Birmingham 6 (band)
Encyclopedia
Birmingham 6 is a Danish
electro-industrial
/EBM
group founded in 1991 and named after the Birmingham Six
, a group of Irish
men mistakenly imprisoned for the Birmingham pub bombings
. Members include Kim Løhde Petersen and Michael Hillerup.
They took on the name as they focused on injustices worldwide, but particularly in western democratic society. Their lyrics have often been controversial and some radio stations have banned airplay of their songs, while other groups refused to be associated with them. They released their first album, Mindhallucination in 1994 and Assassinate in 1995, followed by Error of Judgement in 1996 and finally Resurrection in 1999.
7 tracks on the album Error of Judgement were sung by Jean-Luc de Meyer
, better known as a member of Front 242
.
Birmingham 6 also released as a single a cover of "Godlike" by KMFDM
.
In 1997, they embarked on a 5-week coast to coast U.S. Tour together with Seattle act RORSCHACH TEST. Due to poor tour organisation, vocalist and original member Kim Løhde Petersen left the band after only four shows. At the time, they were noted as being "among industrial music's most compelling bands."
Unable to perform the remaining shows on the tour without Kim, the band broke up the tour, and returned to Denmark in a state of bankruptcy.
As a tribute to the Danish Club Metropolis, Kim Løhde Petersen and Michael Hillerup reunited for one night to play live at the club's 10th-year anniversary party on March 7 2003. The concert also featured Diary of Dreams
.
In October 2008 Birmingham 6 performed at 12. Electrisch Festival in Zwickau, Germany. As a result of the festival the German label Black Rain released the live compilation 12. Electrisch Festival on 17.th of December 2008. This festival also featured Absolute Body Control and Tyske ludder. The Birmingham 6 tracks featured on the live compilation are You cannot walk here and Godlike by KMFDM
.
In March 2009 Birmingham 6 performed in Copenhagen at the "10 years of Black Rain" show (cellebrating the 10 year anniversary of the German label Black Rain) featuring Hicoctan (DE) and Feindflug (DE).
Birmingham 6 has written several songs questioning governmental systems and their unwillingness to admit their own fallibility. Israel talks about the issues between the Palestinians and the Jews. Contagious discusses AIDS
and Who Do You Love? points out the difficulty in telling good from evil. The song 6794700 describes some hypocritical church views on abortion. Love Child describes how the tourism agency in Thailand
helps western travel agencies fulfill certain men's desire for an underage prostitute.
The song Policestate talks about the riot
s in Copenhagen
in 1993 during the re-voting for the European Union
in which police shot into the angry mob, injuring several protesters.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
electro-industrial
Electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
/EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
group founded in 1991 and named after the Birmingham Six
Birmingham Six
The Birmingham Six were six men—Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker—sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in the United Kingdom for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of...
, a group of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
men mistakenly imprisoned for the Birmingham pub bombings
Birmingham pub bombings
The Birmingham pub bombings occurred on 21 November 1974 in Birmingham, England. The explosions killed 21 people and injured 182. The devices were placed in two central Birmingham pubs – the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town . Although warnings were sent, the pubs were not evacuated in time...
. Members include Kim Løhde Petersen and Michael Hillerup.
They took on the name as they focused on injustices worldwide, but particularly in western democratic society. Their lyrics have often been controversial and some radio stations have banned airplay of their songs, while other groups refused to be associated with them. They released their first album, Mindhallucination in 1994 and Assassinate in 1995, followed by Error of Judgement in 1996 and finally Resurrection in 1999.
7 tracks on the album Error of Judgement were sung by Jean-Luc de Meyer
Jean-Luc De Meyer
Jean-Luc De Meyer is a vocalist and lyricist who is best known as the lead vocalist of the Belgian EBM group Front 242.He started singing in the experimental group "Under Viewer" with Patrick Codenys...
, better known as a member of Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
.
Birmingham 6 also released as a single a cover of "Godlike" by KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
.
In 1997, they embarked on a 5-week coast to coast U.S. Tour together with Seattle act RORSCHACH TEST. Due to poor tour organisation, vocalist and original member Kim Løhde Petersen left the band after only four shows. At the time, they were noted as being "among industrial music's most compelling bands."
Unable to perform the remaining shows on the tour without Kim, the band broke up the tour, and returned to Denmark in a state of bankruptcy.
As a tribute to the Danish Club Metropolis, Kim Løhde Petersen and Michael Hillerup reunited for one night to play live at the club's 10th-year anniversary party on March 7 2003. The concert also featured Diary of Dreams
Diary of Dreams
Diary of Dreams is a German Darkwave band. The lead singer and founding member Adrian Hates has produced most of the albums by himself or with minimal help from others. He rarely uses a full band, except when he is on tour.- History :...
.
In October 2008 Birmingham 6 performed at 12. Electrisch Festival in Zwickau, Germany. As a result of the festival the German label Black Rain released the live compilation 12. Electrisch Festival on 17.th of December 2008. This festival also featured Absolute Body Control and Tyske ludder. The Birmingham 6 tracks featured on the live compilation are You cannot walk here and Godlike by KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
.
In March 2009 Birmingham 6 performed in Copenhagen at the "10 years of Black Rain" show (cellebrating the 10 year anniversary of the German label Black Rain) featuring Hicoctan (DE) and Feindflug (DE).
Birmingham 6 has written several songs questioning governmental systems and their unwillingness to admit their own fallibility. Israel talks about the issues between the Palestinians and the Jews. Contagious discusses AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and Who Do You Love? points out the difficulty in telling good from evil. The song 6794700 describes some hypocritical church views on abortion. Love Child describes how the tourism agency in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
helps western travel agencies fulfill certain men's desire for an underage prostitute.
The song Policestate talks about the riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
s in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1993 during the re-voting for the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in which police shot into the angry mob, injuring several protesters.
Albums
- Mindhallucination (Transfixion Records)
- Assassinate (Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - Error of Judgement (Zoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog Records is the name of the influential German Industrial music record label which was owned by the parent label Music Research. The company was established by German music producer Andreas Tomalla and later handed over to producer Torben Schmidt...
, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - Resurrection (COP International)
- 12. Electrisch Festival
- Also provided a notable cover version of AC/DC's Thunderstruck for the 1997 tribute album Covered In Black, by Cleopatra records.
- Also provided a notable cover of Metallica's Seek and Destroy for a tribute album "Tribute to... METALLICA"
EPs and Singles
- Israel (Transfixion Records)
- Contagious (Transfixion Records)
- Policestate (Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - To Protect and To Serve (Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - The Kill (Error of Judgement 12" Promo) (Zoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog Records is the name of the influential German Industrial music record label which was owned by the parent label Music Research. The company was established by German music producer Andreas Tomalla and later handed over to producer Torben Schmidt...
) - You Cannot Walk Here (Zoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog Records is the name of the influential German Industrial music record label which was owned by the parent label Music Research. The company was established by German music producer Andreas Tomalla and later handed over to producer Torben Schmidt...
, Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
) - Mixed Judgements (Zoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog RecordsZoth Ommog Records is the name of the influential German Industrial music record label which was owned by the parent label Music Research. The company was established by German music producer Andreas Tomalla and later handed over to producer Torben Schmidt...
)