Spear of Destiny - Grapes of Wrath (Live at The Haçienda in Manchester, UK, 1983)

Spear of Destiny- Live at the Hacienda
13 Grapes of Wrath

This was the 'crossover period' between Theatre Of Hate, its Post-Punk left-field music and what was to become the Spear Of Destiny, with its distinctive 'sound'. The band Spear of Destiny on this film was playing prototype arrangements of songs that later would evolve into a much fuller sound, taking in keyboards & brass arrangements. The music played was mostly from the Album 'Grapes of Wrath', which as an Album was either praised for its bravery & direction, or misunderstood at best by critics hoping for simply another version of Theatre of Hate.
We walked out on a stage at The Hacienda, Manchester on the 15/9/1983 (date correct ?) where it would have been a much easier proposition to have resurrected Theatre of Hate & gave the audience what they would have wanted & expected. That's not what happened.
Instead, there wasn't a 2 guitar set-up, simply myself doing the guitar work throughout, there was an amazing amount of space between each instruments playing. Also, the total speed rush of Theatre of Hate was no longer there, at times it would appear almost laid back, the interplay between the instruments more important than the race to the last post!
Different influences were occurring in the songs, the 'Northern Soul' feel to 'Murder of Love', the almost straight blues to the 'Preacher', for the first time an extended guitar solo on 'Grapes of Wrath', there had been a lot going on in-between T.O.H. and this the first prototype Spear.
I think it stopped people dead in their tracks and would take a little thinking about to say the least. It was me through the band exercising an ability to change, there was no real promotion to what it had changed to prior to the Tour, we simply did it and be damned to the consequences, part bravery, part crazy!! At the time in music there was still a window where you could do such things, I took it.
This show at the infamous Hacienda (British Pharmaceuticals) was part of the first Spear of Destiny Tour, and was a showcase to what I had always known was to be a pretty packed house full of hardcore Theatre of Hate fans. There were more than a few stunned faces in the audience that night. Today the site of the Hacienda is luxury flats for nice people with nice cars living a coffee table magazine lifestyle, as opposed to the drug/music Mecca it was in its 'bigtime'!
As many people remember it, it was a way of living for a whole scene/Mancs/Factory/Joy Division/New Order/Happy Mondays. Both Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny took part in it when in town and loitering with intent, and this film captures Spear as it took shape live on stage, heading in a what was to be a very different direction.
Listen without prejudice, just a moment in time.....

Kirk Brandon 2004

www.cherryred.co.uk