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92-493: The performance art group COUM Transmissions , a precursor of the band Throbbing Gristle , were granted a small Experimental Arts Grant by the YAA. This article related to the politics of England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an organisation in England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This art -related article

184-517: A brief correspondence, here P-Orridge met American novelist and poet William S. Burroughs (1914–1997), who later introduced him to the English/Canadian poet and artist Brion Gysin (1916–1986). Gysin would become a major influence upon P-Orridge's ideas and works and was h/er primary tutor in magic . 1973 saw COUM take part in the Fluxshoe retrospective that toured Britain exhibiting

276-666: A circle, which were then played as musical instruments while either P-Orridge or Robertson conducted the piece. COUM's next major work was Couming of Age , performed in March 1974 at the Oval House in Kennington , South London ; it represented the most conventional theatrical performance of their career. After the show, they were approached by an audience member, Peter Christopherson , who shared many of their interests; P-Orridge and Tutti nicknamed him "Sleazy" because of his particular interest in

368-704: A collaboration with the Canadian artist Clive Robertson ; their co-created piece was titled Marcel Duchamp's Next Work . It premiered on 24 January 1974 at the Fourth International Festival of Electronic Music and Mixed Media at the Zwaarte Zaal in Ghent , Belgium, and had its second performance at Brussels ' Palais des Beaux-Arts. The piece entailed bringing together twelve replicas of the dada artist Marcel Duchamp 's 1913 sculpture Bicycle Wheel , assembled in

460-558: A commercial success and so sought out other forms of funding, successfully applying for a small Experimental Arts Grant from the Yorkshire Arts Association , a publicly funded body. Now openly describing themselves as performance artists, COUM looked up to the work of the Dadaists and emphasised the amateur quality of their work, proclaiming that "[t]he future of music lies in non-musicians", and strongly contrasting themselves with

552-653: A day out to Brighton, while throughout the year they sent postcards that they had designed to mail-art shows across the world. "COUM enable all kinds of people to discover their abilities to express ideas through different media. COUM believe that you don't NEED special training to produce and/or enjoy, worthwhile, significant and unique works. COUM demonstrate that there are NO boundaries in any form. It has NOT all been done before, and that which has can still bear valid re-interpretation. Thee [sic] possibilities remain endless." COUM Manifesto, 1974. In January 1974, COUM decided to refocus their attention on music, doing so in

644-481: A dozen Irish prisoners were selected to be killed after picking lots. This prompted Rupert to respond by executing Parliamentarian prisoners in Oswestry . By the 18th century Shrewsbury had become an important market town and stopping point for stagecoaches travelling between London and Holyhead with passengers on their way to Ireland; this led to the establishment of a number of coaching inns, many of which, such as

736-413: A few miles north of the town centre, between King Henry IV and Henry Percy (Hotspur) , with the king emerging victorious. Hotspur's body was taken by Thomas Neville , to Whitchurch , for burial. However, when rumours circulated that Percy was still alive, the king "had the corpse exhumed and displayed it, propped upright between two millstones, in the market place at Shrewsbury". That being done, Percy

828-578: A great interest in the radical counter-culture, P-Orridge had dropped out of h/er studies at the University of Hull and spent three months living in the Transmedia Explorations commune in North London during late 1968. The commune members adhered to a strict regimen with the intention of deconditioning its members out of their routines and conventional behaviour; they were forbidden from sleeping in

920-560: A hillfort near Baschurch . The Historia Divae Monacellae , composed in the 14th or 15th century, says that Brochwel Ysgithrog , the 6th-century king of Powis, had a palace at Shrewsbury that became the site of the foundation of St Chad. In the late 8th century, it is said that Offa took the town for the Mercians in 778, and he is associated by some sources with establishing the town's first church and dedicating it to St Chad . If so, then there may have been an ecclesiastical foundation in

1012-495: A limited edition of 500, as was the case with Early Worm ( Genesis P-Orridge , Spydeee Gasmantell, Pingle Wad, and Ron Megson (the father of Genesis P-Orridge ), 1968) in 2008. The COUM Transmissions The Sound of Porridge Bubbling LP was recorded in 1971 featuring Genesis P-Orridge , Spydeee Gasmantell, Ray Harvey, Cosey Fanni Tutti and others. What musical content the LP features is improvisational and avant-garde in nature, and for

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1104-590: A lock of the emperor's hair, presented to an officer of the 53rd, remains to this day in the collections of the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum at Shrewsbury Castle. HM Prison Shrewsbury , when new in the Georgian period, was considered a national example of improved conditions and more enlightened penal policy. Times change and a 2005 report on prison population found that it was the most overcrowded in England and Wales , despite

