Crass.


title: Napalm Death

text: The first stable line-up of the group consisted of Nicholas Bullen on bass and lead vocals, Simon Oppenheimer on guitars, and Miles Ratledge on drums, and lasted from December 1981 to January 1982. Graham Robertson joined on bass in January 1982. Simon Oppenheimer left the group in August 1982 and was replaced by Darryl Fedeski who left the group in October 1982: at this point, Graham Robertson began to play guitar and Finbarr Quinn (ex-Curfew) joined on bass and backing vocals.


title: Napalm Death

text: The group played concerts throughout 1982 (playing their first concert on 25 July 1982 at Atherstone Miners Club) and 1983 (sharing billing with anarcho-punk groups such as Amebix, The Apostles and Antisect), and made four demo recordings in 1982 and 1983, one of which contributed their first released recording to the "Bullshit Detector Volume 3" compilation released by Crass Records in 1984.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band entered a period of hiatus from the end of 1983 onwards, playing only one concert in 1984 (a benefit for striking mine workers) with additional vocalist Marian Williams (ex-Relevant POS, and sister of the drummer of the group Human Cabbages from Coventry, UK). During this period, Nic Bullen met Justin Broadrick, a guitarist from Birmingham with whom he shared an interest in the music of bands such as Killing Joke, Throbbing Gristle, Crass, Amebix, Swans, and the developing power electronics scene. Bullen joined Broadrick's Final project for a period in 1983.


title: Napalm Death

text: In July 1985, Napalm Death briefly reformed in order to appear at a concert at the Mermaid in Birmingham which was also notable as the last concert by Final. The group consisted of a four-piece line-up of Miles Ratledge on drums; Bullen - performing vocals, bass and guitar; Graham Robertson on guitar and bass, and Damien Errington on guitar. After this concert, Miles Ratledge and Bullen asked Broadrick to join Napalm Death as guitarist, with Bullen as vocalist and bass player. The band began to develop a musical style which blended elements of post-punk (particularly Killing Joke and Amebix), heavy hardcore punk in the vein of Discharge, and thrash metal (with particular reference to Possessed and extreme metal group Celtic Frost).


title: Napalm Death

text: The group played their first concert as a trio on 31 August 1985 (playing two concerts on the same day: Telford with Chumbawamba and Blyth Power, and Birmingham with We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It), and began to play regularly in the Birmingham area (particularly at The Mermaid public house in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham) with a wide range of musicians including Icons of Filth, Concrete Sox, The Varukers, Indecent Assault, Decadence Within, and The Groundhogs.


title: Napalm Death

text: In September 1985, Peter Shaw (ex-Autism) joined on bass. The four-piece line-up recorded "Hatred Surge" (the band's fifth demo recording) on 23 October 1985 which the band made available at their concerts and by mail. Following the recording of the demo, Bullen and Broadrick wished to extend their exploration of a more extreme musical style which created a split in the group with Ratledge: as a result, the group splintered and Mick Harris (a local fan) was asked to join as drummer in December 1985.


title: Napalm Death

text: The trio – Bullen on vocals and bass, Broadrick on guitar and Harris on drums – made their first performance on 15 December 1985 and went on to play many concerts in 1986, predominantly in the Birmingham area, with musicians such as Amebix, Antisect, Chaos UK, Varukers, Disorder and Dirge. The group recorded a sixth demo, "From Enslavement to Obliteration", on 15 March 1986, which the group made available at their concerts and through mail, before making a seventh recording later that year, "Scum", which was provisionally intended to form part of a split LP with the English hardcore band Atavistic on Manic Ears Records. This recording later became the first side of the band's debut album "Scum" in 1987.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band then faced a number of line-up changes. Nic Bullen was becoming frustrated with the musical direction of the group, and began to lose interest as a whole: as a result, Jim Whiteley was asked to join as bass player. The band played a number of concerts as a four-piece before Justin Broadrick left the group to play drums for local band Head of David. The group attempted to find a new guitarist by asking Shane Embury (ex-Unseen Terror and a fan of the group) to join and giving a trial period to Frank Healy (ex-Annihilator, later of Cerebral Fix and Sacrilege). After Broadrick's departure, Nic Bullen's dissatisfaction with the musical direction of the group led him to leave the group in December 1986 (in order to focus on his studies in English Literature and Philosophy at university), leaving the group without any of its original members.


