Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, best known for his work in

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry,

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

Pigface Pigface is an American industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin. History Pigface was formed from Ministry's ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'' tour, which produced the '' In Case You Didn't Feel ...

, and

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...

. He also works as a consultant, has written books, and is the music business program coordinator at

Millikin University Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Media Decaturian The ''Decaturian'', also known as ...

in Decatur, IL. Atkins is an honorary board member of the Chicago-based nonprofit organisation

Rock For Kids Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wal ...

Early life

Atkins was born in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, England.

Career

1979–1981

Atkins' first major exposure as a drummer was with

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk rock, punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 197 ...

's post-

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

band, Public Image Ltd. He joined in 1979, just in time to contribute to the song "Bad Baby" on the album ''

Metal Box ''Metal Box'' is the second studio album by Public Image Ltd, released by Virgin Records on 23 November 1979. The album takes its name from the round metal canister which contained the initial pressings of the record. It was later reissued in ...

''. Atkins' first live show with PiL was recorded and released as a live album ''

Paris au Printemps ''Paris au Printemps'' is a live album recorded by Public Image Ltd (given as 'Image Publique S.A.' on the cover) in 1980 on two consecutive dates in January in Paris, and released in November the same year. The title of the album is French fo ...

'' and his first year with the band included appearances on

The John Peel Sessions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

for the BBC, ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

'' and the BBC's live ''

Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

''. In 1980, Atkins left Public Image Ltd to concentrate on his band Brian Brain with Pete Jones (who also played with Public Image Ltd in 1982 and 1983) on bass (in 1983 replaced by original Go-Gos' bassist Margot Olavarria) and Bobby Surgeoner on guitar (later replaced by Olavarria's husband, Geoff Smyth). Named after the Worcestershire and Gloucestershire seam bowler

Brian Brain Brian Maurice Brain (born 13 September 1940) is a former English first-class cricketer whose career with Worcestershire and Gloucestershire stretched over more than two decades. He was capped by Worcestershire in 1966 and by Gloucestershire in ...

, the band released six singles and one LP (''Unexpected Noises'') on

Secret Records ''Secret Records limited '' is a British independent record label based in London founded in 1980. The label specialize in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes ...

, and continued to release singles and LPs on Atkins' own Plaid Records throughout the 1980s. The band had a minor indie chart hit in 1980 with "They've Got Me in the Bottle" (#39), and club hits with the singles "Jive Jive" (1981) and "Funky Zoo" (1982).

1981–1985

Atkins rejoined Public Image Ltd in 1981 to contribute to '' The Flowers of Romance'' and, later, produced and co-wrote the album '' This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get''. Atkins eventually left PiL for the last time in 1985.

1985–2005

After leaving Public Image Ltd, Atkins revived his Brian Brain project and recorded an EP at Planet Sound Studios in New York for his own, short-lived label ''Plaid Records'', which was released in July 1985. Throughout the late 1980s, the 1990s and early 2000s, Atkins performed with many bands, including

(appearing in the video for "

Head Like A Hole "Head Like a Hole" is a song by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from the group's debut album, ''Pretty Hate Machine''. Although one of the more rock-oriented tracks on the album, many elements o ...

"), as well as Ministry. The dual-drumming of Atkins and

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scene ...

appears on the live Ministry album/video '' In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up''. Atkins later joined

, performing on 1990s ''Extremities, Dirt, and Other Repressed Emotions''. He also managed the band for that time, and designed their live show scenery and some merchandise. Atkins formed his industrial supergroup,

, during a Ministry tour in 1989–1990. After joining

for their 1990 recording, Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions, he went on to form

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...

, a new band featuring

Geordie Walker Kevin "Geordie" Walker (born 18 December 1960) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing is widely acclaimed. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin hailed Walk ...

and Paul Raven from Killing Joke, and Chris Connelly, in 1992. During this time, he played with the Revolting Cocks and is credited alongside

Chris Vrenna Chris Vrenna (born February 23, 1967 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American musician, producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter, programmer, and founder of the electronic band Tweaker. Vrenna played drums for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails ...

for performing extra drums on " Wish" and "Gave Up," tracks two and six of the '' Broken'' EP (as well as the aforementioned "

"). In between creating albums and touring with Pigface he also formed

The Damage Manual The Damage Manual was an industrial supergroup formed in 2000. It featured Martin Atkins on drums and loops, Chris Connelly on vocals, Geordie Walker on guitar and Jah Wobble on bass. A second lineup saw Steven Seibold of the band Hate Dept ...

with

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

, Walker, and Connelly. Atkins later produced and released a collaborative album with

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompto ...