1196-558: A member of the Stanley family he was admitted. Thomas Mytton, the Bailiff of the town, a supporter of Richard III , had vowed that the only way he would get through was "over his dead body". Thomas then lay down and allowed Henry to step over him, to free himself from his oath. Henry was accommodated in the building now known as Henry Tudor House on Wyle Cop. In 1490, Henry VII, accompanied by his queen and his son, Prince Arthur , celebrated

1288-504: A plague in Viroconium around this time. It is claimed that Pengwern , sometime capital of the Kingdom of Powis (itself established by the 440s), was at Shrewsbury. The first attested association of Pengwern with Shrewsbury is mentioned by Giraldus Cambrensis in the 12th century. Alternative suggestions as to the location of Pengwern include Whittington Castle near Oswestry , and Berth,

1380-607: A polythene tunnel in order to enter the venue. In December 1969, P-Orridge and Shapeero moved out of their flat and into a former fruit warehouse in Hull's dockland area, overlooking the Humber . Named the Ho-Ho Funhouse by P-Orridge, the warehouse became the communal home to an assortment of counter-cultural figures, including artists, musicians, fashion designers and underground magazine producers. At Christmas 1969, Christine Newby moved into

1472-575: A prerequisite for receiving funding; the Council insisted that they perform in at least eight specifically-chosen venues a year, although COUM felt that this meant performing to the same audiences repeatedly and wished to perform at a wide range of other locations, such as in fields and on streets. In August 1974 they carried out a spontaneous unauthorised piece of performance art in Brook Green , Hammersmith . Titled Airborn Spells, Landborn Smells , it entailed

1564-511: A role in nurturing aspects of English culture, including drama , ballet , dance and pantomime . Located 9 miles (14 km) east of the England–Wales border , Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and parts of mid-Wales, with a retail output of over £299 million per year and light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park , on the outskirts. The A5 and A49 trunk roads come together as

1656-475: A work of literary journalism devoted to the Merry Pranksters , a U.S. communal counter-cultural group who advocated the use of psychedelic drugs . COUM's music was anarchic and improvised, making use of such instruments as broken violins, prepared pianos, guitars, bongos and talking drums. As time went on, they would add further theatrics to their performances, in one instance making the audience crawl through

1748-1188: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . COUM Transmissions COUM Transmissions / k uː m / was a music and performance art collective who operated in the United Kingdom from 1969 through to 1976. The collective was influenced by the Dada and surrealism artistic movements, the writers of the Beat Generation , and underground music . COUM were openly confrontational and subversive, challenging aspects of conventional British society . Founded in Hull , Yorkshire , by Genesis P-Orridge , other prominent early members included Cosey Fanni Tutti and Spydeee Gasmantell (also at school with Genesis P-Orridge). Part-time members included Tim Poston , Brook Menzies, Haydn Robb, Les (Reverend Lelli) Maull, Ray Harvey, John (Jonji) Smith, Foxtrot Echo, Fizzy Paet, and John Gunni Busck (John Lacey). Later members included Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson and Chris Carter , who together with P-Orridge and Tutti went on to found

1840-493: Is owing to provision made by its head master, the excellent and worthy Thomas Ashton ", the school's first head master. During the English Civil War , Shrewsbury was a Royalist stronghold, under the command of Sir Francis Ottley . In the autumn of 1642 Charles I had a temporary base in the town. Prince Rupert established his headquarters in the town on 18 February 1644, being welcomed by Shrewsbury's aldermen. He

1932-488: Is sited on the River Severn , 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Wolverhampton , 15 miles (24 km) west of Telford , 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Wrexham and 53 miles (85 km) north of Hereford . At the 2021 census , the parish had a population of 76,782. Shrewsbury has Anglo-Saxon roots and institutions whose foundations dating from that time represent a cultural continuity possibly going back as far as

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2024-681: The Contemporary Artists reference book. The work meant that he had less time to devote to COUM but gained a wide range of contacts in the art world. During that year, COUM embarked on a series of five performance pieces which it termed Omissions ; these were performed across Europe, including at the Europa-Tag in Gross Gerau and the Kulturamt in Kiel . In March 1975, COUM performed Couming of Youth at

2116-790: The Earls of Tankerville . St John the Baptist hospital passed to the Wood family and became almshouses. At this time the shrine and relics of St Winifred were destroyed. The Council of Wales and the Marches was established during the 1470s by Edward IV with a headquarters in the town. Its buildings partly survive near the castle and were later adapted to be an episcopal palace, the council also met at Ludlow Castle . Members of this council included John Dudley, Earl of Warwick , Sir Henry Sidney , William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke , and Sir Rowland Hill , publisher of