title: Napalm Death

text: With the departure of Broadrick and Bullen, the remaining members started looking for people who could fill in the roles. Guitarist Bill Steer played in a death metal band based in Liverpool called Carcass, and given the affinity between the two, he joined Napalm Death while still playing an active role in the former. They had also asked another friend, Coventrian (Lee Dorrian), to join as vocalist due to his good relationship with the group, even though he had never been in a band before. This line-up recorded the B side of the "Scum" LP at Rich Bitch studios in early May 1987, and the album was released through Earache Records.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band promptly lost another member just after they undertook a short tour after the release of "Scum". Jim Whiteley left the group (and subsequently joined Weston-Super-Mare based band Ripcord with whom the aforementioned tour had been shared) and Shane Embury (former drummer of Unseen Terror) moved to bass. The band then appeared on two compilation records ('North Atlantic Noise Attack' and the 'Pathological Compilation'), recorded two Peel sessions and a split 7-inch with Japanese band S.O.B. They also returned to Rich Bitch studio once more and recorded their second album: "From Enslavement to Obliteration".


title: Napalm Death

text: A follow-up release to "Enslavement..." came in the form of the six song 12-inch EP "Mentally Murdered", which was to be the last recording with the Harris/Steer/Dorrian/Embury line-up. This EP was recorded at the Slaughterhouse Studios and took on a slightly different sound, blending grindcore with death metal. Following the release, Napalm Death were featured on national television in the United Kingdom in a heavy metal special by Arena (BBC 2).


title: Napalm Death

text: The band continued to tour, but as soon as they came back home from Japan, in July 1989, Steer and Dorrian left the band: Steer decided to dedicate himself full-time to Carcass, while Dorrian formed the doom metal group Cathedral. The group recruited Jesse Pintado (ex-Terrorizer) on guitar and Mark "Barney" Greenway (ex-Benediction) as vocalist. This line-up took part in the Grindcrusher tour organised by Earache Records and featuring fellow label-mates Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Morbid Angel. The group recruited Mitch Harris (ex-Righteous Pigs) as second guitarist after the tour.


title: Napalm Death

text: In Florida, the group began work on "Harmony Corruption". "Corruption" saw stylistic changes from the band, exhibiting blast beats and slower tempos. Death metal was a greater influence on "Corruption" than previous records. Following the record's release, "Live Corruption", a live recording of the band's 30 June 1990 performance at the Salisbury Arts Centre, was released in 1992.


title: Napalm Death

text: Negative fan reactions to "Corruption" and accusations of selling out, compelled the band to reconsider its stylistic changes. The group entered Eddie Van Dale's Violent Noise Experience Club in March 1991 to record six new tracks. The songs produced by this session and released on the "Mass Appeal Madness" 12-inch LP exhibited a much more "raw" quality, again finding favour with fans. This recording, along with the "Mentally Murdered" 12-inch, the split 7-inch with S.O.B. and live tracks from "Live Corruption", were released on "Death by Manipulation".


title: Napalm Death

text: Drummer Mick Harris - the only remaining member of the "Scum" lineup - eventually left Napalm Death due to conflicts with the rest of the group over changes in its stylistic direction. Danny Herrera, a close friend of Jesse Pintado, was brought in as the new drummer. Herrera's drumming style has been noted for its uniqueness; being described as "Euroblast", a variant of blast beat in which simultaneous eighth notes are played on the ride cymbal and kick drum, with alternate eighth notes added on the snare drum. The addition of Herrera would be the last major line-up change of the band, save for Jesse Pintado's future absence, which has yet to be filled (and vocalist Phil Vane never recorded with the band).


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death released the album "Utopia Banished" in 1992, produced by Colin Richardson. This release was a kind of "return to the roots" - grindcore. After recording "The World Keeps Turning" EP, the band toured Europe with Dismember and Obituary on the "Campaign for Musical Destruction" tour. They then toured the US with Sepultura, Sacred Reich and Sick of It All. The proceeds of Napalm Death's 1993 EP "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" were donated to anti-fascist organisations.


title: Napalm Death

text: Their EP, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off", was inspired by Napalm Death touring South Africa during 1993, which was particularly controversial given that the band faced a lot of opposition from many white supremacists following the end of Apartheid.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band remixed the track "Mind of a Razor" by London-based hip hop crew Gunshot. The remixed version of the track appeared on the EP of the same name in 1992.


