13.13/The Agony Is The Ecstacy

Setlist: Stares To Nowhere/ ?/ Teenage Twilight/ and more...

Review: Review by Byron Coley taken from new York Rocker September 1981.

Note: Debut concert at a club which started as THE place for the Californian Mod/Ska scene, but by 1981 was equal parts reggae club, new wave/ska club, and retro-soul dance club.

Flyer: Scan of flyer. Photo of alternative flyer. Photo of alternative version.

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from San Francisco Examiner 06-Jun-81.

Flyer: Scan of flyer.

Photo: Taken from "Sonic Youth etc..: Sensational Fix" book, credit Paula Court.

Handbill: Original handbill.

Ad: Scan of ad, taken from Boston Rock #18 (04-Jun-81).

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from San Francisco Examiner 21-Jun-81.

July 1981
Johnny and Alex are replaced by two more other ex-Weirdos Dix Denney and Cliff Martinez [later Red Hot Chili Peppers]. Alex MacNicol joins Green On Red, he died in 2004 at the age of 44.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of ad from newspaper 09-Jul-81, courtesy of Mike Ziegler.

Photo: Google street view, 2014.

Ad: Scan of ad taken from the Los Angeles Times 05-Jul-81.

Flyer: Design Steve Martinez.

Ad: Scan of ad, taken from Boston Rock #21 (03-Sep-81).

Review: Scan of review, taken from Boston Rock #22 (01-Oct-81).

Note: Streets opened on 12-Aug-81, after The Underground (on the same avenue) closed on 14-Jun-81.

Ad: Scan of ad from the Village Voice.

Note: Chase Park (a slightly “Diamond Doggish" affair) was atop an old Chase Bank @ 622 Broadway on the south west corner of Broadway and Houston.

Ad: Scan of ad, taken from American Eagle 11-Sep-81.

Ad: Microfilm image from the Village Voice September 1981, courtesy of Jonathan Luftig.

Photos: Taken from LA music mag, showing marquee and Lydia and Siouxsie backstage.

Setlist: 3X3(*)/ Snakepit Breakdown/ Stares To Nowhere/ Lock Your Door(*)/ Suicide Ocean/ Afraid Of Your Company/ I Fell In Love With A Ghost(+)(*).

Note: (+) In March 1982 Lydia recorded this track with Rowland S.Howard and released it on their "Some Velvet Morning" 12". (*) released as extra tracks on "13.13" album CD reissue (Widowspeak 2017).

Ad 1: Scan of ad, courtesy of Weasel Walter.

Ad 2: Scan of advert from Village Voice/Soho News.

Note: After the show, Lydia asked if Ike Yard could be her backing band. They did not accept.

Setlist: Snakepit Breakdown/ 3X3/ Stares To Nowhere(*).

Photo: Credit Catherine Ceresole, taken from "Beauty Lies in the Eye", photobook (Edition Patrick Frey 2013).

Note 1: The set is cut short by a visit from the fire department. Lydia then announces they are only going to be able to play one additional song, which they start and stop. Siouxsie plays as scheduled. (*) released as extra track on "13.13" album CD reissue (Widowspeak 2017).

Note 2: "A year later [after Siouxsie's first US tour in November '80], I was back in America with the Banshees, and 13.13 supported on a couple of shows. We ended up at Studio 54 of all places, and Lydia made a move on me, and, for the next week, she moved into my hotel room. When I headed back to London, she came with me." Murray Mitchell [Siouxsie's roadie], quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Note 1: "[Lydia and Murray] moved into a really sleazy hotel on Westbourne Grove that, for some reason, I've always remembered the name of: the Venus Hotel. She had just abandoned 13.13 -at the time, she told me that she didn't want to have to pay to get them to Europe, even though they already had shows booked as support for The Birthday Party and The Cure. I imagine that was supposed to be 13.13 doing the gigs- I can't imagine they meant for 13.13 to break up and Lydia to start an entirely new band to do the gigs! She and Steve Severin had already cooked up what was going to happen. He was somewhat obsessed by Lydia at the time. That led to Lydia asking me to be in the band. I'm guessing it was just convenient because we were shacked up, plus it helped financially. Next thing was, she got Kristian Hoffman to come over, and that was the band: Lydia, Steve, Kristian, and me. " Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020). On 21-Dec-81 Lydia Lunch writes some poetry ("4 Ugly Walls" and "The Venus Hotel") that would later appear on pages 94-95 of her "Adulterers Anonymous" book (with Exene Cervenka).

Note 2: In the 80's, when Latif Gardez personal life hit a downward spiral, the band Mystery Slang was born. He found himself staying at a flophouse in Westbourne Grove called The Venus Hotel where his fellow hostellers were all shades of dodgy. The six months he spent there later became the main source of inspiration for the first album "Venus Grove" (released in '91).