2208-546: The Forest of Arden , a thickly wooded area, unpenetrated by Roman roads and somewhat dangerous in medieval times, so that travellers would pray at Coughton before entering. In 1102, Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury was deposed and the title forfeited, as a consequence of him rebelling against Henry I and joining the Duke of Normandy 's invasion of England in 1101. William Pantulf , Lord of Wem , assisted Henry in putting down

2300-530: The Geneva Bible and potential inspiration for a hero in Shakespeare's As You Like It . Its functions were interpreted widely. It was to hear all suits, civil and criminal, which were brought by individuals too poor to sue at common law; it was to try all cases of murder, felony, piracy, wrecking and such crimes as were likely to disturb the peace; it was to investigate charges of misgovernment by officials and

2392-588: The On Cue programme for Radio Humberside and were interviewed by Jim Hawkins. As well as their radio and press exposure, they performed a variety of other happenings, such as Riot Control at the Gondola Club and then their first street action, Absolute Everywhere , which got them in trouble with the local police force. The Gondola Club was raided by the police and closed down soon after; most other local clubs blamed COUM and unofficially banned them from performing in

2484-514: The 1220s, there was also a general hospital dedicated to St John the Baptist. In January 1234 Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth of Wales and Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke burned down the town and laid siege to its castle. In 1283, Edward I summoned a parliament in Shrewsbury, later adjourned to Acton Burnell , to try and condemn Dafydd ap Gruffydd , last of the native Princes of Wales, to execution by hanging, drawing and quartering within

2576-402: The 14th and 15th centuries and a new shrine for her relics was built in the late 1300s. Around this time the abbey illegally acquired the relics of St Beuno , uncle of St Winifred, by stealing them. As a result the abbey was fined but allowed to keep the relics. From 1155, during the reign of Henry II , there was a leper hospital dedicated to St Giles and associated with Shrewsbury Abbey. From

2668-490: The 8th century. The centre has a largely undisturbed medieval street plan and over 660 listed buildings , including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th centuries. Shrewsbury Castle , a red sandstone fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey , were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury , Roger de Montgomery . The town is the birthplace of Charles Darwin . It has had

2760-659: The Bailiffs in a most royal and hospitable manner. Shrewsbury's monastic institutions were disbanded with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Abbey was closed in 1540. Henry VIII intended to make Shrewsbury one of his 13 new bishoprics (serving Shropshire and Staffordshire ) and hence a cathedral city, after the formation of the Church of England but the citizens of the town declined

2852-591: The Council House to St Chad’s Church, the choir of which was fitted up in imitation of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle with the stalls decorated with the arms of the Knights of the Garter ; on the conclusion of divine service Sir Henry devoted the afternoon to feasting the burgesses. Shrewsbury thrived throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, a period when the town was at the height of its commercial importance. This success

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2944-523: The Council: represented a remarkable experiment in regional government. It administered the law cheaply and rapidly; it dealt with up to twenty cases a day and George Owen stated that the 'oppressed poor' flocked to it. In 1551 there was a notable outbreak of sweating sickness in the town, which Dr John Caius was in the town to attend to at the command of the council. The following year, after his return to London, Caius published A Boke or Counseill Against

3036-537: The Disease Commonly Called the Sweate, or Sweatyng Sicknesse . The president of the council was the dedicatee of the book and the dedicatory epistle explains his appointment. This text became the main source of knowledge of this disease, now understood to be influenza . In 1581, Sir Henry Sidney, celebrated the feast of St George, on 23 April, in this town, with great splendour: a solemn procession went from

3128-554: The Funhouse after being thrown out of her home by her father. Having earlier befriended P-Orridge at an acid test party, Newby would move into h/er room at the Funhouse, adopting the pseudonym Cosey Fanni Tutti after the title of Amadeus Mozart 's 1790 opera Così fan tutte . Joining COUM, Tutti initially helped in building props and designing costumes, and was there when the group began changing its focus from music to performance art and more theatrical happenings; one of these involved

3220-448: The Hull area. COUM drew up a petition which they distributed locally to gain support for the group and as a result, the group got a booking at the local Brickhouse, which was their first performance in which the audience applauded and called for an encore. However, the petition had contained their phallic logo, and the police charged P-Orridge and fellow COUM member Haydn Robb (now known as Haydn Nobb) of publishing an obscene advert, although