title: Napalm Death

text: Thereafter, they went to the studio and recorded "Fear, Emptiness, Despair", which was released on 31 May 1994. The album represented a stylistic transition for Napalm Death. "Fear, Emptiness, Despair" maintained the complex music structures of their previous albums "Utopia Banished" and "Harmony Corruption", but there was a greater emphasis placed on incorporating elements of groove into the band's style, resulting in a wider use of mid-paced music. Bassist Shane Embury recounts that Helmet and their album "Strap It On" influenced the band's style at the time, as they did many other heavy metal bands during the 1990s. Live concerts with Entombed, Obituary and Machine Head followed the album's release.


title: Napalm Death

text: Their EP "Greed Killing" was released through Earache in December 1995, followed by the album "Diatribes" in January 1996. There was greater animosity between the band during this time, with a rift between Greenway and the remainder of the band, especially over the band's stylistic transition and the interference of background presences in the band, exemplifying the former when he stated that the band were "letting go of what made the band special". Greenway was hence expelled from the band later in 1996, and went to record with fellow grindcore act Extreme Noise Terror (ENT) on their release "Damage 381". Greenway has stated that following his expulsion he was "devastated" and did not want to commit to ENT in fear of a repetition of the events that took place within Napalm Death.


title: Napalm Death

text: ENT's vocalist Phil Vane replaced Greenway in Napalm Death. Alas, Shane Embury stated that Vane "couldn't pull off what was required. It was a hard day when I had to pull Phil aside and tell him it just wasn't working. We had been too much into doing our own thing to acknowledge all of the parts that made the Napalm machine tick. I quickly made the call and asked Barney if he would rejoin—time away certainly gave all of us the chance for reflection, regrets and hopes for the future. He was surprised by the material, as it was heavy and some of the songs were fast—I don't know what he really expected us to do!". Following Vane's departure, Greenway returned and the band released the album "Inside the Torn Apart" on 3 June 1997. An EP and music video were released for the album's track "Breed to Breathe" on 17 November 1997.


title: Napalm Death

text: The album "Words from the Exit Wound" followed this, being released on 26 October 1998. The album was their last to be produced by Colin Richardson, who Embury believes hindered the album's creation, ultimately affecting the album's success. Embury has stated that bands such as Nasum influenced the album, and in Embury's view, this album represented a turning point in the band's sound, stating "it was also a turning point in us moving towards rediscovering our roots." Embury also mentioned that following the album's release, the band found it hard to tour due to restricted budgets from their record label, but Cradle of Filth and Nick Barker were able to alleviate this problem.


title: Napalm Death

text: In 1999 the band made an appearance on Chris Evans' TFI Friday, playing three songs on a set lasting 59 seconds.


title: Napalm Death

text: The band acrimoniously departed from Earache Records following "Words from the Exit Wound" and later released "Enemy of the Music Business" on the record label, Dream Catcher, on 25 September 2000; which showed the band's anger with the music industry and especially with Earache, whilst also incorporating a greater grindcore influence than on their previous few albums. The album was produced jointly by Simon Efemey and Russ Russell, the latter of whom has since been a long-time collaborator with Napalm Death.


title: Napalm Death

text: "Order of the Leech" continued with the previous album's style, being released on 21 October 2002, also being produced jointly by Efemey and Russell. In 2003, Embury and Hererra formed the side-project Venomous Concept with Kevin Sharp and Buzz Osborne, and that group has since released four albums. In 2004, Napalm Death recorded a covers album called "", the sequel to their earlier covers EP. It contains covers of old hardcore punk and heavy metal bands, including Cryptic Slaughter, Massacre, Kreator, Sepultura, Siege and Discharge. Due to personal problems, Jesse Pintado did not play on either "Order of the Leech" or "Leaders Not Followers: Part 2", and left the band in early 2004. Nevertheless, Pintado stated that he left because he grew tired of Napalm Death and wanted to start something new. The two guitars that you hear is Mitch double-tracking.


title: Napalm Death

text: In April 2005, their next album "The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code" was released. It features guest appearances from Jeffrey Walker (Carcass), Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed vocalist) and Jello Biafra (formerly of Dead Kennedys, and Lard among many other bands). The album continued the band's progressive approach to their brutal brand of extreme metal, with their trademark grindcore sound retained. Also in 2005, Embury and Herrera joined the extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh for one tour.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death finished recording their follow-up album titled "Smear Campaign" in June 2006, and it was released on 15 September 2006 to strong reviews from fans and critics alike. The main lyrical focus is criticism of the United States Government and other governments who are strongly religious. The album features a guest appearance by Anneke van Giersbergen, vocalist for the Dutch rock band The Gathering. There is a limited edition digipak version of "Smear Campaign", which has two new songs, "Call That an Option?" and "Atheist Runt". They played a series of headline shows in support of the release including the Koko in Camden with Gutworm.


