News

No Wave icons reform in NYC for one day only

3:40 p.m. · March 27, 2008 · by Andrew Winistorfer

Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, the iconic No Wave group fronted by Lydia Lunch, will perform for the first time in years, with two shows scheduled at New York’s Knitting Factory on June 13.

The group first rose to (underground) prominence in the late 1970s when they appeared on the Brian Eno-curated No New York compilation with fellow No-Wavers James Chance & The Contortions, Mars and DNA. They were also heavily featured in a documentary of the scene, 2006’s Kill Your Idols.

Lunch will be joined at the shows this summer by former Jerk, drummer Jim Sclavunos, a current member of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, and a mystery “lost member” of the band on bass.

The gigs are being held to commemorate the release of Thurston Moore and Byron Coley’s book, titled No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980, to be released on June 1^st. 

On the Knitting Factory’s website, they promise another No Wave band will be on the bill, but no firm details are available. (Cross your fingers for James Chance).