3312-536: The Lion Hotel, are extant to this day. A town hall was built in the Market Place on the site of an ancient guildhall in 1730; it was demolished and a new combined guildhall and shirehall was erected on the site in 1837. Local soldier and statesman Robert Clive served as the town's mayor in 1762 and was Shrewsbury's MP from 1762 until his death in 1774. St Chad's Church collapsed in 1788 after attempts to expand

3404-700: The Melkweg in Theater Zaal, Amsterdam. Adopting a more violent stance than their previous work – in this reflecting an influence from the Viennese Actionists – the performance involved self-mutilation, Cosey inserting lighted candles into her vagina, P-Orridge being crucified and whipped, and P-Orridge and Cosey having sexual intercourse. At Southampton 's Nuffield Festival in July 1975, COUM performed Studio of Lust , where P-Orridge publicly masturbated and all of

3496-559: The National Rock/Folk Contest at the New Grange Club in Hull with a set entitled This Machine Kills Music ; a parody of the slogan " this machine kills fascists ". They also put together their first book for publication; the first volume in a projected project known as The Million and One Names of COUM appeared in 1972, containing 1001 slogans, such as "COUM are Fab and Kinky" and "A thousand and one ways to COUM.". This

3588-654: The Ninth Paris Biennale at the Musée d'art modern. The prestige of being invited to such an event led to the Arts Council awarding them a grant for £1,600, although only the first half of this was ever paid out. COUM's mail art had taken on an increasingly pornographic dimension, and in November 1975 the police charged P-Orridge with distributing obscene material via in the postal system under the 1953 Post Office Act ; this trial

3680-717: The Quarry. In the Industrial Revolution the Shrewsbury Canal opened in 1797, initially connecting the town to Trench . By 1835 it had been linked up to the Shropshire Canal and thence to the rest of the canal network . In the period directly after Napoleon 's surrender after the Battle of Waterloo , the town's own 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was sent to guard him in his exile on St Helena . A locket containing

3772-637: The UK's joining the European Economic Community in 1973, while that year P-Orridge featured a piece of conceptual art, 'Wagon Train', at the Ferens Art Gallery's Winter Show , proving controversial in local press. Following continual police harassment, P-Orridge and Tutti relocated to London , moving in to a squat and obtaining a basement studio in Hackney which they named the "Death Factory". After

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3864-517: The article, Haydn Robb, would subsequently join the performance collective. Tim Poston (1945–2017), subsequently a lecturer in mathematics at Warwick University went on to undertake research into catastrophe theory , influenced, it is claimed by Genesis P'Orridge, by his work in COUM. COUM released one song produced in this early period, "Dry Blood Tampax", on their 1983 cassette 23 Drifts to Guestling . They recognised that they would never become

3956-655: The band in Disco and Music Echo , remarking that "[s]ome might say that Coum were madmen but constant exposure to mankind forces me to believe that we need more madmen like them." They also featured in an article in Torch , the publication of the University of Hull's student union, entitled "God Sucks Mary's Hairy Nipple"; a title from a message received during a seance in Solihull attended by P'Orridge, Gasmantell and others in 1967. The author of

4048-565: The charges were later dropped. Gaining coverage in the music press, interest in the band grew, and they were asked to support the rock band Hawkwind at St. George's Hall in Bradford in October 1971, where they performed a piece called Edna and the Great Surfers , where they led the crowd in shouting "Off, Off, Off". The following month, the band attracted the interest of John Peel , who discussed

4140-636: The classically trained figures involved in progressive rock which had attained mainstream popularity in Britain at the time. P-Orridge began to take an increasing interest in infantilism, founding a fictitious school of art, the L'ecole de l'art infantile, whose work culminated in a 1983 event known as the Baby's Coumpetition held at Oxford University 's May Festival, which he had co-organised with Robin Klassnik and Opal L. Nations. Another invention of P-Orridge's at this time

4232-811: The country, Genesis P-Orridge settled down in their parents' new home in Shrewsbury , and volunteered as an office clerk in their father's new business. P-Orridge first developed the concept for COUM on a family trip to Wales, while sitting in the back of the car; P-Orridge became "disembodied and heard voices and saw the COUM symbol and heard the words 'COUM Transmissions'." Returning home that evening, P-Orridge filled three notebooks with various artistic thoughts and ideas, influenced in part by time spent with Transmedia Explorations. In December 1969, P-Orridge returned to Hull to meet up with friend John Shapeero, with whom P-Orridge would turn COUM Transmissions into an avant-garde artistic and musical troupe. They initially debated as to how to define "COUM", later deciding that like