title: Napalm Death

text: In early 2006 Napalm Death headlined a tour with Kreator, A Perfect Murder, and Undying. On 27 August 2006, Jesse Pintado died in a hospital in the Netherlands due to liver failure, prompting Mitch Harris to express his sadness at the loss of someone he thought of as "a brother" on the band's official website. After the Smear Campaign tour, the band did a 2007 "World Domination Tour". Bassist Shane Embury is currently working on a project with Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh, their work together will be released on FETO Records at the end of 2007. In November 2008, Napalm Death's fourteenth studio album, entitled "Time Waits for No Slave", leaked onto the internet; it was officially released on 23 January 2009. Similar to "Smear Campaign", "Time Waits For No Slave" also had a digipak version containing two extra songs ("Suppressed Hunger" and "Omnipresent Knife in Your Back").


title: Napalm Death

text: In February 2011, Napalm Death appeared in an episode of E4's "Skins". Napalm Death entered Parlour Studio in Kettering, with producer Russ Russell to begin working on a new album. Also in 2011, they recorded the single "Legacy Was Yesterday". Napalm Death released their fifteenth studio album, "Utilitarian", on 27 February 2012 in Europe and 28 February in North America via Century Media. In March 2012, Napalm Death headlined the Metal Mayhem IV festival organized by "Defenders of Metal" in Nepal. This was the first time Napalm Death played in Nepal.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death were scheduled to play a special one-off show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, on 22 March 2013. The show was eventually cancelled at the Victoria and Albert Museum, due to concerns that the noise levels could damage parts of the museum. The show was relocated to the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, and was performed on 29 November 2013. The performance was a collaboration with ceramicist and Victoria and Albert Artist in Residence Keith Harrison. The show featured 10 large-scale wooden speakers filled with liquid clay that were left to solidify. When the band began to play, the clay inside the speakers was expected to vibrate, causing the speakers to crack and eventually explode. The actual performance was considered anticlimactic, as the speakers withstood the sonic vibration.


title: Napalm Death

text: In April 2014, the band released a cover of the Cardiacs' song "To Go Off and Things" via Bandcamp. All proceeds from the single went towards Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith's recovery from a simultaneous heart attack/stroke he suffered in 2008. The band announced on 5 November 2014, via Facebook that due to an illness in the family, Mitch Harris would be taking a hiatus from the band, to be replaced by various guitarists on their tour. Napalm Death's fifteenth studio album, "Apex Predator – Easy Meat", was released on 26 January 2015. On 4 July, a Nepal Charity Event track from the Apex Predator sessions called "Earth Wire" was released on their page.


title: Napalm Death

text: In August 2017, it was announced that Napalm Death entered the studio to begin recording their sixteenth studio album for an early 2018 release. In September, frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway spoke to Australia's "Sticks for Stones" condemning the announcement and stated that no material was being worked on at the moment but was in the "preliminary stages". He then said that it would not be released until later next year. In an interview at Download Festival in June 2018, Greenway confirmed that guitarist Mitch Harris would appear on the new album, which was not expected to be released until 2019, but did not know if he would tour with them again. Bassist Shane Embury confirmed in a March 2019 interview with Extreme Metal Festival News that Harris "did come over and record guitars on the new record" and Greenway has "nearly recorded all his vocal parts." He added, however, that the album will not be released before early 2020.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death (along with Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Testament) opened for Slayer on their final North American tour in the summer of 2018. In October 2019, Shane Embury announced that he would be unable to join the band during their North American Tour. Vernon Blake was announced as substitute live bassist.


title: Napalm Death

text: An EP titled "Logic Ravaged by Brute Force" was released on 7 February 2020. The band released their sixteenth studio album, "Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism", in September 2020.


title: Napalm Death

text: Napalm Death congratulated the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, a fan of the band, on their Facebook fan page; however, after the Bali Nine and the Lindsay Sandiford case, he came under fire from the band, as well as many others within the metal scene, after their appeals for clemency were ignored.