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: First date supporting The Cure on some dates of their (8 dates) "Eight Appearances" tour. "The first [..] gig in Sheffield, Steve, Kristian, and me- we were all meant to wear these leather gimp masks, but I ended up being the only one wearing one. I was probably the most nervous. It was all totally freeform feedback with Lydia ranting over the top. To say it wasn't well received is an understatement. " Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy: Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*)/ Silent Headed With A Scarlet Heart(*)/ A Day Of Waiting/ Kiss Of Death From The Boy Of My Dreams.

Photo: Credit David Corio. Sourced from Gettyimages/Redferns music photo libraries. Another photo, credit unknown.

Ad: Ad, taken from UK mag 28-Nov-81.

Review: Review, taken from The Guardian.

Note: Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. An 18 minutes excerpt is available on the split "The Agony Is The Ecstacy" 12" (4AD 1982), other side by The Birthday Party recorded live on the same date.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Flyer: Photo of flyer.

Note: Lydia joins on The Birthday Party for the encore, "Jackson" [by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood].

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Ad: Taken from a UK mag Nov-81.

Note: Second and third date supporting The Cure.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Note: Fourth date supporting The Cure.

Setlist: The Agony Is The Ecstacy.

Ad: Taken from a UK mag Nov-81.

Note: Fifth and final date supporting The Cure. "By the time we got to the Hammersmith Palais there were three thousand people chanting 'Fuck off 'Fuck off!' Which I thought was quite wonderful, to get that intensity of dislike. Usually, Lydia was first offstage, then the rest of us would follow, and maybe Kristian would stay, thumping a beat out, but that night I was the last one to leave because it was my home town, and I was really soaking up having this rammed venue all chanting 'Fuck off!' Steve baled as soon as we'd finished the gigs with The Cure. The thought of going to Europe in the middle of winter wasn't very appealing to him. There wasn't any question we weren't going to do Europe-Lydia was determined to fulfil the obligations that had been booked. We never thought replacing Steve. We were going to get the money." Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Note: Start of their 10-date European tour.

Photo: Credit Mats Bäcker. Scan taken from Schlager magazine #32-33, 22-Dec-81.

Ad: Scan taken from Schlager magazine #30, 24-Nov-81, courtesy of Matti.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13.

Poster: Original poster, courtesy of Matti.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13. At one of the Swedish shows they do such a horrible and embarrasing performance that Lydia has to go and hide for some time in the bathrooms. "I remember being in Sweden [..] In one place, we were barricaded in the dressing room as glass bottles were hitting door; there were these wooden steps up at the back of the stage, so the door to the dressing room was in full view of the audience but half a level. We put the sofa up against it until the promoter came to bang on the door to tell us it was all right. That wasn't an unfamiliar reaction. I don't remember any bottles thrown during the gig, though, because it was only a half-hour thing, the length of the backing cassette." Murray Mitchell, quoted in "Lydia Lunch- The War Is Never Over", a book by Nick Soulsby (Jawbone, 2020).

Poster: Credit Martin Kaye.

Ad: Scan of advert from Vinyl mag #9, Dec-81.

Review: Taken from Trouw newspaper 17-Dec-81.

Poster: Scan of poster, sourced from Regionaal Archief Nijmegen.

Review: Taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 19-Dec-81.

Ad: Scan of advert, taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 17-Dec-81.

Article: Scan of article, taken from Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 11-Dec-81.

Note: Advertised as Lydia Lunch and 13.13.

Setlist: Rip It Up/ Stares To Nowhere/ Silent/ I Don't Know Why-Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*)/ Killing You.

Poster: Photo of poster.

Ad: Scan of advert from Vinyl mag #9, Dec-81.

Note: Broadcast by Dutch FM radio. Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. The studio version of "Stares To Nowhere" is the only track ever recorded/released. Audio of concert available as download from Lydia Lunch's Bandcamp page.

Setlist: ?/ Silent/ What You See Is Not What You Get/ ?/ Stares To Nowhere/ Rip It Up/ I Don't Know Why-Unaccounted For Pools Of Blood In My Bed(*).

Poster: Photo (by FromTheArchives) of poster, on display at the traveling exhibition "Punk Graphics: Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die", based on Andrew Kristine’s extensive collection of punk memorabilia.

Note: At the Royal Academy of Fine Arts around 3AM. Last date of tour. Lydia recites from her diaries and poetry, some(*) published in "Adulteres Anonymous" book (Grove Press, 1982), over wailing guitar sounds and monotonous drumming. Also screening of Tod Browning movie "Freaks" and videos by Throbbing Gristle and Factory records.

Note: On 21-Dec-81 Lydia Lunch writes some poetry ("4 Ugly Walls" and "The Venus Hotel") that would later appear on pages 94-95 of her "Adulterers Anonymous" book (with Exene Cervenka).

18-Feb-82
UK Release of "The Agony Is The Ecstacy" 12" (4AD).

27-Jun-82
US Release of the "13.13" album (Ruby).

September-82
UK/DE Release of the "13.13" album (Situation2/Line).

20-Jan-11
FR Re-release of the "13.13" album (Le Son Du Maquis).

Mail me (don't forget to remove the anti spam section).
Last modified 4th of January, 2021.