Attrition

Shadowork & Sound Night Out Promotions Present: ATTRITION + SBR Bone and Star

ATTRITION are pioneers of what has become known as darkwave. Formed in Coventry in 1980, fuelled by punk ideology and experimental art aesthetics, they emerged as part of the early UK industrial scene alongside contemporaries Coil, Test Department, Legendary Pink Dots, In The Nursery and Portion Control. Founder Martin Bowes has steered the band through over four decades, a succession of critically acclaimed albums, and sales surpassing 100,000 records worldwide.

Attrition have toured extensively across Europe, North America, South America, Russia and Asia, appeared at major festivals, and had their music featured on numerous TV and film soundtracks. They've worked with collaborators as diverse as psychedelic veterans The Legendary Pink Dots, punk legend TV Smith, and Franck Dematteis of the Paris Opera.

Their catalogue spans landmark releases - from 1984's Bullshit Detector 3 on Crass Records to the Animal Liberation compilation alongside Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Smiths, Nina Hagen and Lene Lovich. "Acid Tongue" appeared on K-Tel's Industrial compilation, a who's who of the genre featuring Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Ministry and Nitzer Ebb, while in Germany, Orkus magazine's Best of the '90s collection featured the darkwave classic "A Girl Called Harmony."

Martin's production work at his studio, The Cage, has included mixes for The Damage Manual, Die Form, In The Nursery, Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Mona Mur/En Esch, alongside mastering for countless bands and labels. His wider credits include synths and vocals on the final Pigface album, narration for US horror series C for Chaos, and the score to G.H.O.S.T. from Mutantville Productions.

Their most recent album, Millions of the Mouthless Dead - inspired by Martin's grandfather's experiences on the Western Front in 1917 - features collaborations with Anni Hogan (known for her work with Marc Almond) and the legendary Wolfgang Flür (ex-Kraftwerk). Their latest album The Black Maria sees the original eighties line-up back together after nearly 30 years.

Attrition play District, Liverpool on 4th September 2026 - their first ever Liverpool show. Don't miss the chance to experience one of darkwave's founding acts live.

SBR Bone and Star is a Liverpool-based singer, songwriter and composer dealing in what she calls 'hyper neo-stalgia' - a dark, crystalline blend of 80s, 90s and 2000s influences pulled into something that feels unmistakably now. Expect emotions, atmosphere, and a sound built for the shadows.