title: Napalm Death

text: In the E4 teen comedy-drama Skins, the seasons 5-6 character Rich Hardbeck (Alex Arnold) is a metalhead whose self-proclaimed favourite band is Napalm Death. In the show's fifth season finale, a special appearance from Napalm Death's Mark "Barney" Greenway featured a scene in which he and Rich have a heart-to-heart. Regarding the band's appearance, Barney stated, "One thing that bothers me about TV is the way that teenagers are portrayed. It's down to the f--king Daily Mail's war on teenagers. They stigmatize young kids and it's bulls--t. The thing I like about 'Skins' is it gives a genuine perspective on growing up. That's why we agreed to do this show."


title: Hawkwind

text: Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock. They are also regarded as an influential proto-punk band. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes.


title: Hawkwind

text: Many musicians, dancers and writers have worked with the band since their inception. Notable musicians who have performed in Hawkwind include Lemmy, Ginger Baker, Robert Calvert, Nik Turner and Huw Lloyd-Langton. However, the band are most closely associated with their founder, singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Brock, who is the only remaining original member.


title: Hawkwind

text: Hawkwind are best known for the song "Silver Machine", which became a number-three UK hit single in 1972, but they scored further hit singles with "Urban Guerrilla" (another Top 40 hit) and "Shot Down in the Night". The band had a run of twenty-two of their albums charting in the UK from 1971 to 1993.


title: Hawkwind

text: Dave Brock and Mick Slattery had been in the London-based psychedelic band Famous Cure, and a meeting with bassist John Harrison revealed a mutual interest in electronic music which led the trio to embark upon a new musical venture together. Seventeen-year-old drummer Terry Ollis replied to an advert in a music weekly, while Nik Turner and Michael "Dik Mik" Davies, old acquaintances of Brock, offered help with transport and gear, but were soon pulled into the band.


title: Hawkwind

text: Gatecrashing a local talent night at the All Saints Hall, Notting Hill, they were so disorganised as to not even have a name, opting for "Group X" at the last minute, nor any songs, choosing to play an extended 20-minute jam on the Byrds' "Eight Miles High". BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel was in the audience and was impressed enough to tell event organiser, Douglas Smith, to keep an eye on them. Smith signed them up and got them a deal with Liberty Records on the back of a deal he was setting up for Cochise.


title: Hawkwind

text: An Abbey Road session took place recording demos of "Hurry on Sundown" and others (included on the remasters version of "Hawkwind"), after which Slattery left to be replaced by Huw Lloyd-Langton, who had known Brock from his days working in a music shop selling guitar strings to Brock, then a busker.


title: Hawkwind

text: Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor was brought in to produce the 1970 debut album "Hawkwind". Although it was not a commercial success, it did bring them to the attention of the UK underground scene, which found them playing free concerts, benefit gigs, and festivals. Playing free outside the Bath Festival, they encountered another Ladbroke Grove based band, the Pink Fairies, who shared similar interests in music and recreational activities; a friendship developed which led to the two bands becoming running partners and performing as "Pinkwind". Their use of drugs, however, led to the departure of Harrison, who did not partake, to be replaced briefly by Thomas Crimble (about July 1970–March 1971). Crimble played on a few BBC sessions before leaving to help organise the Glastonbury Free Festival 1971; he sat in during the band's performance there. Lloyd-Langton also quit, after a bad LSD trip at the Isle of Wight Festival led to a nervous breakdown.


title: Hawkwind

text: Their follow-up album, 1971's "In Search of Space", brought greater commercial success, reaching number 18 on the UK album charts. This album offered a refinement of the band's image and philosophy courtesy of graphic artist Barney Bubbles and underground press writer Robert Calvert, as depicted in the accompanying "Hawklog" booklet, which would be further developed into the "Space Ritual" stage show. Science fiction author Michael Moorcock and dancer Stacia also started contributing to the band. Dik Mik had left the band, replaced by sound engineer Del Dettmar, but chose to return for this album giving the band two electronics players. Bass player Dave Anderson, who had been in the German band Amon Düül II, had also joined and played on the album but departed before its release because of personal tensions with some other members of the band. Anderson and Lloyd-Langton then formed the short-lived band Amon Din. Meanwhile, Ollis quit, unhappy with the commercial direction the band were heading in.


title: Hawkwind

text: The addition of bassist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and drummer Simon King propelled the band to greater heights. One of the early gigs the band played was a benefit for the Greasy Truckers at The Roundhouse on 13 February 1972. A live album of the concert, "Greasy Truckers Party", was released, and after re-recording the vocal, a single, "Silver Machine", was also released, reaching number three in the UK charts. This generated sufficient funds for the subsequent album "Doremi Fasol Latido" Space Ritual tour. The show featured dancers Stacia and Miss Renee typically performing either topless or wearing only body paint, mime artist Tony Carrera and a light show by Liquid Len and was recorded on the elaborate package "Space Ritual". At the height of their success, in 1973, the band released the single "Urban Guerrilla", which coincided with an IRA bombing campaign in London, so the BBC refused to play it and the band's management reluctantly decided to withdraw it fearing accusations of opportunism, despite the disc having already climbed to number 39 in the UK chart.