Nivek Ogre Kevin Graham Ogilvie (born December 5, 1962), known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded with cEvin Key. Sin ...

, the latter's first project outside of Skinny Puppy, under the moniker Rx. The resulting album was entitled ''Bedside Toxicology''. Between 2000 and 2002 he released four albums as Opium Jukebox featuring instrumental cover tunes done in a Bhangra style.

2006–present

In October 2006, Atkins visited Beijing to discover the emerging Chinese music scene. During his stay, Atkins recorded and signed a handful of Chinese bands to

Invisible Records Invisible Records is a Chicago based record label founded by Martin Atkins Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and Industrial music, industrial groups incl ...

and recorded material for a new Pigface album. Atkins has taught at Columbia College in Chicago where he instructed the course "The Business of Touring". He is also an active guest lecturer, speaking at such institutions as the University of Southern California, the Midi School in Beijing and

Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania. History Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 18 ...

in Annville, Pennsylvania. Atkins has since become an instructor at the Madison Media Institute in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

. Atkins has announced plans to take his lecturing further by eventually opening a school of his own. He is also a former department chairman for a music business program he designed at SAE Chicago. He now is the acting Music Business program coordinator at

in Decatur, IL. Atkins has held a number of seminars at

Tech Music Schools The British and Irish Modern Music Institute, now styled as the BIMM Institute, is a group of eight independent colleges which specialise in the provision of creative education in Brighton, Bristol, London, Dublin, Manchester, Berlin, Birmi ...

(Drumtech, Vocaltech, Guitar-X and Keyboardtech) in London, with more planned for the future. Atkins has written what he calls "the first real book on touring". The book ''Tour:Smart'', featured contributions from

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rol ...

Cynthia Plastercaster Cynthia Plaster Caster (born Cynthia Dorothy Albritton; May 24, 1947 – April 21, 2022) was an American visual artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who gained fame for creating plaster casts of celebrities' erect penises. Albritto ...

, The Enigma, the

Suicide Girls SuicideGirls is an online community-based website that revolves around pin-up photography sets of models known as the Suicide Girls. The website was founded in 2001 by Selena Mooney ("Missy Suicide") and Sean Suhl ("Spooky"). Most of the site ...

, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson),

Kevin Lyman Kevin Lyman is the founder and operator of thKevin Lyman Group formerly known as 4Fini, Inc., a live event production company and brand strategy firm. His most notable live production is the live music festival series Vans Warped Tour, which attrac ...

, Curse Mackey, CPA Lisa Malina and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, and radio personalities. Atkins was on the tenth annual Independent Music Awards judging panel, and was also a judge for the seventh annual season of Independent Music Awards to support independent artists. Starting in 2015, Atkins has written and performed several podcast stories for The Martin Atkins Minute, included with the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

All Songs Considered ''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online multimedia program started in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on ...

podcast. In 2018 Martin released ''Band:Smart'', the follow up to his ''Tour:Smart'' book. This book covers record labels, book agents, crafting a stage show, band names, social media and lots more.

Discography

;with Public Image Ltd * 1979: ''

'' ("Bad Baby" only) * 1980: ''

'' (live) * 1981: '' The Flowers of Romance'' * 1983: '' Live in Tokyo'' (live) * 1984: '' This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get'' ;with Brian Brain * 1987: ''Time Flies When You're Having Toast'' ;with Ministry * 1990: '' In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up'' (live) ;with Killing Joke * 1990: '' Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions'' ;with Pigface * ''

Gub ''Gub'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Pigface. It is notable for featuring contributions from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, with Reznor later re-recording the song "Suck" for the Nine Inch Nails EP, '' Broken'', released in 1 ...

'' (1991) * '' Fook'' (1992) * ''

Notes From Thee Underground ''Notes from Thee Underground'' is a 1994 album by Pigface. The following album '' Feels Like Heaven'' is a remix EP of this one. Releases *Invisible/Devotion CDDVN 29 - CD Track listing The song "Chikasaw" later appeared in a different versi ...

'' (1994) * '' A New High in Low'' (1997) * '' Easy Listening...'' (2003) * '' 6'' (2009) ;with Nine Inch Nails * 1992: '' Broken'' (EP)

References

Bibliography

External links

Martin Atkins
on Bigcartel Store
Official Tour:Smart pageOfficial Gallery PageMartin Atkins Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Martin 1959 births Living people English industrial musicians Columbia College Chicago faculty English rock drummers English session musicians Killing Joke members Ministry (band) members Musicians from Coventry Pigface members Public Image Ltd members British post-punk musicians Murder, Inc. (band) members The Damage Manual members