4324-410: The crypt compromised the structural integrity of the tower above. Now known as Old St Chad's, the remains of the church building and its churchyard are on the corner of Princess Street, College Hill and Belmont. A new St Chad's Church was built just four years after the collapse, but as a large neo-classical round church and in a different and more elevated location, at the top of Claremont Hill close to

4416-665: The cut-ups were also put on display. Toward the end of COUM, performances would often consist of only P-Orridge, Cosey and Sleazy, the core group who went on to form Throbbing Gristle . COUM ended when, at a performance in Antwerp, P-Orridge had ingested leaves, bark, and whiskey and started cutting their skin with nails and became sick and had to be taken to the hospital. They decided to "stop doing performance art." In July 2009, American record label Dais Records released archival vinyl LP releases by COUM Transmissions entitled The Sound Of Porridge Bubbling (2009), Sugarmorphoses (2011) and Home Aged & The 18 Month Hope (2013) in

4508-419: The false verdicts of juries; it was to enforce the laws against livery and maintenance, to punish rumour mongers and adulterers, and to deal with disputes concerning enclosures, villein service and manorial questions; it heard appeals from the common law courts; and it was responsible for administering the legislation dealing with religion. According to historian John Davies , at its peak in the mid-16th century,

4600-414: The feast of St George in the town. The town is recorded as having entertained Henry again in 1496, with attendants lodged in the Sextry of Old St Chads; more generally it is said of Henry VII's relations with the town that: The intercourse which had begun thus favourably was kept up in after years by Henry, who, with his queen and son, frequently visited this town, upon which occasions they were feasted by

4692-509: The foodstuff which he lived off as a student. His new nom-de-guerre was intentionally un-glamorous, and he hoped that by adopting it he would trigger his own "genius factor". This caught the attention of the Yorkshire Post , who featured an article on COUM Transmissions on 11 February. Soon, COUM began to attract further media attention from newspapers across the country. On 18 April 1971, COUM, consisting of Genesis P'Orridge & Spydeee Gasmantell broadcast their first live radio session, for

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4784-408: The gender balance, including concepts of gender confusion; P-Orridge for instance dressed in female clothing to adopt the persona of 'Crystal P-Orridge' on one occasion. In another piece performed at the AWB, which was titled Filth , P-Orridge and Tutti performed sexual acts using a double-ended dildo while on a bed. COUM were frustrated with the restrictions imposed on them by the Arts Council as

4876-499: The group made use of wordplay in their artworks and adverts. COUM's earliest public events were impromptu musical gigs performed at various pubs around Hull; titles for these events included Thee Fabulous Mutations , Space Between the Violins , Dead Violins and Degradation and Clockwork Hot Spoiled Acid Test . The latter combined the names of Anthony Burgess ' dystopian science-fiction novel A Clockwork Orange (1962) with Tom Wolfe 's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968),

4968-485: The group members pretending to be dogs and pushing along a pram containing chicken's heads and bloodied tampons; during the performance, police arrived and put a stop to the event, deeming it to be obscene. In September 1974, COUM were invited to attend the Stadfest in Rottweil , West Germany , and they proceeded with a travel grant from the British Council . Their first performance there was titled Schlimm , which involved P-Orridge and Tutti performing anarchic actions in

5060-410: The group turning up to play a gig but intentionally not bringing any instruments, something P-Orridge considered "much more theatrical, farcical and light-hearted" than their earlier performances. On 5 January 1971, by now living at 8 Prince Street Hull, Megson officially changed his name to Genesis P-Orridge by deed poll , combining his adopted nickname of "Genesis" with a misspelling of " porridge ",

5152-414: The guilds of the Ironmongers and Goldsmiths . This fraternity were patrons of the Altar of St Michael in St Chad's Church and they kept a Mercers Hall on the site of the Sextry of Old St Chads . In 1485, ahead of the Battle of Bosworth Field , Henry Tudor , while not yet king, marched his forces on a route that lay through Shrewsbury. He was initially denied access to the town, but on intervention by

5244-517: The members undressed and adopted sexual poses. "When we shifted from Coum Transmissions to TG, we were also stating that we wanted to go into popular culture , away from the art gallery context, and show that the same technique that had been made to operate in that system could work. We wanted to test it out in the real world, or nearer to the real world, at a more street level – with young kids who had no education in art perception, who didn't come along and either empathised or didn't; either liked