title: Hawkwind

text: Dik Mik departed during 1973 and Calvert ended his association with the band to concentrate on solo projects. Dettmar also indicated that he was to leave the band, so Simon House was recruited as keyboardist and violinist playing live shows, a North America tour and recording the 1974 album "Hall of the Mountain Grill". Dettmar left after a European tour and emigrated to Canada, whilst Alan Powell deputised for an incapacitated King on that European tour, but remained giving the band two drummers.


title: Hawkwind

text: At the beginning of 1975, the band recorded the album "Warrior on the Edge of Time" in collaboration with Michael Moorcock, loosely based on his Eternal Champion figure. However, during a North American tour in May, Lemmy was caught in possession of amphetamine crossing the border from the US into Canada. The border police mistook the powder for cocaine and he was jailed, forcing the band to cancel some shows. Fed up with his erratic behaviour, the band dismissed the bass player replacing him with their long-standing friend and former Pink Fairies guitarist Paul Rudolph. Lemmy then teamed up with another Pink Fairies guitarist, Larry Wallis, to form Motörhead, named after the last song he had written for Hawkwind.


title: Hawkwind

text: Calvert made a guest appearance with the band for their headline set at the Reading Festival in August 1975, after which he chose to rejoin the band as a full-time lead vocalist. Stacia chose to relinquish her dancing duties and settle down to family life. The band changed record company to Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma Records and, on Stratton-Smith's suggestion, band management from Douglas Smith to Tony Howard.


title: Hawkwind

text: "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music" is the first album of this era. On the eve of recording the follow-up "Back on the Streets" single, Turner was dismissed for his erratic live playing and Powell was deemed surplus to requirements. After a tour to promote the single and during the recording of the next album, Rudolph was also dismissed, for allegedly trying to steer the band into a musical direction at odds with Calvert and Brock's vision.


title: Hawkwind

text: Adrian "Ade" Shaw, who, as bass player for Magic Muscle, had supported Hawkwind on the "Space Ritual" tour, came in for the 1977 album "Quark, Strangeness and Charm". The band continued to enjoy moderate commercial success, but Calvert's mental illness often caused problems. A manic phase saw the band abandon a European tour in France, while a depression phase during a 1978 North American tour convinced Brock to disband the group. In between these two tours, the band had recorded the album "PXR5" in January 1978, but its release was delayed until 1979.


title: Hawkwind

text: On 23 December 1977 in Barnstaple, Brock and Calvert had performed a one-off gig with Devon band Ark as the Sonic Assassins, and looking for a new project in 1978, bassist Harvey Bainbridge and drummer Martin Griffin were recruited from this event. Steve Swindells was recruited as keyboard player. The band was named Hawklords, (probably for legal reasons, the band having recently split from their management), and recording took place on a farm in Devon using a mobile studio, resulting in the album "25 Years On". King had originally been the drummer for the project but quit during recording sessions to return to London, while House, who had temporarily left the band to join a David Bowie tour, elected to remain with Bowie full-time, but nevertheless contributed violin to these sessions. At the end of the band's UK tour, Calvert, wanting King back in the band, dismissed Griffin, then promptly resigned himself, choosing to pursue a career in literature. Swindells left to record a solo album after an offer had been made to him by the record company ATCO.


title: Hawkwind

text: In late 1979, Hawkwind reformed with Brock, Bainbridge and King being joined by Huw Lloyd-Langton (who had played on the debut album) and Tim Blake (formerly of Gong), debuting at the first Futurama (The World's First Science Fiction Music Festival) on 9 September in Leeds, and then embarking upon a UK tour despite not having a record deal or any product to promote. Some shows were recorded and a deal was made with Bronze Records, resulting in the "Live Seventy Nine" album, quickly followed by the studio album "Levitation". However, during the recording of "Levitation" King quit and Ginger Baker was drafted in for the sessions, but he chose to stay with the band for the tour, during which Blake left to be replaced by Keith Hale.


