Black Easter

(c’82-84) Grant Taylor (lead guitar), Shaun Burt (vocals), Rich Sime (bass), and Jamie Abethell (drums).

This Farnborough punk band – Taylor, Sime & Abethell all went to Oak Farm School and lived on the same estate, Burt was from Fleet – formed in early ’82 and supported bands such as Subhumans, Flux of Pink Indians and Cult Maniax as well as hiring out local halls etc for gigs. One of the bands first gigs was at The Maltings, Farnham on 7 Feb ’82. The next month they supported Exit at the West End Centre. Aldershot. The Royal, in Guildford, at the time Simon George and Kirk were handling the the bookings there, was also a regular venue. They recorded a few demos, notably they record their set at The Sir George Robey, London; self-releasing the 9 tracks as a single sided cassette titled imaginatively “Live At The Sir George Robey Pub, London”.

Taylor’s “What The Fuck”, Burt’s “Rockin’ Chair”, and the Sime penned “Day Of The Jackel” and “Action Speak” from the Robey set would go on to be released by Keith Bagley’s London based label Illuminated Records [KILL13] as the “Ready to Rot” 7″ vinyl EP in late ’82, pressed at Orlake Records. The record was available from the band from their North Warnborough Village Hall gig on 13 November ’82 onwards.

’82 was closed out at Farnborough Tech, on 17 December, with Black Easter headlining. On 28 January ’83, Black Easter supported The Normals, with Capricorn, Cry Havoc and Les Strawberries at Basingstoke Technical College. Whether or not Liz Hurley had anything to do with the band’s booking by Basingstoke Technical College Student Union we have yet to confirm. In May ’83 Black Easter supported Clone, along with Maxi Puch & The Macho Moped Men at 5’s Wine Bar, Aldershot. A few month later, in July/August Sime was replaced on bass by Paul Pomeroy. Burt then left the band and joined the army in late ’83; he was replaced on vocals by Farnborough and former Oak Farm boy Jem Hammick whose first gig with Black Easter was January ’84. The following month Black Easter were at the Old School House, Woking for a punk night that included The Contaminated and The Plague, and at Caird Hall. At a 14 March ’84 gig at the Country Club, Fleet; supporting Little Skeletons, the band played one song before having the power turned off.

Roy Delaney

Roy Delaney, a regular at the legendary Feltham Football Club punk gigs, recalls Black Easter’s “What the Fuck” was on the tape the organizers always played between bands. All the FFC regulars could sing it word for word, but nobody knew who it was by until Black Easter played at an all-dayer there. Thehe crowd went insane when they played it! Black Easter played their final show in October 1984. Hammick left and they added a female Sax player called Laura and changed the band name to Spiketeam; with guitarist Taylor taking over on vocals.

In ’93, Redrum Records, included Black Easter’s “What the Fuck” as the opening track on the “Killed by Death” compilation, the fifth in a series of releases in Australia. Then in May ’18, Fab Fuhrer Records released a limited edition of 50 copies of punk rarities from ’77 through ’83 in Belgium, dedicated to Porky Säteri, titled “Useless Eaters & Other Losers” [HIT-15] that included “What the Fuck”. The track has also been covered and released by The Spits on “The Spits Live 1”, Rupture on “Shat from the Tomb” and “Orangutan Suicde Sessions”, and by New York City’s Creem on “Creem”.

Taylor became a member of Spike Team after Black Easter, them KERB before passing away on 11 August 2014. Hammick also regrettably passed a few years earlier on 10 April 2005. Abethell went on to drum with Chelsea, before joining Taylor in Spike Team and KERB, then went onto The Vein. Pomeroy also joined Spike Team and KERB, then went onto The Vein. We are not sure what happened to Burt after joining the army in late ’83

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