Born on August 3: Kirk Brandon (Theatre of Hate), between anger and spiritual references

The British singer and musician was born in London in 1956. He is one of the leading figures of the post-punk movement.

Always ready to defend his ideas, sometimes vehemently, Kirk Brandon began his musical career in 1978 in Clapham, South London, by founding the punk band The Pack, where he sang and wrote. He recalls this period: "We were like penniless Victorians. We sometimes went into unoccupied houses to dismantle bathtubs and sinks, which we sold for three quid on the street corner. We were all unemployed and didn't shower often. We lived like that, living on a shoestring, with music as our main focus."

Always resolutely alternative, writing politically charged songs like "Do You Believe In The Westworld?", he then founded Theatre of Hate in 1980, bringing together Stan Stammers (bass), Nigel Preston (drums), Billy Duffy (guitar), and John Lennard (saxophone). The band is distinguished by a deliberately messy post-punk sound, but also by an innate sense of aesthetics, particularly for their meticulous cover art. In January 1982, their album "Westworld" achieved notable success thanks to the aforementioned single. "Even today, Theatre of Hate continues its momentum in a way. It may be foolish of me to say so, but I think our album hasn't aged a bit."

After Theatre of Hate disbanded in 1983, Spear of Destiny took over with a more melodic approach, but without abandoning the political and social themes that were dear to them. Despite a solid stage reputation, Spear of Destiny achieved only limited success, with only one major hit, the 1987 single "Never Take Me Alive."

Over the following decades, he took on a variety of projects, playing with Dead Men Walking, touring solo, and regularly reforming the post-punk supergroup with Mike Peters (The Alarm), Pete Wylie (Wah! Heat), and Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols).

On the personal side, this eternal rebel has endured difficult times. He has suffered health problems (arthritis and even heart surgery). A libel case lost against Boy George in 1995 led to his bankruptcy. He has also dedicated himself to teaching music, teaching at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music in 2012.

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo : Kirk Brandon avec Theatre Of Hate sur un plate u télé à Bruxelles (Belgique) en 1982