title: Hawkwind

text: In 1981 Baker and Hale left after their insistence that Bainbridge should be dismissed was ignored, and Brock and Bainbridge elected to handle synthesisers and sequencers themselves, with drummer Griffin from the Hawklords rejoining. Three albums, which again saw Moorcock contributing lyrics and vocals, were recorded for RCA/Active: "Sonic Attack", the electronic "Church of Hawkwind" and "Choose Your Masques". This band headlined the 1981 Glastonbury Festival and made an appearance at the 1982 Donington Monsters of Rock Festival, as well as continuing to play the summer solstice at Stonehenge Free Festival.


title: Hawkwind

text: In the early 1980s, Brock had started using drum machines for his home demos and became increasingly frustrated at the inability of drummers to keep perfect time, leading to a succession of drummers coming and going. First, Griffin was ousted and the band tried King again, but, unhappy with his playing at that time, he was rejected. Andy Anderson briefly joined while he was also playing for The Cure, and Robert Heaton also filled the spot briefly prior to the rise of New Model Army. Lloyd Langton Group drummer John Clark did some recording sessions, and in late 1983 Rick Martinez joined the band to play drums on the "Earth Ritual" tour in February and March 1984, later replaced by Clive Deamer.


title: Hawkwind

text: Turner had returned as a guest for the 1982 "Choose Your Masques" tour and was invited back permanently. Further tours ensued with Phil "Dead Fred" Reeves augmenting the line-up on keyboards and violin, but neither Turner nor Reeves would appear on the only recording of 1983–84, "The Earth Ritual Preview", however there was a guest spot for Lemmy. The "Earth Ritual" tour was filmed for Hawkwind's first video release, "Night of the Hawk".


title: Hawkwind

text: Alan Davey was a young fan of the band who had sent a tape of his playing to Brock, and Brock chose to oust Reeves moving Bainbridge from bass to keyboards to accommodate Davey. This experimental line-up played at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1984, which was filmed and release as "Stonehenge 84". Subsequent personal and professional tensions between Brock and Turner led to the latter's expulsion at the beginning of 1985. Clive Deamer, who was deemed "too professional" for the band, was eventually replaced in 1985 by Danny Thompson Jr (son of folk-rock bassist Danny Thompson), a friend of Alan Davey, and remained almost to the end of the decade.


title: Hawkwind

text: Hawkwind's association with Moorcock climaxed in their most ambitious project, "The Chronicle of the Black Sword", based loosely around the Elric series of books and theatrically staged with Tony Crerar as the central character. Moorcock contributed lyrics, but only performed some spoken pieces on some live dates. The tour was recorded and issued as an album "Live Chronicles" and video "The Chronicle of the Black Sword". The band also performed at the Worldcon (World Science Fiction Convention) in Brighton.


title: Hawkwind

text: In August 1985, The band performed at Crystal Palace Bowl, with several other rock bands, for a benefit concert for Pete Townshend's Double-O anti-heroin charity. Lemmy and Stacia were reunited with the band for this event. Vera Lynn closed the show.


title: Hawkwind

text: A headline appearance at the 1986 Reading Festival was followed by a UK tour to promote the "Live Chronicles" album which was filmed and released as "Chaos". In 1988 the band recorded the album "The Xenon Codex" with Guy Bidmead, but all was not well in the band and soon after, both Lloyd-Langton and Thompson departed.


title: Hawkwind

text: Drummer Richard Chadwick, who joined in the summer of 1988, had been playing in small alternative free festival bands, most notably Bath's Smart Pils, for a decade and had frequently crossed paths with Hawkwind and Brock. He was initially invited simply to play with the band, but eventually replaced stand in drummer Mick Kirton to become the band's drummer to the present day.


title: Hawkwind

text: To fill in the gap of lead sound, lost when Lloyd-Langton left, violinist House was re-instated into the line-up in 1989 (having previously been a member from 1974 until 1978), and, notably, Hawkwind embarked on their first North American visit in eleven years (since the somewhat disastrous 1978 tour), in which House did not partake. The successfully received tour was the first of several over the coming years, in an effort by the band to re-introduce themselves to the American market.


title: Hawkwind

text: Bridget Wishart, an associate of Chadwick's from the festival circuit, also joined to become the band's one and only singing front-woman, the band had been fronted in earlier days by Stacia but only as a dancer. This band produced two albums, 1990's "Space Bandits" and 1991's "Palace Springs" and also filmed a one-hour appearance for the "Bedrock TV" series with dancer Julie Murray-Anderson, who performed with Hawkwind between 1988 and 1991.


