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After The Pope's Blood: Gatecrashing The Birthday Party

Ralph Traitor, Sounds, 3 April 1982

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY? Well, yeah, like in blowing out candles on a cake. This party is a crashed party and anyone with a part of it feels the same. Not smiling, not trying, not caring, not interested. A group whose music should suffer no explanation, as if an explanation is forthcoming. Listening to the music you should suffer enough and through no fault of your own. And you'll like it. And if you don't like it you'll hate it. Or is that what the Birthday Party intend? What motivated their indomitable racket or cool skulls, ‘Dead Joe’s and ‘King Ink’s?

Total word count of piece: 1538

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