The Work were an English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

rock 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 Wale ...

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

, founded in 1980 by multi-instrumentalist/composer

Tim Hodgkinson Timothy George Hodgkinson (born 1 May 1949) is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds, lap steel guitar, and keyboards. He first became known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry ...

and guitarist/composer Bill Gilonis, with bass guitarist Mick Hobbs and drummer Rick Wilson. The band toured Europe in 1981 and 1982, and recorded their first album, '' Slow Crimes'' in 1982. After a tour of Japan later that year and releasing '' Live in Japan'', the band split up. In 1989, the Work reformed to record ''Rubber Cage'' and performed throughout Europe between 1989 and 1994, releasing another album, ''See'' in 1992. A live album, ''The 4th World'', recorded in Germany in 1994, was released in 2010.

History

Ex-

Henry Cow Henry Cow were an English experimental rock group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler, b ...

co-founder

began recording with Bill Gilonis in 1979. They experimented with tape

collages Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

which led to the creation of an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

, Woof Records and a

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

. Enlisting the services of Mick Hobbs and Rick Wilson they formed the Work, a

. In 1981, the Work made their first recording, an EP "I Hate America", released on the Woof label. They then embarked on a tour of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, performing in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Extracts from these live performances were later released on a cassette tape album, ''The Worst of Everywhere'' (1983). In 1982, the band played at a

Rock in Opposition Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive rock bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by English avant-rock gro ...

Festival in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

with vocalist Catherine Jauniaux, after which they recorded their first album '' Slow Crimes'' on the Woof label with Jauniaux as guest musician. ''Slow Crimes'' took

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

to new heights by introducing elements of

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

. Philip Clark wrote in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' in 2008 that the Work introduced "unheralded level of rhythmic complexity to punk". The band's next commitment was a tour of Japan in June 1982, but before the tour began, Wilson left to study

chenda The Chenda (, ) is a cylindrical percussion instrument originating in the state of Kerala and widely used in Tulu Nadu of Karnataka in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as ''chende''. The instrument is strongly associat ...

temple drumming in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, South India, and Hobbs followed soon after over disagreements about the band's musical direction. Committed to the tour, Hodgkinson and Gilonis asked ex-Henry Cow drummer

Chris Cutler Chris Cutler (born 4 January 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, N ...

and bassist Jim "Amos" Welton to join them in Japan. With this altered line-up, the group played three concerts in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and one in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. The Osaka concert was recorded with a

cassette recorder A cassette deck is a type of tape machine for playing and recording audio cassettes that does not have a built-in power amplifier or speakers, and serves primarily as a transport. It can be a part of an automotive entertainment system, a part o ...

halfway down the hall, which was later cleaned up and released by Recommended Records Japan on an LP '' Live in Japan''. At the end of the tour, the group split up. In 1989, the Work reformed with its original members and recorded an industrial/

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

album ''Rubber Cage'', after which they returned to touring Europe, performing in France, Germany,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, Switzerland and Italy over the next two years. In 1992, they made their last album, ''See'', which they played live on their ongoing European tour. In 1993, the band played at the

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Open Music Festival in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The Work's last performances were in 1994 in Italy, Switzerland, Germany,

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, where they had begun drawing on Hopi Indian

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

for their sets. ''The 4th World'', a live album recorded in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, Germany in 1994, was released by Ad Hoc Records in 2010. The original

mono Mono may refer to: Biology * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monocyte, a type of leukocyte (white blood cell) * Monodactylidae, members of which are referred to as monos Technology and computing * Mono (audio), single-c ...

recordings were reprocessed into

stereo Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

by Udi Koomran. Mick Hobbs died on 3 January 2025, at the age of 69.

Personnel

– saxophones, bass clarinet, keyboards, lap steel guitar, lead vocals * Bill Gilonis – guitar, euphonium, sampling, vocals *Mick Hobbs – guitar, bass guitar, drums, ukulele, recorder, midi-horn, vocals (died 2025) *Rick Wilson – drums, bass guitar, vocals

Discography

Albums

*'' Slow Crimes'' (1982, LP, Woof Records, UK) *'' Live in Japan'' (1982, LP,

Recommended Records Recommended Records (RēR) is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler with Nick Hobbs in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected musi ...

, Japan) *''The Worst of Everywhere'' (1983, CT, Woof Records, UK) *''Rubber Cage'' (1989, LP, Woof Records, UK) *''See'' (1992, CD, Woof Records, UK) *''The 4th World'' (2010, CD, Ad Hoc Records, US)

Extended plays

*"I Hate America" / "Fingers & Toes" / "Duty" (1981, EP, Woof Records, UK)

Singles

*"I Hate America" (1982, 7", Eastern Works, UK) *"Slowly Crimes" (1982, 7", Eastern Works, UK)

Compilations

*''The Work'' (2018, LP, Jelodanti Records, France)

Other album appearances

*Various artists: ''Miniatures: A Sequence of Fifty-One Tiny Masterpieces'' (1980, LP, Pipe, UK) – includes one track, "With Wings Pressed Back" by the Work *Various artists: '' Recommended Records Sampler'' (1982, 2xLP, Recommended Records, UK) – includes one track, "Houdini" by the Work *Various artists: ''Masse Mensch'' (1982, LP, Selektion, Germany) – includes two tracks, "Anxious (About Meaning)" and "One Swallow" by the Work *Various artists: ''Unsere Jungs'' (1980's, LP, D&S Recording, Germany) – includes one track, "Such A Little Rushness" by the Work *Various artists: ''Hardis Bruts (Hommage À L'Art Brut)'' (1992, CD, In-Poly-Sons, France) – includes one track, "Screem Circle" by the Work *The Lowest Note, The Work, Gilonis / Hodgkinson: ''WOOF 7 Inches'' (2004, CD, Ad Hoc Records, US) – includes six tracks by the Work *Various artists: ''With Love, Jelodanti.'' (2020, 2xLP, Jelodanti Records, France) – includes one track, "Auspice / Live In Brussels, 10 May 1980" by the Work

References

External links

*
Tim Hodgkinson / The Work
''Chris Cutler homepage''

''The Canterbury Website''

''SquidCo'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Work (band), The English experimental musical groups English post-punk music groups English industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1980 1980 establishments in England