5336-401: The most part the album's tracks consist of spoken word material and sound experiments, at times reminiscent of the audio material that William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin had been experimenting with in the 1960s. One track, Nude Supper is a direct reading by Spydeee Gasmantell from William S. Burroughs work, Naked Lunch. The online version of this album has subsequently been amended so that

5428-427: The music press ignored COUM and saw TG as experimental art rock , while the arts press ignored TG, viewing COUM as performance artists. Despite their intention of operating within the realms of popular culture, TG never had chart success, and remained a cult band ; their audience was however far larger than COUM. COUM continued to operate alongside TG, and in October 1975 they performed Jusquà la balle crystal'' at

5520-427: The name dada it should remain open to interpretation. P-Orridge designed a logo for the group, consisting of a semi-erect penis formed out of the word COUM with a drip of semen coming out of the end, while the motto "YOUR LOCAL DIRTY BANNED" was emblazoned underneath. Another logo designed by Megson consisted of a hand-drawn seal accompanied by the statement "COUM guarantee disappointment"; from their early foundation,

5612-484: The noise or didn't. A little mini-Dada movement, eh?" P-Orridge, 1983. COUM were introduced to Chris Carter in the summer of 1975 through their mutual friend John Lacey. Lacey believed that Carter would be interested in COUM as a result of his particular interest in the experimental use of light and sound. Together, Carter, Christopherson, Cosey and P-Orridge founded a musical band, Throbbing Gristle, on 3 September 1975; they had deliberately chosen that date for it

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5704-418: The offer, which is the point of origin of the term "Proud Salopians": the town leadership preferring to be the most senior town in the country and not the most junior city. As a consequence of the dissolution, the monastic hospitals were closed and the incomes from their endowments were transferred to secular owners. St Giles's leper hospital passed to the Prince family, who were succeeded by their descendants

5796-456: The other hand, felt she had only just begun. Though she feels the name COUM to be "tainted" now and unusable, she has been known to say her individual projects are still a part of the COUM family of work. For a while, she operated a website at COUM.co.uk. The founder of COUM Transmissions was Genesis P-Orridge (1950–2020), a Mancunian by birth who later founded Throbbing Gristle and other projects. A university student who had developed

5888-533: The pioneering industrial band Throbbing Gristle in 1976. COUM had a rotating membership, and included both intellectual and criminal elements and existed formally from 1969 until 1976. In that year, P-Orrige and Tutti exhibited at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts in a show called Prostitution , which consisted of explicit photographs of lesbians, assemblages of rusty knives, syringes, bloodied hair, used sanitary towels, press clippings, and photo documentation of COUM performances in Milan and Paris. There

5980-433: The public funding of such events. In the House of Commons , Scottish Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Fairbairn demanded an explanation from Arts Minister Harold Lever and proclaimed P-Orridge and Tutti as "wreckers of civilisation". Fleet Street was not slow to pick up the story. The reviews were cut up, framed and put on display for the remainder of the exhibition. This was also reported in newspapers, so cut-ups about

6072-443: The rebellion. To deal with the thickly wooded local forests, ideal for the concealment of archers, Pantulf brought in 6,000 foot soldiers to cut down trees and open up the roads. Henry subsequently took the government of the town into his own hands and in 1116 the nobility of England did homage to William Ætheling , Henry’s son, at Shrewsbury, and swore allegiance to his father. The early death of William Ætheling without issue led to

6164-458: The same place on consecutive nights, food was cooked at irregular times of the day and all clothing was kept in a communal chest, with its members wearing something different on each day. P-Orridge stayed there for three months, until late October 1969, after deciding to leave, due to being angered that the commune's leaders were given more rights than the other members, and believed that the group lacked an interest in music. After hitch-hiking across

6256-411: The sexual aspects of COUM's work. He began to aid them using his skills as a photographer and graphic designer, and would first perform with them in their March 1975 work Couming of Youth . In May 1974, COUM issued a manifesto published on an A3 double-sided sheet titled Decoumpositions and Events . In April 1974 the Arts Council of Great Britain gave COUM the first half of a £1,500 grant, which

6348-452: The strategic importance of the Roman Road link via the Via Devana ). Viking raiders from the north were reaching as far south as Bridgnorth by 910. In the early 10th century, the relics of St Alkmund were translated to the town from Derby , this was probably the work of Æthelflæd. (Later, after St Alkmund's Church became the property of Lilleshall Abbey in about 1145, the relics were retranslated back to Derby.) Roger de Montgomery