title: Hawkwind

text: 1990 saw Hawkwind tour North America again, the second instalment in a series of American visits made at around this time in an effort to re-establish the Hawkwind brand in America. The original business plan was to hold three consecutive US tours, annually, from 1989 to 1991, with the first losing money, the second breaking even, and the third turning a profit, ultimately bringing Hawkwind back into recognition across the Atlantic. Progress, however, was somewhat stunted, due to ex-member Nik Turner touring the United States with his own band at the time, in which the shows were often marketed as Hawkwind.


title: Hawkwind

text: Still supporting Space Bandits, 1991 commenced with perhaps the most surprising Hawkwind tour in the band's history, without Dave Brock. Brock's temporary replacement was former Smart Pils guitarist Steve Bemand (who had played with Chadwick and Wishart in the Demented Stoats). The tour began in Amsterdam on 12 March and took in Germany, Greece, Italy and France before wrapping up in Belgium on 10 April after 24 dates.


title: Hawkwind

text: In 1991 Bainbridge, House and Wishart departed and the band continued as a three piece relying heavily on synthesisers and sequencers to create a wall-of-sound. The 1992 album "Electric Tepee" combined hard rock and light ambient pieces, while "It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous" is almost devoid of the rock leanings. "The Business Trip" is a record of the previous album's tour, but rockier as would be expected from a live outing. The "White Zone" album was released under the alias Psychedelic Warriors to distance itself entirely from the rock expectancy of Hawkwind.


title: Hawkwind

text: A general criticism of techno music at that time was its facelessness and lack of personality, which the band were coming to feel also plagued them. Ron Tree had known the band on the festival circuit and offered his services as a front-man, and the band duly employed him for the album "Alien 4" and its accompanying tour which resulted in the album "Love in Space" and "video".


title: Hawkwind

text: In 1996, unhappy with the musical direction of the band, bassist Davey left, forming his own Middle-Eastern flavoured hard-rock group Bedouin and a Motörhead tribute act named Ace of Spades. His bass playing role was reluctantly picked up by singer Tree and the band were joined full-time by lead guitarist Jerry Richards (another stalwart of the festival scene, playing for Tubilah Dog who had merged with Brock's Agents of Chaos during 1988) for the albums "Distant Horizons" and "In Your Area". Rasta chanter Captain Rizz also joined the band for guest spots during live shows.


title: Hawkwind

text: Hawkestra—a re-union event featuring appearances from past and present members—had originally been intended to coincide with the band's 30th anniversary and the release of the career spanning "Epocheclipse – 30 Year Anthology" set, but logistical problems delayed it until 21 October 2000. It took place at the Brixton Academy with about 20 members taking part in a more than 3-hour set, which was filmed and recorded. Guests included Samantha Fox who sang "Master of the Universe". However, arguments and disputes over financial recompense and musical input resulted in the prospect of the event being re-staged unlikely, and any album or DVD release being indefinitely shelved.


title: Hawkwind

text: The Hawkestra had set a template for Brock to assemble a core band of Tree, Brock, Richards, Davey, Chadwick and for the use of former members as guests on live shows and studio recordings. The 2000 Christmas Astoria show was recorded with contributions from House, Blake, Rizz, Moorcock, Jez Huggett and Keith Kniveton and released as "Yule Ritual" the following year. In 2001, Davey agreed to rejoin the band permanently, but only after the departure of Tree and Richards.


title: Hawkwind

text: Meanwhile, having rekindled relationships with old friends at the Hawkestra, Turner organised further Hawkestra gigs resulting in the formation of xhawkwind.com, a band consisting mainly of ex-Hawkwind members and playing old Hawkwind songs. An appearance at Guilfest in 2002 led to confusion as to whether this actually was Hawkwind, sufficiently irking Brock into taking legal action to prohibit Turner from trading under the name Hawkwind. Turner lost the case and the band began performing as Space Ritual.


title: Hawkwind

text: An appearance at the Canterbury Sound Festival in August 2001, resulting in another live album "Canterbury Fayre 2001", saw guest appearances from Lloyd-Langton, House, Kniveton with Arthur Brown on "Silver Machine". The band organised the first of their own weekend festivals, named Hawkfest, in Devon in the summer of 2002. Brown joined the band in 2002 for a Winter tour which featured some Kingdom Come songs and saw appearances from Blake and Lloyd-Langton, the Newcastle show being released on DVD as "Out of the Shadows" and the London show on CD as "Spaced Out in London".