6440-656: The street using a range of props. The next day, they followed this with a second street action, All that Glitters is not Kunst , which earned them praise from Bridget Riley and Ernst Jandl , both of whom were present. The acclaim that COUM received at Rottweil established the group's reputation as "one of the most innovative performance art groups then on the London art scene", convincing the Arts Council and British Council to take them more seriously and offer them greater support. In February 1975, P-Orridge gained his only full-time job, working as an assistant editor for Colin Naylor at St. James' Press, in which he helped to compile

6532-455: The succession crisis, known in history as the Anarchy , and during this period, in 1138, King Stephen successfully besieged the town's castle held by William FitzAlan for the Empress Maud . In 1138 the relics of St Winifred were brought to Shrewsbury from Gwytheryn , following their purchase by the Abbot of Shrewsbury , the abbey being ready for consecration but having no relics prior to that time. The popularity of St Winifred grew in

6624-551: The town after Dafydd was captured, ending his rebellion against the king. It is thought this parliament met in the Abbey. Shrewsbury was devastated by the Black Death , which, records suggest, arrived in the spring of 1349. Examining the number of local church benefices falling vacant due to death, 1349 alone saw twice as many vacancies as the previous ten years combined, suggesting a high death toll in Shrewsbury. "The Great Fire of Shrewsbury" took place in 1394: St Chad's church

6716-669: The town within a century of the death of Chad of Mercia . By the beginning of the 10th century, Shrewsbury was home to three moneyers who had permission to operate a mint in the town, using dies supplied by the royal government. In 914, Æthelflæd , daughter of Alfred the Great and known as the Lady of the Mercians, fortified Shrewsbury, along with Hereford and two other fortresses, at Scergeat (a currently unknown location) and Weardbyrig (thought to be Whitchurch , which would make sense given

6808-566: The town's by-pass and five railway lines meet at Shrewsbury railway station . In Old English the settlement was known as Scrobbesburh ( dative Scrobbesbyrig ), which may mean either "Scrobb's fort" or "the fortified place in the bushes" (or "shrubs", the modern derivate). This name gradually evolved in three directions, into Sciropscire , which became Shropshire ; into Sloppesberie , which became Salop / Salopia (an alternative name for both town and county), and into Schrosberie , which eventually became

6900-613: The town's name, Shrewsbury. Its later Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place". The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Shrowsbury' or 'Shroosbury', the correct pronunciation being a matter of longstanding debate. Evidence of Neolithic occupation of a religious form dating back before 2,000 BC, was discovered in 2017 in the grounds of the medieval Church of the Holy Fathers in Sutton Farm , making it Britain's oldest place of worship. An Early Bronze Age urned burial

6992-484: The track titled 'Nude Supper' now refers to the track 'Sound of Porridge Bubbling', the track 'Sound of Porridge Bubbling' is a taped version of The Stripper . The original spoken word version of the reading from Naked Lunch is only found on the original 500 vinyl copies of the album. Other, Like Me: The Oral History of COUM Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle , a documentary on both projects consisting of archival footage and photos and interviews with their members,

7084-805: The work of the Fluxus artists; it was organised by David Mayor, who befriended P-Orridge. At that year's Edinburgh Festival , they undertook their Marcel Duchamp -inspired Art Vandals piece at the Richard Demarco Gallery, in which they engaged guests in unconventional conversation, and spilled their food and drink on the floor. Exhibiting alongside the Viennese Actionists , they came under increasing influence from these Austrian performance artists, adopting their emphasis on using shock tactics to combat conventional morality. September 1973 saw them produce their first film, Wundatrek Tours , which documented

7176-459: Was a lot of outrage expressed by London newspapers and UK politicians, including Tory MP Nicholas Fairbairn , who referred to COUM as the "wreckers of Western civilization". However, memberships to the ICA increased sharply as a result of the COUM show. The last official COUM performances and art shows took place in 1976. Around that time, P-Orridge proclaimed to be through with performance art. Tutti, on

7268-400: Was based on the science fiction short story The Nine Billion Names of God written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1953 Another of P-Orridge's early publications was the book Copyright Breeches (1973), which explored his ongoing fascination with the copyright symbol and its wider implications for art and society. COUM organised events for Hull City Council 's Fanfare for Europe to commemorate

7360-567: Was billeted in a building then the home of the family of Thomas Jones in the precincts of what is now the Prince Rupert Hotel. Shrewsbury only fell to Parliament forces after they were let in by a parliamentarian sympathiser at the St Mary's Water Gate (now also known as Traitor's Gate). After Thomas Mytton captured Shrewsbury in February 1645; in following with the ordnance of no quarter ;

7452-490: Was co-produced by BBC Television and aired on BBC Four in December 2021. Shrewsbury 52°42′29″N 2°45′14″W  /  52.708°N 2.754°W  / 52.708; -2.754 Shrewsbury ( / ˈ ʃ r oʊ z b ər i / SHROHZ -bər-ee , also / ˈ ʃ r uː z -/ SHROOZ - ) is a market town , civil parish and the county town of Shropshire , England. It

7544-424: Was consumed by an accidental fire, which spread to a great portion of the town, then chiefly consisting of timber houses with thatched roofs. The damage was so considerable that Richard II remitted the town's taxes for three years towards the repairs. In 1398, Richard summoned a Great Parliament in the town, which is believed to have met in the Abbey. In 1403 the Battle of Shrewsbury was fought at Battlefield ,

7636-467: Was excavated at Crowmeole in 2015. An Iron Age double ring ditch has been excavated at Meole Brace . Amongst other finds, parts of an iron age sword and scabbard were recovered. At Meole Brace, an extensive roadside settlement along the line of the Roman military road connecting Viroconium Cornoviorum and Caersws was uncovered, with evidence of trading of amphorae and mortaria . A major discovery

7728-562: Was given the town as a gift from William the Conqueror and took the title of Earl of Shrewsbury. He built at Shrewsbury Castle in 1074, though archaeological excavations at the site of Shrewsbury castle in 2019 have indicated that the location may have been a fortified site in the time of the Anglo-Saxons. He also founded Shrewsbury Abbey as a Benedictine monastery in 1083. The town's position just off Watling Street placed it within

7820-545: Was his Ministry of Antisocial Insecurity (MAI), a parody of the governmental Ministry of Social Security . He also set about working on creating a character known as Alien Brain, and in July 1972 performed the World Premiere of The Alien Brain at Hull Arts Centre, a multi-media happening that involved the audience and which had received funding from the Yorkshire Arts Association. That summer, they also entered

7912-447: Was in this period that Edward VI gave permission for the foundation of a free school, which was later to become Shrewsbury School . Later, William Camden , in his Britannia (begun 1577), remarked of the town that "Shrewsbury is inhabited both by Welsh and English, who speak each other's language; and among other things greatly to their praise is the grammar school founded by them, the best filled in all England, whose flourishing state

8004-662: Was largely due to the town's location, which allowed it to control the Welsh wool trade , a major industry at the time, with the rest of Britain and Europe, with the River Severn and Watling Street acting as trading routes. This trade was dominated by the Shrewsbury Drapers Company for many years. As a result, a number of grand edifices, including the Ireland's Mansion (built 1575) and Draper's Hall (1658), were constructed. It

8096-754: Was largely used to pay off the groups' £300 debt. The money stabilised the group, which now included P-Orridge and Tutti as directors, John Gunni Busck as technical director, and Lelli Maull as musical director. During that year, they made use of various artist-run venues in London, most notably the Art Meeting Place (AMP) in Covent Garden , where they regularly performed during 1974; these actions included Orange and Blue , Gainsborough's Blue Movie Boy , 4 Hours Music Action , Signals , and Throbbing Gristle . A number of these works entailed P-Orridge and Tutti exploring

8188-544: Was set for February 1976. Their Prostitution show, in 1976 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, exhibited Tutti's pornographic images from magazines as well as erotic nude photographs. The show featured a stripper, used Tampax in glass, and transvestite guards. Prostitutes, punks , and people in costumes were among those hired to mingle with the gallery audience. The show caused debate in Parliament about

8280-642: Was subjected to posthumous execution . One of the Princes in the Tower , Richard of Shrewsbury , was born in the town around 17 August 1473, the second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville . In 1480, Edward V , then Prince of Wales (and the other prince of the Princes in the Tower), was resident in Shrewsbury. On 11 May Edward V confirmed the composition of the town's Mercer's Company , which had merged with

8372-542: Was the 36th anniversary of the United Kingdom joining the Second World War . The term "throbbing gristle" was deliberately chosen for it was a Yorkshire slang term for an erect penis. Throbbing Gristle, or TG as it was widely known, was aimed at a wider audience than COUM, thereby aiming to work within popular culture rather than the elite realm of the art scene. COUM and TG were largely treated as distinct entities;

8464-532: Was the finding of the Shrewsbury Hoard of more than 9000 Roman coins in a field near the town in 2009. Prior to the late 8th century, there is little in the way of reliable records. There is a tradition that the town was "founded in the 5th century, on occasion of the decay of the Roman Uriconium ." Historian John Wacher suggests that Shrewsbury may have been refortified by refugees fleeing an outbreak of

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